The Georgia State Panthers (1-4) travel to take on the Ball State Cardinals (2-4) this week in a contest between two teams seeking to put an end to their respective losing streaks. Both teams have issues, with both teams having lost their last three. The MAC’s third-leading receiver, Jordan Williams (555 yards, 4 TDs), and the SBC’s leading passer, Nick Arbuckle (1,549 yards, 10 TDs), will be featured in this game. It will air Saturday, Oct 17 at 3:00 p.m. ET on ESP3.
In last week’s matchup, Ball State lost to Northern Illinois 59-41. Riley Neal had a great game through the air in the loss, connecting on 31 of 53 pass attempts for 393 yards, four TDs and one interception. Georgia State also came up short, had an ugly loss against Appalachian State 37-3. Penny Hart had a good performance for the Panthers, pulling in five receptions for 47 yards.
The Panthers are a 16-point underdog against the Cardinals and the Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is currently not available.
With a 2-4 record both Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS), the Cardinals will look to improve as they head into Week 7. The passing game could be a priority for Ball State’s offense against a weak Panthers pass defense that ranks 114th in the country with 289.4 passing yards allowed per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the ball, the Cardinals look to have a distinct advantage in certain spots. An important aspect of the game will be if the Cardinals can capitalize on Georgia State’s tendency to give away the football. They currently rank 119th in the nation with 2.6 turnovers per game. The Cardinals are one of the best in the country at scoring in the fourth quarter, averaging 10.3 points. Penalties aren’t likely to cost Ball State this week’s game. They earn the second-fewest penalties among Division I teams, averaging only 3.3 per game.
As for their opponent, the Panthers head into Week 7 with records of 2-3 ATS and 1-4 SU. Chances are Georgia State will continue to rely on its passing attack, where its 309.8 passing yards per game ranks 18th in the nation.
Predictions: SU Winner – Ball State, ATS Winner – Ball State
Notes
Ball State is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games.
Ball State is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
Ball State is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games at home.
Ball State is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games at home.
Georgia State is 1-0 SU when leading at the half this season. Ball State is 1-1 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Nationally, the Ball State passing attack is ranked 50th, while the Georgia State pass defense is only ranked 114th. The Panthers passing game is ranked 18th, compared to the 108th-ranked pass defense of the Cardinals.
