The Troy Trojans and the Appalachian State Mountaineers meet Saturday in college football action from Troy University Veterans Memorial Stadium for the Sun Belt championship. Troy is currently 10-2 overall and sitting on a nine-game win streak. The Trojans clinched their championship game appearance with a win over Southern Miss last weekend. As for App State, they’ve won five straight games to move to 8-4 overall, most recently taking out Georgia Southern in blowout fashion. Here’s a Troy vs App State prediction.
Troy Trojans
The Trojans started out at a sketchy 1-2 this year with losses to Kansas State and James Madison, but it’s been smooth sailing since then. Troy is averaging a solid 29.7 points per game this year, bagging 274.3 yards per game, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions through the air. On the ground the Trojans average 149.0 yards per game and have 13 scores.
In their latest victory on Saturday versus Southern Miss, Troy outscored the Eagles 21-7 in the second half on the way to a 35-17 result. QB Gunnar Watson threw for 289 yards with two scores and a pick. Kimani Vidal had 69 yards and a TD of his own off 16 carries, and Jabre Barber led the receivers with six catches for 81 yards.
Troy Trojans Team Facts
- Troy has won 20 of its last 21 games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Troy has covered the spread in each of its last seven games in December.
- Troy has won the first half in eight of its last nine home games against conference opponents.
- Four of Troy’s last five home games against non-AP-ranked teams have gone UNDER the total points line.
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Appalachian State Mountaineers
Over on the App State side, they’ve turned things around very well after a rough 3-4 start to the season. The Mountaineers have won five straight and are averaging 35.8 points per game this year. App State gets most of their production via the pass with 278.7 yards per game, 34 TDs and nine interceptions. The Mountaineers average 4.7 yards per rush attempt and have 19 more scores on the ground.
The Mountaineers didn’t have a ton of issues versus Georgia Southern in their latest outing. App State was down 14-3 early but scored double-digit points in the next three quarters for a 55-27 blowout win. Joey Aguilar tossed for 296 yards, four TDs and an interception, while Kanye Roberts had 109 rush yards and a score of his own. Kaedin Robinson was the leading team receiver on his 108 yards and two TDs off eight grabs.
Appalachian State Mountaineers Team Facts
- Appalachian State has won each of its last five games.
- Appalachian State has failed to cover the spread in seven of its last eight road games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Appalachian State has won the first quarter in each of its last three road games against conference opponents.
- Appalachian State has won the first half in each of its last four games against conference opponents.
- Five of Appalachian State’s last six games as a road underdog have gone UNDER the total points line.
Matchup/League Facts
- Troy rank 10th among FBS teams for points allowed per game this season (16.7).
- Appalachian State rank T17th among FBS teams for points per game this season (35.8).
ANDREW’S FREE APPALACHIAN STATE VS TROY PREDICTION
I’ll stay with Troy. The Trojans are coming off a pretty strong effort versus Southern Miss, totaling 427 yards (319 passing) with 25 first downs. There were a few blemishes though, such as the 3-of-9 on third down tries and the two turnovers. Still, Troy now has 28 or more points in each of the last five games and 27 or more points in eight of their last nine outings. The Trojans should score pretty well here also.
As for Appalachian State, they ended up with a whopping 532 yards (296 passing) and 29 first downs after a relatively slow start in their latest win over Georgia Southern. The Mountaineers have scored very well lately themselves with 31 or more points in four of the five games during this current win streak. I like Troy’s defense to keep App State honest, though. The Trojans have given up 17 or fewer points in seven of their last eight outings. Should still be a pretty fun matchup regardless.