2023 Myrtle Beach Bowl – Ohio vs Georgia Southern
posted December 9
PROP IDEAS added FRIDAY Dec 15 5:30pm at the bottom of the page
The Game
It’s time to HEAD TO THE BEACH, yo.
The 9-3 Ohio Bobcats were primed and ready to take another shot at that elusive MAC Championship but they couldn’t get past YOUR Miami Redhawks who defeated them handily in late October (L 30-16). They won their final three games of the season although each of those games were vs weak opposition. Georgia Southern got off to a HOT start winning six of their first eight contests and they were right in the thick of the Sun Belt East hunt. Sadly, they SHAT the BED down the stretch and lost their final four games giving up 38 points on three occasions. Can they get things straightened around in the bowl game?
The Details
Georgia Southern -3.5 Ohio (49)
MEGALOCKS LINE – Georgia Southern -3
“Vegas” Implied Projected Score: Georgia Southern 26.25 Ohio 22.75
Georgia Southern offense vs Ohio defense
The Eagles do the vast majority of their work thru the air (#14 FBS passing offense) behind the arm of QB Davis Brin who’s thrown for over 3,400 yards on the season BUT note that he enjoys throwing the ball to the other team more than we’d like to see (22-16 TD to INT ratio; four games with two or more picks). Georgia Southern has a deep and talented group at WR/TE and they’ll pose one of the biggest challenges of the year for the Bobcats’ secondary. Ohio is very strong on defense and rank #4 (!) in the nation in total defense (264 YPG), #8 vs the run, and #14 in pass efficiency D (12-12 TD to INT). We don’t expect the Eagles to get much done on the ground especially if #1 RB Jalen White misses this game, He didn’t go in the season finale and hasn’t had a 100-yard game since November 4th. Brin has been sacked 26 times (team 29) and the Bobcats have sacked opposing QBs 31 times (#4 MAC) so Ohio should be able to get the QB on the ground a few times in this game and create punting situations and/or turnovers.
Ohio offense vs Georgia Southern defense
The MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION in this game revolves around the exit of starting QB Kurtis Rourke who has hit the transfer portal and the insertion of backup QB Parker Navarro into the equation. Rourke had a disappointing season (11-5 TD to INT, 64%) compared to LY’s breakout campaign but Navarro has only attempted 10 passes this year (24 attempts since 2021). The HITS KEEP ON COMING for the Bobcats when you consider that their top-two (!) rushers have also hit the portal (combined 1,263 rush yards) along with WR Miles Cross who led the team in receiving yards and TDs. The Bobcats have been mediocre on offense (#90 FBS rushing, #85 passing) so it’ll be a challenge to get much going in this game given the key weaponry that’s missing for this game. ALERT! We do have some good news to report. Georgia Southern doesn’t play much defense (#92 total defense, #94 scoring defense, #75 run D, #80 pass efficiency D) and they don’t get much heat on the QB (23 sacks, #85). That means it’ll definitely be possible to scheme up a game plan that’ll work vs the Eagles stop unit. Ohio’s offense had a bit more pop near the end of the year (with Rourke tho) so it’s not impossible to think that the Bobcats could get to their implied team total vs a crappy defense.
Trends, Intangibles and More!
As with most bowl games it’s always key to gauge motivation…..Ohio is a proud program and almost never take a game for granted….They’ve got a shot at back-to-back 10-win seasons and note that they’ve won FOUR bowl games in a row dating back to the 2017 Bahamas Bowl……Georgia Southern (6-6) will be playing to avoid a losing season but they dropped their bowl game LY vs a depleted Buffalo team (L 23-21) and HC Clay Helton is 2-4 SU in bowl games over his career……Ohio is #28 in the FBS in turnover margin (+5) whilst the Eagles rank #99 in that regard (-5)……Ohio has pathetic special teams (#128 per Phil Steele) and have the lowest ranking amongst bowl teams…..Georgia Southern clocks in at a very respectable #55.
Summary
Get ready folks. This bowl season is gonna be a tough one to navigate with approximately 145,007 players hitting the transfer portal and there are well over a dozen bowl teams that have lost their starting QB to the portal, not to mention the signal callers that are out for the season due to injury. QB Nathan Rourke didn’t have a great season to say the least but it’s hard to know what to expect on offense given all of the defections. Ohio is more trustworthy and sports the better defense. Georgia Southern has way more offensive talent. Tough call.
Conclusion
No leanage……..but………
PROP IDEAS (shop around)
QB Davis Brin OVER 0.5 INT (-155, Bet365)……….Can add a sprinkle at +300 for two, +1000 for 3 or more if you dare
QB Parker Navarro anytime TD (+120, Bet365)
WR Sam Wiglusz OVER 56.5 receiving yards -115 (Bet365)
WR Sam Wiglusz anytime TD (+140, FanDuel)…….Can add a sprinkle for two at +900, three or more at +5000 if you dare
‘Official play’ implies this pick is one of our favorites of the week (perceived value, match-up, coaching, trends, etc.). We’re currently playing these picks for the same amount as the leans but it’s up to you how you want to manage your bankroll. Please see the Week in Review posts for more detail.
‘Lean’ implies we are placing a wager on the game.
‘No leanage’ implies we won’t have any action on the game.
Team totals – We list the implied number based on the point spread and total when our analysis is posted. If a team total ends up being an official play we will post a widely available number at the time of pick release.