In a display of two schools that like to run the football, Head Coach Chris Creighton and the Eastern Michigan Eagles (-13.5) are gearing up to take on their MAC rival Kent State Golden Flashes at Dix Stadium. This afternoon game is scheduled to kick off at 12:00 p.m. ET and ESPN 3 has the TV rights.
Eastern Michigan Eagles at Kent State Golden Flashes Betting Preview
In this Friday Mid-American game, Eastern Michigan is getting picked as the heavy favorite and is currently giving up 13.5 points. If they want to take the moneyline, gamblers would currently have to spend $600 in order to win $100 back on the Eagles (-600). The Golden Flashes are getting +425 moneyline odds. Oddsmakers have determined the over/under (O/U) to be 53 points, and it appears that this game will likely present some live betting scenarios.
Sharp bettors are hammering both the Eagles and the under. The line originally opened at 10.5 while the O/U was initially set at 59.
The Eagles are 7-4 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 4.0 units so far. They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an O/U mark of 3-7. The Golden Flashes have lost 5.0 units this season. The team is 6-5 ATS and has an O/U record of 5-6.
The Eagles have gone 6-5 straight up (SU), including 4-3 SU against conference opponents. The Golden Flashes are 2-9 SU overall and 1-6 SU in conference play.
Kent State enters this contest on a zero-game winning streak while Eastern Michigan has lost each of its last zero. The Eagles are coming off a resounding 27-7 victory over Akron on November 10. Tyler Wiegers completed 15-of-23 passes for only 129 yards. Ian Eriksen (96 yards on 15 rush attempts, one TD) led the ground attack while Mathew Sexton (five receptions, 55 yards) and Arthur Jackson III (five catches, 22 yards) shared the receiving duties in the win.
One week ago, Toledo got the win against this Kent State crew by a score of 56-34. As a group, the team collectively completed 24-of-41 passes for 314 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Woody Barrett went 17-for-33 for 198 yards, one touchdown and one interception while Dustin Crum was seven-of-eight for 116 yards and one touchdown. Jo-el Shaw (116 rushing yards on 16 attempts, one TD) and the signal-caller Barrett (36 yards on 10 carries, one TD) led the running game as Mike Carrigan (seven receptions, 110 yards, one TD) and Antwan Dixon (five catches, 60 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the loss.
Eastern Michigan has run the ball on 55.8 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Kent State has an overall rush percentage of 53.8 percent. The Eagles have rushed for 141 yards/game (including 166 per game against Mid-American opponents) and have 19 scores on the ground this year. The Golden Flashes are putting up 171 rushing yards per game (165 in conference) and have 19 total rush TDs.
The Eagles offensive scheme has averaged 237 yards in the air overall (217 per game against conference opposition) and has 18 passing scores so far. The Golden Flashes have produced 212 pass yards per contest (212.3 against MAC competition) and have 14 total pass TDs.
On the defensive side of the ball, Eastern Michigan should have the upper hand in both phases. The team has allowed 194 rush yards and 156 pass yards per game. The Kent State defense has allowed 256.8 yards per game to opposing passers and 218.7 yards per game on the ground. The Eagles are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 3.96 to opponents, while the Golden Flashes have given up a 7.85 ANY/A.
Offensively, Wiegers is up to 1,598 passing yards this season, and has connected on 141-of-214 attempts with 10 passing scores and only one interception. He has a 6.99 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 4.16 over the past two outings.
The Eagles will probably try to control tempo by pounding the defense with their running backs. Along with Blake Banham (610 yards, four TDs), Shaq Vann (476 rush yards, four rush TDs) and Ian Eriksen (202 rush yards, one rush TD) have been focal points in the Eastern Michigan offensive scheme.
Woody Barrett has connected on 204-of-343 passes for 2,103 yards, 11 TDs and nine INTs for Kent State. His ANY/A sits at a less-than-ideal 4.55 for the season and 3.40 over his last two games.
The Golden Flashes should also look to control the clock by turning to their backfield. In addition to Jo-el Shaw (77 receiving yards, two receiving TDs), Mike Carrigan (527 receiving yards and four receiving TDs) and Lon’kevious McFadden (81 receiving yards) have seen a lot of looks recently.
These two MAC foes did not get a chance to face one another a year ago.
RELATED: Week 13 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Betting Pick: Eastern Michigan Eagles at Kent State Golden Flashes
SU Winner – Eastern Michigan, ATS Winner – Eastern Michigan, O/U – Under
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Team Betting Trends
Eastern Michigan has rushed for 4.0 yards per attempt across its past three contests and 4.1 over its last two.
Kent State has averaged 4.1 yards per carry over its last three outings and only 3.8 over its last two.
The Kent State offense has lost eight fumbles this season while Eastern Michigan has let nine get away.
Eastern Michigan has won five of its last six games SU, with a 15-point defeat to Army West Point on October 27th representing the only loss over that stretch.
Kent State has lost nine of its last 10 games SU, with a seven-point victory over Bowling Green on October 30th representing the one win over that span.
The Eagles offense has produced 11 pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Golden Flashes have accounted for eight such plays.
The Eastern Michigan defense has allowed five pass plays of 40+ yards, while Kent State has given up 13 such plays.
The Eastern Michigan offense has created 12 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Kent State has created 20 such runs.
The Eagles defense has allowed 14 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Golden Flashes have given up 28 such runs.
The Eastern Michigan D has 22 sacks on the year while Kent State has 21.
*****
