Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Jacksonville State Gamecocks Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 10/17/2023

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Venue:  JSU Stadium, Jacksonville, AL

Where to Watch:  ESPNU

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  WKU -7, JSU +7; Over/Under:  60 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  WKU -7, JSU +7; Over/Under:  60 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  WKU -7, JSU +7; Over/Under:  60.5 points

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers:  4-2 (2-0) (2nd place, C-USA)

Jacksonville State Gamecocks:  5-2 (3-1) (3rd place, C-USA)

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Western Kentucky Hilltoppers:  won their last game on the road against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 35-28.

Jacksonville State Gamecocks:  lost their last game at home against the Liberty Flames 31-13.

Western Kentucky is entering this game with a 4-2 record overall and they have a 2-0 record in their conference games too. They are 3-0 in their home games, 1-2 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against LA Tech 35-28. Austin Reed was the starting QB and he completed 19/34 passes for 297 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Markese Stepp led the team in rushing yards with 76 and 1 TD. Malachi Corley led the receivers with 207 receiving yards on 8 receptions and 3 TDs. Talique Allen led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles and 4 assisted tackles while Kylan Guidry and Kendrick Simpkins each led the defense in sacks with 1. Anthony Johnson Jr. and Virgil Marshall each came away with 1 interception for them in that game.

 

 

 

Jacksonville State is entering this game with a 5-2 record overall and they have a 3-1 record in their conference games too. They are 3-1 in their home games, 2-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They lost their last game against Liberty 31-13. Zion Webb was the starting QB and he completed 1/2 passes for 18 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception before leaving injured and getting replaced by Logan Smothers who completed 8/18 passes for 115 yards, 0 TDs, and 1 INT. Anwar Lewis led the team in rushing yards with 81. Perry Carter led the receivers with 83 receiving yards on 5 receptions. Fred Perry led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles and 3 assisted tackles while Kamari Stephens and Ricky Samuel each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that game.

The current betting odds have Western Kentucky listed as a 7 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Western Kentucky has been having a good season with their 4-2 record overall but they are also 2-0 in their conference games and still have complete control of their fate. Jacksonville State has also been really good this year with their 5-2 record overall and they are also 3-1 in conference play too but the Gamecocks are also coming off a loss at home to Liberty in their last game and they really struggled to slow down the speed of Liberty's offense in that game. They kept it close in the 1st half but were shut down in the 2nd half while their defense broke down against Liberty and allowed them to run away with the game on offense. Western Kentucky doesn't have a defense that is as good but they do have a really good offense that can put up points quickly and they also have the potential to run away offensively in this game like Liberty did to JSU in their last game. JSU is also dealing with some injuries to their 2 QB's now which could really turn their offense into a predictable one if they aren't ready to go here. JSU has been playing well in their 1st season at the FBS level but now they are going to run into some trouble as their schedule gets tougher. The best way to place a bet here is on Western Kentucky to cover the spread in this game. 

Western Kentucky Jacksonville State Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Tuesday, October 17, 2023 (7:30 pm ET start time) is WKU 38 JSU 27.

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Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: 16-26 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points. 2-4 ATS after 3 or more consecutive wins against the spread. 7-2 UNDER as a road favorite of 3.5 to 7 points. 8-4 UNDER in weeks 5 through 9.

Jacksonville State Gamecocks: 5-2 ATS in all games. 3-1 ATS in home games. 4-1 ATS off 1 or more consecutive unders. 7-3 UNDER in all games. 4-1 UNDER when the total is between 56.5 and 63. 9-5 UNDER as an underdog.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers:  B. Smith (WR) Ques Tues - Undisclosed. R. Robich (LS) Ques Tues - Undisclosed. M. Mathison (WR) Out indefinitely - Hip.

Jacksonville State Gamecocks:  M. Jackson (RB) Doub Tues - Undisclosed. L. Smothers (QB) Ques Tues - Ankle. Z. Webb (QB) Ques Tues - Concussion. R. Wiggins (RB) Mid Nov - Chest.

“Another big conference game this week. This is the time of year that if you’re gonna try to make that run you gotta go on the road and win.” - Tyson Helton on his team’s upcoming game against Jax State this week.

"It was a neat opportunity for us and a good atmosphere. It seemed like they controlled the clock the whole second half." - Rich Rodriguez after his team’s loss against Liberty in their last game.

WR Burt Jr., Craig  

WR Smith, Blue

WR Corley, Malachi 

WR Smith, Dalvin 

TE Helms, River 

QB Reed, Austin 

RB Young, Elijah 

WR Lane, Quinton 

WR Pettway, Michael 

WR Galban, Sterling 

TE Brown, Sean 

QB Smothers, Logan 

RB Jackson, Malik 

Passing: A. Reed (1658)

Rushing: M. Stepp (180)

Receiving: M. Corley (543)

Touchdowns: M. Corley (5)

Passing: L. Smothers (638)

Rushing: M. Jackson (578)

Receiving: P. Carter (325)

Touchdowns: L. Smothers (6)

Coaches:

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: Tyson Helton (5th season)

Jacksonville State Gamecocks: Rich Rodriguez (2nd season)