Coastal Carolina took advantage of four consecutive turnovers by Marshall in last week’s Sun Belt Game of the Week.
The Chanticleers turned those miscues into 13 third-quarter points that helped them pull away from the Thundering Herd to win their third game in a row. CCU now sits alone in second place in the Sun Belt East.
This week’s game features the top two teams in the Sun Belt West, and its result could have some major implications in the league title game.
How To Watch Southern Miss-Arkansas State
The game kicks off at noon ET on Saturday and will air on ESPNU.
Southern Miss-Arkansas State Betting Odds
Southern Miss is a 5.5-point college football betting odds favorite over Arkansas State as of this writing. The Over/Under is at 56.5.
Southern Miss-Arkansas State Coaches & Records
USM: Charles Huff (38-22 overall, 6-2 at USM)
ASU: Butch Jones (108-89 overall, 24-35 at ASU)
Last meeting: Arkansas State won 44-28 last year on the road. Southern Miss leads the series 10-4.
Southern Miss Preview
Coming out of a bye week, the Golden Eagles (6-2, 4-0) are on a four-game win streak and haven’t lost since Sept. 20, which came during a trip to Louisiana Tech. Their other defeat was to Mississippi State in Week 1.
USM has cruised through league play so far, but that doesn’t mean the final month of the regular season will be a breeze. But I anticipate USM will be favored in each of its remaining regular season games.
The Golden Eagles’ defense has been one of the best in the country at forcing turnovers this season. They’re tied for fourth in the FBS with 19 turnovers, and their 15 interceptions are tied for second. Ten different players have an interception for USM, and five of them have snared two. Anthony Richard Jr. leads the team with seven pass breakups.
Sophomore Chris Jones paces the league with 9.8 total tackles per game and 3.5 sacks while fellow linebacker Michael Montgomery ranks fourth with 9.1 tackles per game. The Golden Eagles are allowing 24.6 points and 380.8 yards per game.
USM quarterback Braylon Braxton is one of the best playmakers in the Sun Belt, and his 245 passing YPG are third-most in the league. He’s passed for 18 touchdowns to just four interceptions and has added 215 yards on the ground.
The Golden Eagles have a deep wideout room with five players who have at least 220 yards. Running back Jeffery Pittman is averaging 69.8 YPG on the ground and is supposed to be back this week after missing some time. USM is averaging 33 PPG.
Arkansas State Preview
After a 1-4 start, the Red Wolves have now won four games in a row and are 5-4 and 4-1 in conference play. Troy is also 4-1 in league play, but the Red Wolves defeated the Trojans last week. If they beat Southern Miss, they’ll be tied for first place in the division but will own the head-to-head matchups over USM and Troy with only two games remaining on their schedule.
As a 7.5-point underdog, Arkansas State had a decisive victory over the Trojans and led for the entire game. It held a 17-0 lead for much of the first half.
The Red Wolves are an interesting squad, and I’m not entirely sure if they have a true identity. But they’ve found ways to win games regardless. They survived back-to-back, one-point victories and then had their second-highest scoring outing two weeks ago against Georgia Southern.
Last week, the defense was stout and held Troy to 187 total yards and 21 yards on the ground.
ASU does have a well-balanced attack, though, with QB Jaylen Raynor leading the way. Raynor has 2,454 total yards and has 18 total TDs. Three different players have at least 300 rushing yards for ASU — Raynor, Kenyon Clay, and Devin Spencer.
Wideout Chauncy Cobb leads the league with 56 receptions, and his 608 yards are the sixth most. He has yet to catch a TD, however.
Linebacker Aaron Alexander leads the team with 56 total tackles, and Demarcus Hendricks’ five sacks are tied for second-most in the conference.
Kicker Clune Van Andel has been proving why he was the Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year and has nailed some big kicks lately. He’s 23 for 23 on PATs and 15 for 19 on field goals, including a career-long 53-yarder he nailed last week.
Southern Miss-Arkansas State Prediction
I predict Southern Miss wins and covers the spread.
Arkansas State is playing great right now and has come out of nowhere, but I think the Golden Eagles are the better team on both sides of the ball and coming off a bye will be key. I also think this might be a let down spot for ASU following a big win.
