This game will include two of the more exciting players in the MAC, as Riley Neal and the Ball State Cardinals visit Peden Stadium to meet Derrius Vick and the Ohio Bobcats. This season has proved tumultuous for Ohio (6-4). Despite some success, it has lost three of its last five. The Bobcats will want to use this game to get back on track. Players will take the field Tuesday, Nov 17 at 7:00 p.m. ET and the game will air on ESPU.
Ohio cruised past Kent State 27-0 last week. Jordan Reid had a solid game in the win, registering three receptions for 51 yards and one TD. Ball State didn’t have the same success as Ohio, getting blown out by Western Michigan 54-7. Jordan Williams had a good game for the Cardinals, totaling four receptions for 43 yards and one TD.
Ohio is a seven-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment.
Heading into Week 12 of the college football season, the Bobcats are 6-4 Straight Up (SU) and 6-3-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last five games, the Bobcats have records of 2-3 for both SU and ATS. Chances are Ohio will try to take advantage of an inferior pass defense. The Cardinals are 123rd in the country against the pass, giving up 299.6 passing yards per game. As for the Ohio defense, there are important areas to keep an eye on. The Cardinals will be matching up against a stout Ohio pass defense, which only allowed 205.0 passing yards over their last five matchups. Based on Ball State’s average time of possession of 28:21 per game which ranks 105th in the nation, look for the Bobcats to control the clock.
On the other side, the Cardinals have 3-7 SU and 4-6 ATS records this season. In the previous five games, Ball State has a record of 1-4 SU and 2-3 ATS. The Cardinals rely heavily on their air attack, averaging 38.5 passing attempts per game. Don’t be surprised to hear lots of calls against the Bobcats when they take the field. Ohio is among the most penalized teams in the country, receiving an average of 7.6 penalties per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Ohio, ATS Winner – Ohio
Notes
Ohio is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games.
Ohio is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Ohio’s last 10 games at home.
Ball State is 2-2 SU when leading at the half this season. Ohio is 6-0 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Remarkably, Ohio is winless (0-2) SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet 5-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
Based on overall FBS ratings, Ohio holds the upper hand in the passing game. Its passing attack (ranked 48th in the country) will face the 123rd-ranked pass defense of Ball State, while its 45th-ranked pass defense will look to limit the 71st-ranked passing game of the Cardinals.
