Georgia Southern visits South Alabama on 10/14/2021 at 7:30PM.
Georgia Southern and South Alabama face off in a regular season matchup. Games are on campuses and crowds are full once again! Georgia Southern sports a record of 2-4 this season. South Alabama is 3-2 this season. Enough preamble… Let’s get to the preview… 
Georgia Southern Team Defense Preview
Georgia Southern has had 71 defensive drives in non-garbage time minutes and they yield 5.52 plays per drive. There is not much to take away here when it comes to how many plays per drive opponents run , but they are a team that falls in the average window when it comes to plays per drive. Georgia Southern has had shown an inability to stop defenses from converting on 4th Downs and they let opponents get into manageable 3rd Down situations where an RPO may be especially deadly. Passing plays are 53.06% of their opponents’ play calls.Georgia Southern tends to face teams that prefer to air it out or opponents wanted to air it out against them.
Georgia Southern is not doing anything particularly special as far as their ability to create negative yardage plays on the ground. Opponent rushing yards attributed to their offensive line this season comes out to 3.19 yards per carry. Their defense gives offensive lines too much control over them on the ground, too much push from the opposing offensive line. This is a team that is getting gashed too much for the tastes of their base. Linebackers are not stopping the bleeding well enough. They are capable of giving up a long run, which is really demoralizing when the opposing team has the ball deep in their own territory.
Disruptive plays are a part of the fabric of this team’s defensive effort. Game changing plays that drive Offensive Coordinators and Quarterbacks crazy, they find ways to deliver. Getting more specific, this front seven is a cause of a lot of headaches for offenses. They may be good enough to cause trouble in pass rush with just four rushers!Georgia Southern is better at stopping the run than the pass this season .
Georgia Southern Team Offense Preview
Georgia Southern has had 72 drives in non-garbage time minutes and they average 5.04 plays per drive. Relatively speaking, Georgia Southern is not a team that runs many plays per drive. The offense is either prone to faltering and struggles to notch first downs or extremely explosive, we will need to find out a bit more to get answers. Struggles to get ahead of the chains and convert on third and fourth down are common, the offense can stagnate. Georgia Southern passes the football 36.64% of the time.They favors running the ball as opposed airing it out.
Georgia Southern is not doing anything particularly special as far as their ability to avoid negative yardage plays on the ground. How effective is the offensive line given what we know about their ability to prevent negative yards on rushing plays? More than you think, thanks to the Adjusted Line Yards metric. Georgia Southern can take credit for 3.0 yards per carry. Generally speaking, this is an average offensive line as far as their ability to set up the running game. This is also a team that is getting to the second-level in an average fashion. Offensive line and running backs are average in this regard. Featuring an explosive running game… they are capable of breaking big yardage runs on First and Second Down. This puts a lot of pressure on Linebackers and Safeties.
Defenses are able to impose their will on the Georgia Southern Offense this season . Front sevens of opposing defenses are causing a lot of problems. Georgia Southern is a better running team than passing team this season .
South Alabama Team Defense Preview
South Alabama has had 36 total defensive drives this season and they yield 5.28 plays per drive. There is not much to take away here when it comes to how many plays per drive opponents run , but they are a team that falls in the average window when it comes to plays per drive. Third and long situations are common against this season ‘s defense. This is a defense that forces opponents to commit penalties, have compromised offensive line play, and fail to convert on crunch possessions. Passing plays are 56.32% of their opponents’ play calls.They are a team that faces a lot of Air Raid Offenses.
South Alabama opponents have had struggled with running the ball and the defense crushed the spirits of their opponents with zero or negative yard plays. 4th and Short is not a cake walk, maybe passing on 4th and Short or having some sort of RPO is the way to go because if an Offensive Coordinator thinks that they can just line up and run a Quarterback Sneak or hand it off to a tailback against this season ‘s defense, they are mistaken. How effective are opposing offensive lines given what we know about their ability to force negative yardage rushing plays? South Alabama can take credit for holding the offensive line of their opponent to 1.5 yards per carry. Opponent offensive lines have had been simply unable to support their running games against their defense. When it comes to getting to that second level, running backs are getting stopped. This defense does not allow themselves to be gashed. The breakout rushing plays are simply not happening, it is a massive reach to expect them to give up big rushing plays.
South Alabama have had made the turnover belt, chain, pads, lunch pail or whatever gimmick they use change hands a lot. This is a Defense that causes pure aggravation. South Alabama should have a sign ready for opponents near the Visitor Locker Room that says “Welcome to Hell”, their front seven is deep and they cause a lot of problems. South Alabama is better at stopping the run than the pass this season .
South Alabama Team Offense Preview
South Alabama has had 36 total drives this season and they generate 5.97 plays per drive. South Alabama run a lot of plays per drive and this could wear an opposing defense down. South Alabama is an average offense as far as staying ahead of the chains, getting into 3rd and Short scenarios, and converting on 3rd and 4th Down. South Alabama passes the football 47.91% of the time.Relatively speaking, this is a team that favors run/pass balance.
South Alabama struggles with running the ball, getting zero or negative yard plays is disspiriting and the offensive line is not effectively making a good push. Poor playcalling, pre-snap adjustments or post-snap reads may be responsible and this could fall on the Quarterback, Offensive Coordinator, and Head Coach. Based on the Adjusted Line Yards metric, which measures the amount of credit that should be ascribed to the offensive line for a rushing play, they average 3.02 yards per carry. Generally speaking, this is an average offensive line as far as their ability to set up the running game. This is also a team that is getting to the second-level in an average fashion. Offensive line and running backs are average in this regard. The breakout rushing plays are simply not happening, it is a massive reach to expect this season ‘s team to bust out big rushing plays.
Defenses are able to impose their will on the South Alabama Offense this season . Front sevens of opposing defenses are causing a lot of problems. South Alabama is a better running team than passing team this season .
The Georgia Southern Roster
The Players to Watch for Georgia Southern
Justin Tomlin QB 5’11” 190 Junior
Justin Tomlin put up 458 yards, tossed 0 touchdowns, and he threw 4 interceptions this season. He tends to throw shorter length passes, he’d be accused of being too safe or not being trusted by his coaches. His average completed pass was 5.9 yards. He was considered one of the most mobile Quarterbacks in the country this season, designed runs and zone read looks are common. His average rush was 2.3 yards.
Logan Wright RB 6’0″ 230 Senior
Logan Wright had 476 rushing yards on 66 carries. Was he able to get to the end zone on the ground? He had 5 rushing touchdowns. He is considered one of the workhorse running backs of College Football returning this season. His average rush was 7.2 yards. He is a consistent option in the passing game considering that he is a running back. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 7.2 yards.
Derwin Burgess Jr. WR 5’11” 185 Freshman
Derwin Burgess Jr. picked up 101 yards through the air. He caught the ball 4 times this season. He reached the end zone 0 times. He was a part of the passing game this season. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 25.3 yards.
C.J. Wright NT 6’1″ 285 Senior
The leading tackler among Defensive Tackles for Georgia Southern, C.J. Wright, had 17 tackles this season.Among Defensive Tackles/Nose Tackles, he was clogging the gaps and playing disruptive proving he is one of the best at forcing lost yardage, he had 7 tackles for loss this season.He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 4 sacks this season.
Justin Ellis DE 6’2″ 255 Senior
The leading tackler among Defensive Tackles for Georgia Southern, Justin Ellis, had 19 tackles this season.Among Defensive Tackles/Nose Tackles, he was clogging the gaps and playing disruptive proving he is one of the best at forcing lost yardage, he had 4 tackles for loss this season.He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 4 sacks this season.
Anthony Wilson S 5’10” 200 Sophomore
The leading tackler among Defensive Backs for Georgia Southern, Anthony Wilson, had 34 tackles this season.Among Defensive Backs, he was very active and disruptive in the backfield, he had 2 tackles for loss this season.He had 0.0 sacks this season.
Tyler Bride CB 5’10” 180 Sophomore
The leading tackler among Cornerbacks for Georgia Southern, Tyler Bride, had 26 tackles this season.Among Cornerbacks, he was very active and disruptive in the backfield, he had 4 tackles for loss this season.He had 0.0 pick-offs this season.
The South Alabama Roster
The Players to Watch for South Alabama
Jake Bentley QB 6’4″ 220 Senior
Jake Bentley put up 1116 yards, tossed 4 touchdowns, and he threw 2 interceptions. He threw a variety of different length passes. His average completed pass was 7.5 yards. The zone read is a common part of the offense and mobility is used as part of the offense, but not necessarily the focus of the offense. His average rush was 0.3 yards.
Kareem Walker RB 6’2″ 220 Senior
Kareem Walker had 208 rushing yards on 53 carries. Was he able to get to the end zone on the ground? He had 4 rushing touchdowns. He was relied upon to carry the ball quite a bit this season. His average rush was 3.9 yards. He was relied upon as a receiver in their offense this season. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 3.9 yards.
Jalen Tolbert WR 6’3″ 195 Junior
Jalen Tolbert picked up 544 yards through the air. He caught the ball 25 times this season. He reached the end zone 1 times. He is a go-to in the passing game. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 21.8 yards.
Wy’Kevious Thomas DL 6’2″ 340 Freshman
The leading tackler among Defensive Tackles for South Alabama, Wy’Kevious Thomas, had 24 tackles this season.Among Defensive Tackles/Nose Tackles, he was clogging the gaps and playing disruptive proving he is one of the best at forcing lost yardage, he had 4 tackles for loss this season.He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 2 sacks this season.
Yamarus Banks S 6’1″ 205 Freshman
The leading tackler among Defensive Backs for South Alabama, Yamarus Banks, had 22 tackles this season.Among Defensive Backs, he was very active and disruptive in the backfield, he had 2 tackles for loss this season.He had 0.0 sacks this season.
Devin Rockette CB 5’10” 175 Senior
The leading tackler among Cornerbacks for South Alabama, Devin Rockette, had 11 tackles this season.He forced 0 tackles for loss this season.He had 0.0 pick-offs this season.
Georgia Southern vs. South Alabama Prediction, Picks, and Odds
Prediction: Georgia Southern 17 South Alabama 32
Spread Pick: South Alabama -3 -118 BetOnline Get Up to a Grand in Your Hand Now!
Moneyline Pick: South Alabama -155 BetAnySports
Under Pick: Under 50 -112 BetOnline Get Up to a Grand in Your Hand Now!