The Ball State Cardinals battle the Central Michigan Chippewas this week in a game that will feature the MAC’s third-leading receiver, Jordan Williams (623 yards, 5 TDs), and second-leading passer, Cooper Rush (2,084 yards, 16 TDs). The season for Central Michigan (3-4) could certainly be going better, but it has shown signs of life lately, winning two of their last three. The game will air Saturday, Oct 24 at 3:00 p.m. ET on ESP3.
In last week’s matchup, Ball State lost to Georgia State 31-19. Darian Green had a good performance running the ball in the loss, rushing 17 times for 70 yards. Jordan Williams put up 68 receiving yards and a TD on seven catches. Central Michigan is hoping for another victory like last week’s performance, when it dominated Buffalo 51-14. Jesse Kroll had a great game for the Chippewas, pulling in seven receptions for 133 yards and one TD. Cooper Rush had a great game as well, adding 313 yards and four TDs through the air.
This week’s matchup between the Cardinals and Chippewas has even odds and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable currently.
With a 2-5 record both Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS), the Cardinals will look to improve as they head into Week 8. The Cardinals throw the ball often. Their 40.9 passing attempts per game are eighth-highest in the country. The Cardinals are one of the best in the country at scoring in the fourth quarter, averaging 9.7 points. Penalties aren’t likely to cost Ball State this week’s game. They earn the third-fewest penalties among Division I teams, averaging only 3.7 per game.
As for their opponent, the Chippewas head into Week 8 with records of 6-1 ATS and 3-4 SU. Chances are Central Michigan will continue to rely on its passing attack, where its 303.4 passing yards per game ranks 20th in the nation. Moving on to the Central Michigan defense, there are certain areas where it measures up well against the Cardinals. Central Michigan is a frightening unit for opposing offenses. The Chippewas give up just 171.4 yards per game through the air, 18th in the nation. The Chippewas will look to put the ball in the end zone against a Ball State defense that allows an average of 17.3 points in the second quarter, one of the worst marks in the nation. It’ll be hard to get the ball out of the hands of Central Michigan’s offense this week. The team’s average time of possession is 33:02, ranking them 19th in the country.
Predictions: SU Winner – Central Michigan, ATS Winner – Central Michigan
Notes
Ball State is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games.
Ball State is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Ball State’s last 5 games.
Ball State is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
Ball State is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games at home.
Ball State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Central Michigan.
Ball State is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Central Michigan.
Central Michigan is 2-0 SU when leading at the half this season. Ball State is 1-1 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Remarkably, Central Michigan is winless (0-4 SU) in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet undefeated (2-0 SU) when losing the turnover battle.
The Ball State rush defense is ranked 98th in the country this year, and will look to contain the 123rd-ranked offensive ground attack of Central Michigan.
