College Football Picks & Player Props: Salute to Veterans Bowl (Troy vs. Jacksonville State)
On Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. ET, Troy and Jacksonville State will meet in the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl. Jacksonville State enters with the fourth-best rushing attack in the nation, which could be a problem for a Troy defense allowing 182.3 rushing yards per game. Troy is favored by 1.5 points and the total is set at 49.5. Does Jacksonville State have a chance to pull the upset? Below are the best college football picks and player props for the Salute to Veterans Bowl.
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College Football Picks & Player Props: Salute to Veterans Bowl
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Jacksonville State (+108)
Considering Jacksonville State's main offensive strength is Troy's main defensive weakness, I'm surprised to see the Trojans favored in this game. Troy starting quarterback Goose Crowder will miss this game after being injured against James Madison. Crowder had thrown for at least 285 yards and three touchdowns in his two games before the Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game.
Tucker Kilcrease will take over at quarterback, and he saw plenty of meaningful action this season. He threw for 1,421 yards and nine touchdowns, but he failed to throw for more than 180 yards in either of his last two starts. Additionally, Troy will be without starting running back Tae Meadows, who has opted out.
The easiest way to move the ball against Jacksonville State is through the air. The Gamecocks are allowing 242.6 passing yards per game and 7.6 yards per attempt. That's good news for Troy, as they rank last in the Sun Belt Conference with just 98.8 rushing yards per game.
However, Troy has managed just 215.4 passing yards per game, which ranks eighth in the conference. In a game where Troy will likely get limited possessions due to Jacksonville State's ability to run and control the clock, I don't believe Troy's offense is consistent enough to win, especially with a backup quarterback and running back.
Cam Cook Over 110.5 Rushing Yards (-114)
Cam Cook is one of two Jacksonville State players to rush for over 1,000 yards this season. He currently has 295 carries for 1,659 yards and 16 touchdowns. He's averaging 5.6 yards per carry, and he has 10 100-yard games this season. He's rushed for at least 75 yards in every contest, and he's only averaged fewer than four yards per carry once.
Not only is Troy allowing over 180 rushing yards per game, but the Trojans are also allowing 4.7 yards per carry. James Madison's Wayne Knight just ran for 212 yards against them, despite his previous season-high being 151 yards. Knight only had three 100-yard games to his name before the Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game.
DJ Epps Over 45.5 Receiving Yards (-114)
As highlighted above, Jacksonville State struggles to stop the pass. This is great news for DJ Epps, who leads Troy in receptions with 44. While Epps is only third on the team in receiving yards, with 480, the sheer volume of targets he gets makes me love this matchup for him.
Epps has 18 catches in his last three games, with at least four receptions in each of those contests. He's managed at least 40 yards in each game, reaching the 50-yard mark twice. He's averaging 10.9 yards per reception this season, which means he won't need many receptions against a defense allowing 12.2 yards per completion.
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Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.