The Western Michigan Broncos (-14) and Bowling Green Falcons are set to square off on the turf at Doyt L. Perry Stadium. ESPN+ is scheduled to televise the action and this daytime game kicks off at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Western Michigan Broncos vs. Bowling Green Falcons Betting Preview
In this Saturday Mid-American game, Western Michigan is getting picked as the heavy favorite and is currently giving up 14 points. The Broncos are also receiving -735 moneyline odds while the Falcons are +500. Should one squad can create a bunch of points early, it’ll likely produce a worthwhile betting opportunity in-game.
This game’s line initially opened at 16 but the early action has been swaying in favor of the Falcons.
The Broncos are 2-4 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 2.0 units so far. The team’s posted an O/U record of 2-3. The Falcons have lost 1.0 unit for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 1-5 ATS and the over’s hit in four of their games.
The Broncos are 4-2 straight up (SU), including 2-0 SU against MAC opponents. The Falcons are 1-5 SU overall and 0-2 SU in conference play.
Bowling Green enters this contest on a zero-game winning streak while Western Michigan has lost zero straight. The Broncos are coming off a 27-24 victory over Eastern Michigan last weekTheir defense allowed the Eagles to run for 178 yards on 48 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. Mike Glass III had a productive day for the Eagles in that one with 101 rushing yards and a score on 17 attempts. On the offense, Jon Wassink completed 16-of-27 passes for 235 yards, as well as one score and a pick. LeVante Bellamy (76 rushing yards on 17 attempts, one TD) and Jamauri Bogan (37 yards on 15 carries, one TD) led the ground attack while Jayden Reed (six receptions, 69 yards) and Bellamy (four catches, 29 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties in the win.
Bowling Green just fell 52-36 to Toledo. The defense let the Rockets kill the clock by rushing for 288 yards on 44 attempts, including four rush TDs. Shakif Seymour put up a solid outing in the win for Toledo, recording 101 rushing yards on 18 attempts. For Bowling Green, Jarret Doege completed 18-of-34 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns. Andrew Clair had a monster statline in the loss. Along with 118 rushing yards on 12 attempts (and two TDs), Clair also reeled in five receptions for 74 yards and one TD.
Western Michigan’s run the ball on 54.1 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Bowling Green has a rush percentage of 47.8 percent. The Broncos have rushed for 196 yards per game (including 138 per game against Mid-American opponents) and have 12 scores on the ground this year. The Falcons are totaling 104 rush yards per game (139 in conference) and have five total rushing TDs.
If the results so far this season can translate to this game, then the Broncos could own an advantage in terms of efficiency in the ground game, as their backfield has logged 5.1 yards per carry while their defense is allowing 4.4 yards per rush attempt to opponents. The Falcons have recorded 2.8 yards per carry and allowed 6.6 YPC to opponents.
The Broncos offensive scheme has logged 276 yards/contest through the air overall (337 per game against conference opposition) and has 14 passing scores so far. The Falcons have put up 262 pass yards per outing (294.5 against MAC foes) and have 16 total pass TDs.
On the defensive side of the ball, Western Michigan has allowed 175 rush yards and 194 pass yards per game. The Bowling Green defense has given up 164.2 yards per game to opposing passers and 332.3 yards per game on the ground. The Broncos are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of 7.87 to opponents, while the Falcons have allowed an ugly 9.05 ANY/A.
Offensively, Wassink has put up 1,219 passing yards this season, and has connected on 94-of-152 attempts with nine passing scores and four interceptions. Wassink has a sparkling 7.83 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 10.60 over the past two games.
Jayden Reed (329 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns this season), D’Wayne Eskridge (322 receiving yards, two receiving TDs) and LeVante Bellamy (465 rush yards, four rush TDs, one TD) have each played key roles lately.
Jarret Doege has managed to complete 115-of-183 passes for 1,180 yards, 14 TDs and four INTs for Bowling Green. His ANY/A stands at 5.92 for the year and 7.01 over his past two games.
Andrew Clair, Scott Miller and RB Marlow III have combined for 487 total yards and four touchdowns over the last two outings.
These two conference foes did not get a chance to play one another a year ago.
RELATED: Week 7 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Betting Pick: Western Michigan Broncos vs. Bowling Green Falcons
SU Winner – Western Michigan, ATS Winner – Western Michigan
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
Western Michigan was favored by 5 points in its previous game and the O/U was set at 58.5. The under cashed and Western Michigan failed to cover in the 27-24 triumph over Eastern Michigan.
Western Michigan has averaged 4.6260162601626 yards per rush attempt over its past three outings and 3.5 over its last two.
Bowling Green has averaged 3.4 yards per carry over its last three contests and 3.8 over its last two.
Bowling Green has lost four fumbles this season while Western Michigan has let three get away.
In its last three matches, Western Michigan is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
Bowling Green was favored by 23 points in its last outing and the Over/Under was 71. The over cashed and Bowling Green failed to cover in the 52-36 defeat to Toledo.
In its last three matches, Bowling Green is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
Each team has produced six pass plays of 40+ yards. The Broncos have have made 11 pass plays of 30+ yards while the Falcons have accounted for seven such plays.
The Western Michigan defense has allowed four pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Bowling Green has given up seven such plays.
The Western Michigan offense has created 10 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Bowling Green has created five such runs.
The Broncos defense has allowed nine rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Falcons have given up 22 such runs.
The Western Michigan defensive unit has 13 sacks on the year while Bowling Green has just five.
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