College Football Predictions – Georgia Southern Eagles 2019 College Football Preview
2018 Recap
Record –10-3
ATS – 9-4
Now THIS is the Georgia Southern we wanted to see.
The Eagles pulled off the rarest of feats. They went from being a 10-LOSS team to a 10-WIN team in one season. They finished up a fine campaign with a Camellia Bowl win over a tough Eastern Michigan squad. The Eagles moved closer to their roots on offense and played great defense. The +22 turnover margin (#1 FBS) certainly helped, but there is no doubt they have reestablished themselves as one of the top teams in the Sun Belt.
2019 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating
East Division – #3
Sun Belt – #5
Georgia Southern Eagles 2019 Outlook
OFFENSE
QB Shai Werts had one of the most efficient campaigns you will ever see. Werts completed 59.5% of his passes with a 10-0 (!) TD to INT ratio. YES, this is a team that rarely throws the ball, but that is how you do it. Use the THROW GAME enough to keep defenses honest and make them pay. Oh by the way, Werts also rushed for 908 yards and 15 (!) TDs. Thankfully, he is back this season but we worry about the depth in the QB room. The primary concern we have with this year’s edition of Georgia Southern is the loss of their top-two RBs and a pair of all-conference offensive linemen. And those big boys on the line happened to be their starting C and LT.
Georgia Southern posted 30.5 PPG despite averaging just 345 YPG on offense. Their attack is tough to prepare for but we anticipate a slight reduction in PPG output.
DEFENSE
The Eagles were strong on defense a season ago allowing a mere 21.5 PPG. They were equally strong vs the run (#3 Sun Belt) and in terms of pass efficiency defense (#4 Sun Belt, 14-15 TD to INT). They finished strong and allowed just 52 points in their final three contests.
Things look promising once again as they bring back seven starters to the mix, and they will most certainly get the benefit of not being on the field too often as their offense owns the clock. The front seven returns five starters and should perform well. We would like to see these guys get more PENETRATION (#7 TFL Sun Belt LY), but to be fair, they are probably fine with the TFL stat given that the secondary is the strength of their defense. Speaking of which, their pass defense was really good a season ago (as noted above), thanks in most part to a pair of excellent CBs that are both back for duty. Seniors Kindle Vildor and Monquavion Brinson combined for an amazing 21 PBUs in 2018.
This is one of the best defenses in the conference and we expect a similar level of stinginess (21.5 PPG LY) in 2019.
SPECIAL TEAMS
We love ourselves some ace FG kickers and Tyler Bass is one of the best in college football. Last year he connected on 45/45 XP (!) and 19/21 FGs including 10/11 from 40+ yards. Yes, guy. They could use better work out of P Magill Bauerle (35.8 net LY). Both return men are back.
Schedule Analysis
Overall – Somebody should be fined and/or arrested. Just kidding. Not really. The Eagles have road dates at LSU, Minnesota, Arkansas St AND back-to-back adventures with Appalachian St and Troy.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – at Troy (November 9)
This game comes after a SPOOKY Halloween road match-up with Appalachian St. Tough spot, yo.
Season Win Total
Over 6.5 -125
Under 6.5 +105
MEGALOCKS says:
Slight lean to the ‘over’ but will probably stay away given their road schedule.
MEGAmazing Tidbit
Georgia Southern bagged an outright Sun Belt title in their first season as an FBS program (2014).
MEGALOCKS ATS Outlook: Neutral
The Eagles look poised for another strong season. But, oh boy, that schedule. This has the look of a team that is just as good as last season’s version BUT one that will come up short of last year’s win total.
That being said, we will still be on the lookout to play on these guys ATS when OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS. Their efficient ground attack and sound defense will keep them on our radar.
Want more Georgia Southern football ?
WEBSITE
http://gseagles.com/index.aspx?path=football
FORUM
http://www.gsufans.com/tsc/forum.php
NEWS
https://www.underdogdynasty.com/georgia-southern-eagles
http://www.thegeorgeanne.com/sports/
http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/290/georgia-southern-eagles
http://bleacherreport.com/georgia-southern-football
http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/georgia-southern-eagles
TWITTER
Hashtag – #HailSouthern
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