Play the Total in Appalachian State vs. Coastal Carolina

Appalachian State vs. Coastal Carolina, 7:30 ET

In a fun conference battle, we see Appalacian State taking on Coastal Carolina on Thursday Night Football for ESPN. In reality, this is probably the more exciting game with a pigskin that you'll find tonight. The NFL once again has a crappy game but this one should be fun!

Appalachian State can put up the points on just about anyone. They haven't had a ridiculously hard schedule for the year, and sit at just 5-3, but their offense looks good. They are averaging almost 37 points per game. Led by quarterback Chase Brice's solid season with almost 2,000 yards already and 22 passing touchdowns, the Mountaineers like to take shots downfield and try to get their playmakers in space. Brice does a good job of protecting the ball as well with just four interceptions in his 239 attempts. I like their running game as well, and they do a good job of varying the attack. The good news for them is that despite Coastal Carolina being very effective as well on offense, they do have some defensive issues. I think Appalachian State should be able to get most of what they want.

Coastal Carolina has a 7-1 record and if you look at that on the surface you probably think they are the better team. They might be the better team after this game too, but you need to dig a little deeper about this one. My main concern is how they are going to slow down Brice. They allow a lot of passing yardage per game, and some of that is due to how much they get thrown on with their leads. They also were blown out at home by Old Dominion in a game they never should've lost. The star of that game was Old Dominion's running back so maybe they were anticipating something different and their game plan was just blown up.

Of the two teams, I think that Appalachian State has the better defense. I'm not sure that I want to lay points with them on the road, though. They can be inconsistent at times. What I do expect is that both offenses shine in this game. I'm not taking a side, though I lean toward the Mountaineers. Instead, I'll take over 64 as I think this game will see frequent touchdowns.

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