Troy Trojans vs. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Predictions, Odds, Picks

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

6 minute read

Oct. 28, 2021

Eytan Shander
VI Betting Expert
VegasInsider.com

Coastal Carolina may have lost a shot at a prized spot in an NY6 Bowl, but their season is far from over as they return home Thursday night. Coastal hosts Troy Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Score Prediction

Coastal Carolina 34, Troy 13

Best Bets

Coastal Carolina -18.5

Under

Troy Trojans vs. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Predictions

The season sure felt like it was over following the final whistle of the Appalachian State and Coastal game last week. The Chanticleers now have a much more beatable opponent in Troy coming to town and should release all their frustrations on the Trojans. The norms were flipped last week as the Coastal offense was held to a season low in yardage but gave up a huge number in 575 yards to App State.

Troy is coming off back-to-back wins but far from the level of opponent they will face Thursday night. The biggest number the Trojans will have to overcome is just 1-6 ATS this year. The number may seem a little high, but Troy just doesn’t have the offensive firepower to pull off the upset.

They do have a top 30 (27th) ranked defense in the country, which should be enough to keep them in the game and limit CC point production. The unfortunate reality for Troy is they fight an absurdly uphill battle of taking on a better team on the road – fresh off that team’s crushing first loss of the season.

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Troy Trojans vs. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Betting Odds

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Coastal Carolina is an 18.5-point home favorite against Troy. The Trojans are just 1-6 ATS in seven games this year, while Coastal Carolina is 4-3 ATS.

The total for this game is 52 points. The over is 3-1 at Brooks Stadium this year with 64.5 PPG scored over four games.

Troy Trojans vs. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Betting Resources

• Matchup: Sun Belt
• Date: Thursday, October 28, 2021
• Venue: Brooks Stadium
• Location: Conway, South Carolina
• TV-Time: ESPN2 - 7:30 p.m. ET

• Weather Report
• College Football Playoff Betting

Troy Trojans Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 4-3
• ATS: 2-5
• O/U: 2-4-1
• ATS - Home: 1-2
• ATS - Away: 1-3

It’s all about the defense for the Trojans. Ranked 27th in the nation, Troy’s only hope in keeping this close is continuing to put pressure on the QB while making it increasingly difficult to run the ball.

Their defense gives up less than 95 yards per-game on the ground and less than 200 in the air. The question remains just how good the 151st ranked total offense in the country can be – on the road, against a ranked team.

Gunnar Watson comes off an average game – at best against Texas State, with his lone TD improving his TD:INT ration to 3:0 in just three games. In what will be just his third start, Watson will have to navigate the Trojans offense. Kimani Vidal had another strong performance on the ground last week, adding to his now 443 rushing yards and four TDs.

B.J. Smith and Jamontez Woods account for seven combined rushing scores, adding to the depth in the backfield. Troy’s top WR is Tez Johnson but is struggling to get in the endzone with only two receiving TDs this year.

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 6-1
• ATS: 4-2-1
• O/U: 3-4
• ATS - Home: 3-0-1
• ATS - Away: 1-2

Grayson McCall continues to live up to the hype putting up 15 TDs to just 1 INT but saw his offense sputter for the first-time last week. Troy’s one area of attack is their defense, so any immediate bounce-back from Coastal won’t be evident.

It’s not just the passing attack for the Chanticleers, both Reese White and Shermari Jones pace an outstanding backfield. Both are over 400 yards rushing for the season, and both have at least six TDs on the ground. This one- two punch on the ground is enough to wear down the Trojans.

Isaiah Likely has been McCall’s most productive – if not favorite – target, as the TE has a team-leading 8 receiving TDs. Jaivon Heiligh is the team’s leading WR, hauling in 676 yards in the air and four TDs.

The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers have covered the spread in seven of their last eight games when playing in October. (AP)

Inside the Stats - Troy Trojans

• Record: 4-3
• VI Ranking: -
• Points Scored: 177
• Points Allowed: 137
• PS/G: 25.3 (89th)
• PA/G: 19.6 (28th)

Inside the Stats - Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

• Record: 6-1
• VI Ranking: -
• Points Scored: 320
• Points Allowed: 120
• PS/G: 45.7 (3rd)
• PA/G: 17.1 (13th)

Key Players to Watch

• TROY: Taylor Powell (116/175, 1,144 yards, 7 TD, 5 INT)
• TROY: Tez Johnson - WR (44 catches, 416 yards, 2 TD)
• CCU: Grayson McCall - QB (102/132, 1,769 yards, 15 TD, INT)
• CCU: Isaiah Likely - WR (29 catches, 545 yards, 8 TD)

Injuries

• TROY: Reggie Todd - WR (Suspension-Out)
• CCU: Xavier Gravette - TE (Undisclosed-Questionable)

Troy Trojans vs. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Betting Conclusion

Troy just doesn’t cover the spread. That’s the biggest number that keeps jumping out with this matchup. The narrative is set, Coastal bounces back in emphatic fashion to stomp the Trojans into the ground.

While they cover the 18.5, Coastal will take some time wearing down the Trojans defense. It will take enough time to take some points off the board for Coastal, who normally powers through teams like Troy. Expect the scoring to pick up by the half, but not enough to go over the total.

Troy Trojans vs. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Betting Trends

• Troy has failed to cover the spread in five of its last six games.
• Troy has failed to cover the spread in five of its last seven road games.
• Troy has gone UNDER the point total in nine of its last 11 road games.
• Coastal Carolina has won 18 of its last 20 games.

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