Game Time: 12:00 EDT, Saturday, September 4th, 2021

Venue:  Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Where to Watch:  ESPN

 

Spread:  Georgia State -3, Army +3

O/U:  51.5

Moneyline:  Army +120, Georgia State -148

Black Knights: 0-0  First game.  (FBS Independent)

Panthers:  0-0   First game.  (Sun Belt Conference)

 

If you are looking for an OUTRIGHT UNDERDOG WINNER to start the college football season, you don't want to miss Jeff Oskeim’s… OSKEIM'S #1 NCAA FOOTBALL FORTUNE 500 PLAY…   It's available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.

 

Recent Form

The Army Black Knights were 9-3 last season (2020).  They were disciplined, giving up only 39 yards per game per contest to land them in the top 25 in college football.  They were lucky on fumbles… 26 times in game action… while recovering those fumbles 18 times… That’s 18-8.  The entire schedule could have been 6-6 if it weren’t for the turnover ratio in close games.

 

The Georgia State Panthers (GSU), were 6-4 on the year and 4-4 in their conference.  Not as disciplined… They gave up 58 yards per game in penalties.  When you are 4-4 in conference and lose to the Arkansas State Red Wolves, you definitely need to tighten up that lost yardage.

 

Army finished in the top 5 in the nation in rushing (4th), they always do.  They are a rushing team.  They have receivers that they mostly use for reverses and “end-arounds”... but sometimes they throw the ball just to check if the safeties and corners are cheating up to stop the run.  The result was 273 rushing yards per game.  

 

Georgia State finished 2020 .500 in the Sun Belt conference.  When they played quality teams they’re offense struggled.  They have a lot of returning starters, but since every college football team does (covid eligibility extensions) that is not a great plus.

 

Army increased it’s nickel defense in 2019 and has had improved success since.  You should expect more nickel.  They had a 9-3 season while allowing only 14.8 points a game.  The defense does it’s part in the run heavy games Army gets entangled in. LB Jon Rattigan and LB Arik Smith led the defense last season and will again.  Army should be strong on D again.

Georgia State Panthers defense led the Sun Belt conference in both sacks and tackles for a loss. They were strong and tough… and even though they gave up a lot of points that was usually because the offense had let them down and left them on the field after many 3 and outs. The tough defense will need an overhaul.  They lost their three Sun Belt all-stars LB Jordan Strachan (transfer), LB Victor Hayward (done with college), and Trajan Stephens McQueen (done with college).  They will have to re-stock and build around Hardick Willis, last year’s six sack Edge Rusher.

 

Georgia State has to rebuild a defense that lost its core… Army doesn’t.  The Spread is 3 points in Georgia State’s favor.

 

The Prediction for Army Vs Georgia State Saturday, September 4th is Army 27  Georgia State 17

 

 

Don't miss our champion handicappers' Free NCAAF Picks and Premium Selections every day here at Bigal.com.  Just click on Shop Picks for our Best Bets, or click on Shop Subscriptions to join for a week or a month.  And if you enjoyed this Army/Georgia State preview, be sure to bookmark Bigal.com for our daily Game Previews and Predictions.

 

 

Georgia State beat Army 28-21 in the only other time they have ever played OCT of 2019.

Over has hit in 4 of Army’s last 6 games.

Georgia State is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games.

Over has hit in 8 of Georgia State’s last 11 games.

 

 

Army:  No injuries reported.  They play “one for all, all for one” football.  If someone was hurt they just put the next guy up.

 

Georgia State:  Also no injuries reported. They have a lot of returning starters so full health would be an absolute bonus.

 

Army:  Tyrell Robinson.  The 5’9 180 lb speedster averaged 7 yards per carry last season.  He should get more carries this year.   Also Fullback Cade Barnard will take over for longtime fullback Sandon McCoy who has moved on.

 

“The human performance center is not just a gym,... What you’re going to see here is the same things that you would see at a professional or collegiate athletic venue.”  -Ray Bear Army Coordinator.. About the new “Human Performance Training Center”  that cost 17 million and is supposedly nicer than most D-1 football facilities.  He left out the part about it looking like a prison with all metal and concrete design.

 

“We’ve got a lot of returning starters. We really do,...We’ve got got 11 offensive starters returning. We’ve got nine of 11 on defense. We’ve got our specialists back, just like a lot of these teams do coming off this COVID year. So we feel like we’ve got a great group of experienced players to push through”. - Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliot

 

 

 

 

Army

QB Christian Anderson

RB Brandon Walters

RB Tyrell Robinson

WR Cole Caterbone

WR Reiken Donaldson

TE Chris Cameron

LT Mason Kolinchak

LG Noah Knapp

C  Connor Bishop

RG Dean Powell

RT Connor Finucane

 

Georgia State

QB Cornelious Brown IV

RB Destin Coates

WR Cornelius McCoy

WR Terrance Dixon

WR Sam Pinckney

LT  Shamarious Gilmore

LG  Travis Glover

C  Malik Sumter

RG Pat Bartlett

RT Johnathan Bass

 

ARMY:

Passing:  C Anderson QB 215 yards… Army is a running team.

Rushing: T. Tyler  RB 578 Tards… They had 4 rushers get over 400 yards and 5 others get over 100 yards.  And 8 others get over 20 yards. That’s right they used 22 different guys on rushing plays.  They are a rushing team.

Receiving:  T.  Robinson  WR 117 yards… not in a game… over the season… AND he led the team!!  Did I mention that Army is a rushing offense?

 

Georgia State

Passing: C. Brown QB, 2,278 yards, 17 TD and 10 INT

Rushing: D. Coates RB, 769 yards, 7 TD

Receiving: S. Pickney WR, 815 yards, 7 TD

 

Partly Cloudy, high of 84*, 56% humidity, 6 mph winds.