The Northern Illinois Huskies (-3.5) and Ball State Cardinals are ready to collide on the turf at Scheumann Stadium. Fans can catch the action live on ESPN 3 and kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET.
Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Ball State Cardinals Betting Preview
In this Saturday Mid-American game, Northern Illinois is getting picked as the favorite and is currently giving up 3.5 points. The Huskies are also receiving -175 moneyline odds while the Cardinals are +155. There might be some decent in-game betting opportunities for this showdown, and Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 51 points.
Betting odds have moved a bit from where they originally opened. The line opened at 4 and the game’s total was initially placed at 51.5.
The Huskies are down 0.5 units this season and 2-3 against the spread (ATS). They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an O/U record of 1-4. The Cardinals are down 0.6 units for moneyline bettors so far. They’re 3-2 ATS and have an O/U record of 1-3.
The Huskies have gone 2-3 straight up (SU), including 2-0 SU against conference opponents. The Cardinals are 2-3 SU overall and 1-0 SU in conference play.
The Huskies enter after a 26-23 victory over Eastern Michigan last week. The defensive unit did its part in the win, limiting the Eagles to just 180 passing yards and 62 rushing yards. Shaq Vann had a good day for the Eagles in that one with 68 rushing yards and a score on 18 attempts. On the offensive side, Marcus Childers completed 20-of-35 passes for just 121 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Tre Harbison (136 yards on 32 rush attempts, one TD) and the signal-caller Childers (77 yards on 17 carries) mounted the running attack in the win. Jauan Wesley (eight receptions, 76 yards) and D.J. Brown (five catches, three yards) shared the receiving duties.
Ball State is coming off of a blowout 52-24 win over Kent State. The Cards defensive unit let the Golden Flashes pass for 314 yards while rushing for 147 yards and two scores. Mike Carrigan had a good outing in the loss, posting 85 yards and a score on four catches for Kent State. For Ball State, Riley Neal completed 30-of-50 passes for 402 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. James Gilbert (40 yards on 14 rush attempts, two TDs) and the signal-caller Neal (61 yards on 11 carries, one TD) led the ground game in the win while Miller (11 receptions, 208 yards, one TD) and Corey Lacanaria (eight catches, 73 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching corps.
Northern Illinois has run the ball on 57.4 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Ball State has an overall rush percentage of 49.3 percent. The Huskies have run for 128 yards/game (including 208 per game versus Mid-American opponents) and have three touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Cards are putting up 194 rush yards per game and have eight total rushing TDs.
The Huskies offensive scheme has averaged 132 yards through the air overall (113 per game against conference opposition) and has seven passing TDs so far. The Cards have put up 278 pass yards per contest and have nine total pass scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, Northern Illinois has allowed 125 rush yards and 224 pass yards per game. The Ball State defense has allowed 236.4 yards per game to opposing passers and 177.0 yards per game on the ground. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Huskies have given up an ANY/A of 5.49 to opposing QBs, while the Cards are allowing an ANY/A of 5.50.
Offensively, Childers is up to 446 passing yards this year, and has completed 63-of-111 attempts with five passing scores and four interceptions. He has a 2.27 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 3.50 over the last two games.
In the other huddle, Riley Neal has completed 88-of-154 passes for 956 yards, seven TDs and three INTs. Neal’s ANY/A stands at 5.75 for the season and 7.31 across his last two games.
These two schools met last year with the final outcome being a 63-17 win for Northern Illinois.
RELATED: Week 6 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Betting Pick: Northern Illinois Huskies at Ball State Cardinals
SU Winner – Ball State, ATS Winner – Ball State, O/U – Over
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Notes
Team Betting Notes
The Huskies offense has tallied one pass play of 40 yards or more, while the Cardinals have accounted for three such plays.
The Northern Illinois defense has allowed three pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Ball State has given up two such plays.
The Northern Illinois offense has created two rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Ball State has created eight such runs.
The Huskies defense has allowed three rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Cardinals have given up six such runs.
The Northern Illinois defense has 16 sacks on the year while Ball State has 11.
Northern Illinois has rushed for 3.23846153846154 yards per attempt across its last three games and 2.9 over its last two.
Ball State has averaged 4.4 yards per carry over its last three outings and 3.9 over its last two.
In its last three games, Ball State is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
Northern Illinois was favored by 4 points in its last game and the Over/Under was set at 50.5. The under cashed and Northern Illinois failed to cover in the 26-23 victory over Eastern Michigan.
In its last three games, Northern Illinois is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
Ball State was favored by 7 points in its last outing and the O/U going into it was 60. The over cashed and Ball State covered in the 52-24 victory over Kent State.
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