The Appalachian State Mountaineers and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers will travel to FAU Stadium on Saturday late morning in the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl. The Mountaineers are 10-3 this season and are coming off a 24-16 road loss against the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns. Senior quarterback Chase Brice finished 12-of-30 for 119 yards with a touchdown. The Hilltoppers are 8-5 so far and are coming off a 49-41 road loss against the UTSA Roadrunners 49-41. Senior quarterback Bailey Zapp went 36-of-59 for 577 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.
Appalachian State at Western Kentucky Betting Preview
Ground and Pound
The Appalachian State Mountaineers have been running the ball effectively with sophomore running back Nate Noel. he has recorded 196 rushing attempts for 1,078 yards (5.5 yards per carry) with four rushing touchdowns as well as eight receptions for 16 yards (two yards per catch). In his last game against Louisiana, Noel finished with 12 rushes for 42 yards (3.5 yards per attempt)
The defense of the Appalachian State Mountaineers have been playing extremely well as they are giving up 19.3 points per game. In their previous game against the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns, Appalachian State allowed 24 points on 398 total yards of offense (210 passing, 188 rushing). Louisiana went 6-of-15 on third down and 1-of-3 on fourth down attempts. The Mountaineers need to get more stops against the opposing running game as the Ragin Cajuns averaged 4.6 rushing yards per attempt.
Stern Play
Junior wide receiver Jerreth Sterns has been playing extremely well this season for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. So far this season, he has 137 catches for 1,718 yards (14 yards per reception) with 14 receiving touchdowns as well as five rushing attempts for 17 yards (3.4 yards per carry). In his last game against UTSA, Sterns finished with 10 receptions for 179 yards (17.9 yards per catch) with two touchdowns and a two-yard rushing attempt.
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers have been struggling a bit on the defensive side of the field as they are allowing 28.7 points per game. In their previous game against the UTSA Roadrunners, Western Kentucky gave up 49 points on 556 total yards of offense (252 passing, 304 rushing). The Roadrunners were able to move the chains as they were 8-of-15 on third down tries and 2-of-3 on fourth down opportunities. Western Kentucky needs to be better against the run as UTSA averaged 5.6 rushing yards per attempt.
Who to Bet: Mountaineers vs Hilltoppers?
The Appalachian State Mountaineers are currently listed as a field goal favorite in a neutral site game according to the top sportsbooks across the United States. The difference in this game is going to be the defense as Western Kentucky is allowing 25.8 points in their last five games while Appalachian State is giving up 11 points in their previous five games. The Hilltoppers are 0-3-1 against the spread in their last four neutral site games while the Mountaineers are 5-1 against the spread in their last six neutral site games. All in all, go with the Appalachian State Mountaineers to cover the spread here.