CFB Week 9 Thursday

SOUTH ALABAMA @ GEORGIA STATE - 7:30 PM

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Well I think the main question in this one... is South Alabama quitting? Last week was the backbreaker. They needed this game. They were at home against an Arkansas State team that can't stop the run. This was the perfect matchup for South Alabama to save their season... didn't happen.

They had their least efficient offensive game of the year. At home... against a bad defense... in a must-win game. They had their ugliest offensive game of the year.

So here they are... on the road against a Georgia State defensive front that they should be able to run on. So again... on paper, South Alabama should run the ball on Georgia State without issues. Starting RG Asher Hale did miss the Arkansas State game. He's listed as questionable... maybe he returns and we see a better performance?

Now Georgia State's defense has actually played much better recently now that they've gotten into conference play. Remember, they lost DL Dorian Royal and Sir Mells for the year before the season started.

Georgia State's schedule so far this year has been pretty brutal. The season-long numbers make them look like one of the worst defenses in the country and I believe this is a bad defense. But we do have to acknowledge that they've been through the gauntlet. Now does that mean we can trust em? DT Henry Bryant left the GASO game early and is listed as questionable. EDGE Ian Mathews is also banged up and listed as questionable (11 snaps in last 2 games). And freshman DT Jartavius Flounoy is also listed as questionable (he's been playing a lot).

This is tough... because the Georgia State defensive front is really injured... and all South Alabama does is run the ball. But... we just saw South Alabama struggling to run the ball at home against Arkansas State!

Now on the other side of the ball, this is where it gets tough... because the Georgia State QB situation has been a bit wild.

So coming into the season, it was gonna be Christian Veilleux at QB. TJ Finley transferred in late... so there was talk that there might be a QB battle there between Christian Veilleux and TJ Finley. Throughout the season, we've seen all 3 QBs... but it looks like Cameran Brown has officially won the job. He started and played the entire game last week against Georgia Southern and it was Georgia State's best FBS game offensively of the season.

He was efficient in the game... although we need to point out that Georgia Southern's defense is terrible.

But do we consider South Alabama's defense to be any good? Their last road game, they were struggling to make stops on the road against Troy... who's currently using a backup QB. Tucker Kilcrease is actually playing ok... but Troy is not a powerhouse offense.

I think Georgia State's gonna score. I don't have a strong conviction about this but I think the way to go here would be Georgia State +6.5 and OVER 55.5. We should see a pretty up-tempo game. I think both teams get the ball in the endzone multiple times.