Preview: Appalachian St vs Arkansas St
Appalachian St vs Arkansas St
Written by: Corey March (all research conducted on the SIS DataHub)
The Pick: Appalachian St +10.5
Data Analysis
Passing Stats (ranks among 130 QBs with 75+ pass attempts)
Arkansas St (throws on 51% of plays; 23rd most)
- QB Justice Hansen is the 14th most accurate passer in the nation (81%).
- Hansen is conservative (7.3 Y/A = 76th) and able to limit turnovers (1.1 INT% = 18th).
- Hansen’s willingness to throw deep downfield (13% of attempts) and accuracy on deep balls (54%) both rank in the 90’s among the qualified pool.
- Despite Hansen’s accuracy and short pass tendencies, the ASU receivers have not helped their cause with 17 drops (7th most).
Appalachian St (throws on 39% of plays; 105th most)
- QB Zac Thomas has an Independent Quarterback Rating (IQR) of 122.4 (16th)
- Thomas is an aggressive passer when called upon (10.5 Y/A = 5th) and throws deep downfield with accuracy (69% = 24th).
- As the play distribution would suggest, only 24 QBs attempt fewer passes per game than Thomas.
- The App St receiving core is a strength, hauling in 91.8% of on-target catch opportunities (3rd best).
Rushing Stats
Arkansas St (runs on 49% of plays; 108th most)
- As a team, the Red Wolves average 4.8 yards per attempt (47th).
- Hansen is their most frequent ball carrier (54 att) but ASU also uses a tandem of RBs, all of whom have carried between 40 and 44 times.
- Marcel Murray leads the way with 44 carries (10 in their last game). Murray leads the backfield trio with 5.9 Y/A and a 27.3% Broken Tackle rate.
Appalachian St (runs on 61% of plays; 26th most)
- The Mountaineers play to their strength in the run game. Their 6.1 yards per attempt ranks 7th best in the nation. They break tackles at an impressive 19.9% rate (3rd best).
- RB Jalin Moore leads the App St rushing attack with just north of 50% of the team’s total carry distribution. Among 137 RBs with 50+ carries, Moore’s 6.5 yards per carry ranks tied for 20th.
Offensive Line Stats
Arkansas St
- This unit does not stand out in the pass blocking (27% pressure rate allowed = 72nd) or run blocking department (1.8 yards before contact/att = 70th).
Appalachian St
- App St excels at getting a push off the line of scrimmage in runs (3.2 yards before contact/att = 5th) but is closer to average in pass protection (24% pressure rate allowed = 53rd).
Defensive Stats
Arkansas St
- Opposing QBs have touched up the ASU defense for a 92.4 QBRating (87th best) and 6.9 yards per attempt through the air (59th best).
- The Red Wolves defense is among the best at getting pressure on the quarterback (9th best).
- This unit’s biggest weakness is their inability to stop the run. They allow 5.7 yards per carry to opposing ball carriers (10th worst) and allow big plays at an exceedingly high rate (10th most).
Appalachian St
- The App St defense is an impressive unit all around, ranking 17th with a 66.3 QBRating Against, generating pressure at the 5th highest rate in the nation and limiting opponents to just 2.7 yards per carry (6th best).
- The Mountaineers almost toppled Penn St on the road in their season opener and did so by holding the Nittany Lions 1.3 yards per carry and 2.2 yards per pass below their season average.
Special Teams Stats
Arkansas St
- ASU changed kickers after two games and has seen a slight uptick in conversion rate. Kicker Blake Grupe has some range, hitting on 1-of-2 attempts of 40+ yards.
- The Red Wolves punting unit ranks 70th in terms of yards per punt.
- The return game ranks below the national average in yards per kick and punt return.
Appalachian St
- Kicker Chandler Staton has converted 4-of-5 kicks but has not yet been called on for an attempt beyond 40 yards.
- App St has downed 18.2% of their punts inside the 10, while not conceding any touchbacks.
- Darrynton Evans is one of 14 players with a kick return for a touchdown this season.