South Alabama vs. Coastal Carolina NCAAF Week 10 Betting Picks and Game Predictions
South Alabama Jaguars vs. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Saturday, November 7, 2020 at 8 p.m. ET at Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina
Coastal Carolina Run Offense vs. South Alabama Run Defense
Losing three starters from your defensive line is always going to be tough.
Besides losing them, the Jaguars also lost another crucial contributor from its defensive line.
But some optimists maintained hope in South Alabama’s defense line.
The source of optimism was the bevy of returning players who did see some playing time particularly in the later parts of last season.
In order to improve as a unit, those returning players needed and need to develop.
Statistically, South Alabama is very comparable to what it was last year against the run.
This comparability is surely possible primarily because of its returning ability at linebacker, which justified the belief that this unit would form the strength of the Jaguar defense.
This comparability isn’t so much evident in the total rush yards allowed stat.
This year, teams are running with six percent lower frequency against the Jaguars. Most notably, they didn’t have to face a higher-caliber non-conference opponent like the Memphis team that steamrolled them last year for 312 rushing yards on 45 carries.
But, teams are maintaining their efficiency on the ground against South Alabama. Whereas the Jaguars allowed 4.4 YPC last year, they are allowing 4.3 YPC this year.
Unlike South Alabama’s defensive line, Coastal Carolina did return just about all of its offensive linemen from last year.
They helped the Chanticleers have a redoubtable rushing attack and four starters from that unit return to replicate the Chanticleers’ strength on the ground.
With 1,000-yard rusher CJ Marable, the Chants are averaging nearly 200 rushing yards per game.
The former All-Sun Belt preseason second-teamer carries a variety of attributes that make him one of the conference’s top running backs.
He has great vision, allowing him to identify propitious running lanes. While navigating those lanes, his body strength makes him more able to stay upright amidst contact.
Marable also has nice acceleration that complements his strength and physicality.
During Coastal Carolina’s current four-game cover streak, the Chants accrued over 200 rushing yards in three of those games largely due to him.
So expect the same sort of productivity on the ground against a persistently vulnerable Jaguar run defense.
Grayson McCall
When the Chants haven’t covered this season, it’s been because they didn’t manage to provide a balanced offense.
Non-covers have been rare for them, though, as oddsmakers struggle to account for just how strong this historically high-ranked squad is.
So having McCall back healthy is huge. This season, he’s completing nearly 70 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,184 yards in five games and a ridiculous 15 touchdowns to only one interception.
Most of his favorite targets are back from last year. Of note, Jaivon Heiligh leads the pass-catching crew both with 30 receptions and 515 receiving yards.
Last year, the Chants’ wide receiving crew was criticized for its lack of big playmaking ability.
But this year’s group repeatedly showcases the ability to gain more than 50 yards on a single play.
When a team is favored by many points, it helps to know that it can score quickly, often and quickly. This is true of the 2020 Chanticleer squad.
McCall, who averages 3.1 YPA more than last year’s starting Chanticleer quarterback, is noted for possessing a strong arm that complements his deep-ball accuracy.
With these traits, he can stretch the field and attack opposing defenses vertically in order to maximize the abilities of his underrated wide receivers. He’s averaging 10.7 YPA
McCall promises to replicate his success against a Jaguar pass defense that has been gashed multiple times this season even against turnover- and mistake-prone quarterbacks and even against quarterbacks who don’t normally throw for as many yards.
Specifically, i’m thinking of the UAB and Southern Miss games, where the South Alabama pass defense made covering the spread impossible or more difficult than it could have been.
Overall, South Alabama’s pass defense ranks in the lower half nationally, just like its run defense does.
South Alabama Offense vs. Coastal Carolina Defense
This match-up will be difficult for the Jaguars in a way that it couldn’t have been last year.
Unike last year, the Chanticleers now have a pass rush. They own the nation’s 14th-highest sack percentage. Conversely, South Alabama gets sacked at one of the nation’s highest rates.
Its pass rushing ability helps Coastal Carolina also have one of the nation’s best pass defenses.
This combo of strong pass rush and developing secondary — last year it was extremely young and its experience is paying off this year — makes the Chants a strong betting option.
When the Chanticleer lead grows, South Alabama will be confined to a pass-first prerogative which helps Coastal Carolina’s already strong pass rush. A pass rush is better when it knows that the opposing team is more likely to pass.
So the Chant pass rush will tee off ever more strongly against the Jaguars’ poor pass protection. The Jaguars also don’t have a quarterback who it wants to rely on to drop back and accumulate big numbers with efficiency like McCall.
Run-heavy South Alabama will grow increasingly uncomfortable as it feels forced to pass more often.
The Verdict
Coastal Carolina enjoys a strong match-up with its balanced offense able to dominate South Alabama’s subpar defense both in the air and on the ground.
Defensively, the Chants enjoy the advantage in pass rush and in the secondary to increasingly exploit South Alabama’s discomfort in dropping back to pass.
Best Bet: Chanticleers -18 at -105 with Heritage
South Alabama Jaguars vs. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Saturday, November 7, 2020 at 8 p.m. ET at Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina
Coastal Carolina Run Offense vs. South Alabama Run Defense
Losing three starters from your defensive line is always going to be tough.
Besides losing them, the Jaguars also lost another crucial contributor from its defensive line.
But some optimists maintained hope in South Alabama’s defense line.
The source of optimism was the bevy of returning players who did see some playing time particularly in the later parts of last season.
In order to improve as a unit, those returning players needed and need to develop.
Statistically, South Alabama is very comparable to what it was last year against the run.
This comparability is surely possible primarily because of its returning ability at linebacker, which justified the belief that this unit would form the strength of the Jaguar defense.
This comparability isn’t so much evident in the total rush yards allowed stat.
This year, teams are running with six percent lower frequency against the Jaguars. Most notably, they didn’t have to face a higher-caliber non-conference opponent like the Memphis team that steamrolled them last year for 312 rushing yards on 45 carries.
But, teams are maintaining their efficiency on the ground against South Alabama. Whereas the Jaguars allowed 4.4 YPC last year, they are allowing 4.3 YPC this year.
Unlike South Alabama’s defensive line, Coastal Carolina did return just about all of its offensive linemen from last year.
They helped the Chanticleers have a redoubtable rushing attack and four starters from that unit return to replicate the Chanticleers’ strength on the ground.
With 1,000-yard rusher CJ Marable, the Chants are averaging nearly 200 rushing yards per game.
The former All-Sun Belt preseason second-teamer carries a variety of attributes that make him one of the conference’s top running backs.
He has great vision, allowing him to identify propitious running lanes. While navigating those lanes, his body strength makes him more able to stay upright amidst contact.
Marable also has nice acceleration that complements his strength and physicality.
During Coastal Carolina’s current four-game cover streak, the Chants accrued over 200 rushing yards in three of those games largely due to him.
So expect the same sort of productivity on the ground against a persistently vulnerable Jaguar run defense.
Grayson McCall
When the Chants haven’t covered this season, it’s been because they didn’t manage to provide a balanced offense.
Non-covers have been rare for them, though, as oddsmakers struggle to account for just how strong this historically high-ranked squad is.
So having McCall back healthy is huge. This season, he’s completing nearly 70 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,184 yards in five games and a ridiculous 15 touchdowns to only one interception.
Most of his favorite targets are back from last year. Of note, Jaivon Heiligh leads the pass-catching crew both with 30 receptions and 515 receiving yards.
Last year, the Chants’ wide receiving crew was criticized for its lack of big playmaking ability.
But this year’s group repeatedly showcases the ability to gain more than 50 yards on a single play.
When a team is favored by many points, it helps to know that it can score quickly, often and quickly. This is true of the 2020 Chanticleer squad.
McCall, who averages 3.1 YPA more than last year’s starting Chanticleer quarterback, is noted for possessing a strong arm that complements his deep-ball accuracy.
With these traits, he can stretch the field and attack opposing defenses vertically in order to maximize the abilities of his underrated wide receivers. He’s averaging 10.7 YPA
McCall promises to replicate his success against a Jaguar pass defense that has been gashed multiple times this season even against turnover- and mistake-prone quarterbacks and even against quarterbacks who don’t normally throw for as many yards.
Specifically, i’m thinking of the UAB and Southern Miss games, where the South Alabama pass defense made covering the spread impossible or more difficult than it could have been.
Overall, South Alabama’s pass defense ranks in the lower half nationally, just like its run defense does.
South Alabama Offense vs. Coastal Carolina Defense
This match-up will be difficult for the Jaguars in a way that it couldn’t have been last year.
Unike last year, the Chanticleers now have a pass rush. They own the nation’s 14th-highest sack percentage. Conversely, South Alabama gets sacked at one of the nation’s highest rates.
Its pass rushing ability helps Coastal Carolina also have one of the nation’s best pass defenses.
This combo of strong pass rush and developing secondary — last year it was extremely young and its experience is paying off this year — makes the Chants a strong betting option.
When the Chanticleer lead grows, South Alabama will be confined to a pass-first prerogative which helps Coastal Carolina’s already strong pass rush. A pass rush is better when it knows that the opposing team is more likely to pass.
So the Chant pass rush will tee off ever more strongly against the Jaguars’ poor pass protection. The Jaguars also don’t have a quarterback who it wants to rely on to drop back and accumulate big numbers with efficiency like McCall.
Run-heavy South Alabama will grow increasingly uncomfortable as it feels forced to pass more often.
The Verdict
Coastal Carolina enjoys a strong match-up with its balanced offense able to dominate South Alabama’s subpar defense both in the air and on the ground.
Defensively, the Chants enjoy the advantage in pass rush and in the secondary to increasingly exploit South Alabama’s discomfort in dropping back to pass.
Best Bet: Chanticleers -18 at -105 with Heritage
