College Football Betting Preview: A Look at Villanova-Appalachian St

Football Championship Subdivision Quarterfinals
Villanova Wildcats at Appalachian St Mountaineers, Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, NC
Saturday, December 11, 2010, 12:00 pm Eastern, TV: ESPN
Opening Line: ASU -2 1/2
Current Line: ASU -2 1/2
Opening Total: 54 1/2
Current Total: 54
Money Line: ASU -140 / ‘Nova +120

Villanova travels to Appalachian St in FCS Quarterfinal action. The Mountaineers are a 2 1/2 point favorite.

The 8-4 Villanova Wildcats are the defending FCS champions, but it won’t be easy to repeat as they have to travel to the number one seeded Appalachian St Mountaineers in FCS quarterfinal action. Villanova traveled to Stephen F. Austin and destroyed them 54-24. Appalachian St beat Western Illinois last week 42-14. The winner of this game will play the winner of Eastern Washington and North Dakota St in the semifinals. Villanova’s 4 losses are to Temple, William & Mary, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire by a total of 24 points. Strangely, 3 of their 4 losses are by the score of 31-24. Appalachian St’s two losses are to Georgia Southern in overtime 21-14 and 48-10 at Florida.

Villanova is outscoring their opponents 30-17 on the season. They average 375 yards a game on offense including 192 yards a game rushing. They give up 306 yards a game on defense, including 98 yards rushing. The Wildcats have a turnover differential of +12. They have forced 18 sacks and allowed 20 of their own. Villanova has converted only 7 out of 14 field goals and has missed two PAT’s on the year on 47 attempts. The offense is led by quarterback Chris Whitney. The dual threat Whitney has over 2,500 combined rushing and passing yards, along with 31 total touchdowns (21 passing) and 5 interceptions. The top receiver is Norman White with 62 catches, 754 yards, and 10 touchdown catches. Dorian Wells has 37 catches for over 500 yards and 4 touchdown catches. The rushing game is led by Aaron Ball with 150 carries for 681 yards, and 5 touchdowns. Back-up Angelo Babbaro gets significant carries as well. He has 92 carries for 436 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Appalachian St is outscoring their opponents 35-22 on the season. The Mountaineers average 428 yards a game including 227 with the rushing game. ASU 339 yards on defense, including 157 on the ground. The Mountaineers have a turnover margin of +11. The Mountaineers have forced 27 sacks on the year and only allowed 7 themselves. The Mountaineers give up 62 yards a game in penalties. ASU’s offense is led by dual threat quarterback DeAndre Presley. Presley is kind of like Auburn quarterback Cam Newton in that he leads his team in passing and rushing. He has rushed or just over 1,000 yards on 148 carries with 13 touchdowns. He has also passed for 2,270 yards, 19 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Brian Quick is the top receiver with 43 catches, 776 yards, and 8 touchdown catches. Ben Jordan has only 25 catches but 5 of them are for touchdowns. Besides Presley, Travaris Cadet (103 carries, 591 yards, and 5 touchdowns) and Devon Moore (110 carries, 456 yards, and 10 touchdowns) split most of the carries. Cedric Baker has 60 carries and 5 touchdown runs.

Temperatures will be in the 30’s for this game with a 30% chance of freezing rain. Last week, Appalachian St played Western Illinois at home and it was a driving snowstorm, and the Mountaineers still racked up almost 500 yards in total offense. Both Villanova and Appalachian St force lots of turnovers and both have really good defenses that don’t allow a lot of points or yards. These two teams are no stranger to getting this far in the tournament and can deal with the pressure and nerves of playing in a huge game.