The nation’s top passer, Matt Johnson (2,891 yards, 24 TDs), and second-leading receiver, Roger Lewis (1,020 yards, 9 TDs), will be on display when the Bowling Green Falcons play the Kent State Golden Flashes. While this season has been a bit of a letdown for Kent State (3-4), it has shown signs of life as of late, notching wins in two of its last three. The game will begin Saturday, Oct 24 at 1:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESP3.
Kent State beat Massachusetts 15-10 last week. Raekwon James had a solid outing on the ground in the win, rushing for 85 yards on 20 carries. He was also a threat in the passing game with 56 yards on eight receptions. Bowling Green also got the win in last week’s performance, crushing Akron 59-10. Matt Johnson had an outstanding performance passing the ball for the Falcons, completing 25 of 30 passes for 357 yards and five TDs. Roger Lewis also had a big day, contributing 118 receiving yards and two TDs on six receptions.
Oddsmakers have deemed the Kent State and Bowling Green game as an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment.
The Golden Flashes enter the game with a record of 3-4 Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS) this season. The Falcons might have a difficult time running the ball against the 18th-best run defense in the nation. The Golden Flashes give up 113 rushing yards per game. One of the keys to the game will be whether the Falcons can protect the quarterback against Kent State’s aggressive pass rush. The defense ranks 17th in the nation in sacks with three per game.
On the other side, the Falcons have 5-2 SU and ATS records this season. Hopefully Kent State’s defense is better than its timing. It will be matching up against a Falcons offense that is on fire lately, averaging 582.2 total yards over their last five games. Lately, the Falcons have had a better run defense. They’re allowing 116.2 rushing YPG over their last five matchups, less than their average for the season (162.3 rush YPG). The Falcons make it hard on their opponents down the stretch, averaging 10.9 points in the final quarter.
Predictions: SU Winner – Bowling Green, ATS Winner – Bowling Green
Notes
Kent State is 5-13 SU in its last 18 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kent State’s last 5 games.
Kent State is 4-10-1 ATS in its last 15 games at home.
Kent State is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Kent State’s last 7 games at home.
Kent State is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games when playing Bowling Green.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Kent State’s last 7 games when playing Bowling Green.
Kent State is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Bowling Green.
Bowling Green is 4-1 SU when leading at the half this season. Kent State is 2-1 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Kent State is only 1-2 SU this season in games where it loses the turnover battle.
The Kent State run defense is ranked 18th in the nation this year, and will look to contain the 79th-ranked rushing attack of Bowling Green.
