It looks like a low-scoring affair as the Kent State Golden Flashes (2-3) meet the Toledo Rockets (4-0). Kent State has shown few signs of life this season, and given that it has lost two in a row, that doesn’t seem likely to change any time soon. The game will begin Saturday, Oct 10 at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Toledo beat Ball State 24-10 last week. Terry Swanson had a big game on the ground in the win, gaining 139 yards on 24 carries. Marc Remy finished with 56 rushing yards on four attempts. Kent State also got the win in last week’s performance, beating Miami (OH) 20-14. Colin Reardon had a good game throwing the ball for the Golden Flashes, completing 12 of 21 passes for 136 yards and one TD.
Toledo is a 15-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment.
Heading into Week 6 of the college football season, the Rockets are unbeaten with a 4-0 record Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS). Expect the seventh-ranked Rockets run defense to cause headaches for the Golden Flashes run game. The Rockets give up 80.5 rushing yards per game. One of the keys to the game will be whether the Golden Flashes can protect the ball against Toledo’s aggressive defense. It’s ranked 18th in the nation in fumbles recovered with one per game.
On the other side, the Golden Flashes have a record of 2-3 for both ATS and SU. The Golden Flashes like to keep the ball on the ground. On average, they run 46.2 times per game. Switching gears to the Kent State defense, it has some favorable matchups that it may be able to take advantage of as well. Kent State’s ninth-ranked run defense has given its competition difficulty. Opponents have only run for 83.4 yards per game against this intimidating bunch. If the Rockets aren’t careful throwing the ball against Kent State’s defense, they are going to be in some trouble. That defense has picked off the third-most throws on the season with two per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Toledo, ATS Winner – Toledo
Notes
Toledo is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toledo’s last 5 games.
Toledo is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toledo’s last 6 games at home.
Kent State is 2-1 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. Toledo is 4-0 SU when leading at the end of the third quarter.
When analyzing just in-conference ranks, Toledo appears to have the overall advantage in the passing game. Its offensive passing attack (ranked 10th in the MAC) will face the 14th-ranked pass defense of Kent State, while its 10th-ranked pass defense will look to limit the 14th-ranked passing game of the Golden Flashes.
When looking into conference ranks, Kent State seems to have the overall advantage in the running game. Its 10th-ranked rushing attack will face the 13th-ranked run defense of Toledo, while its 10th-ranked run defense will look to contain the 13th-ranked rushing game of the Rockets.
