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College football has returned. And although it’s just one game, it’s the first in 229 days as the Austin Peay Governors face the Central Arkansas Bears in the FCS Kickoff game from the Cramton Bowl in Birmingham, Alabama. The game kicks off at 9 p.m. ET and airs on ESPN.
Austin Peay brings back 14 starters from last year’s Ohio Valley co-champions. Redshirt junior quarterback Jeremiah Oatsvall returns from an injury early in 2019, and is one of only seven APSU quarterbacks with more than 3,000 career passing yards, he also ranks third in career rushing yards by a quarterback (970).
Winners of seven in a row before falling in the FCS quarterfinals, this is the best shot for the team to earn a win in 2020 as their next two games are against Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.
Meanwhile the Bears will have junior quarterback Breylin Smith after earning Preseason First Team All-SLC honors in 2019. He passed for 3,704 yards to account for nearly 75 percent of the Bears total offense. The Bears run game was ranked 118th among FCS programs last year, averaging just 88.8 yards per game.
These teams also played last year, with CAU winning 24-16 at home on September 7th. Here is the updated spread and total for Austin Peay vs. Central Arkansas on Saturday, August 29th at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Austin Peay Governors vs. Central Arkansas Bears
Spread: Central Arkansas -5
Total: 45.5
Money Line: Austin Peay +175, Central Arkansas -215
The Pick
We’ll take the Governors and the points on a neutral field. APSU actually led this game 16-3 last year before a collapse in the second half. With 76% of their production at receiver returning, as well as a quarterback and an O-line, we think they can keep it close enough for the cover.
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