The Miami RedHawks take on the Northern Illinois Huskies this week in a game that will feature the MAC’s leading rusher, Joel Bouagnon (591 yards, 10 TDs). The RedHawks have gone 1-5 thus far, while the Huskies are 3-3. The game will begin Saturday, Oct 17 at 2:30 p.m. ET.
In last week’s matchup, Miami (OH) had an ugly loss against Ohio 34-3. Jared Murphy had a good performance in the loss, pulling in three receptions for 76 yards. Northern Illinois is hoping for another victory like last week’s performance, when it defeated Ball State 59-41. Drew Hare had a huge game through the air for the Huskies, connecting on 29 of 32 pass attempts for 363 yards and two TDs. Jordan Huff also had a great game with 87 rushing yards and two TDs on 10 carries.
Northern Illinois is a 15-point favorite in this game against the RedHawks.
Sitting at 1-5 Straight Up (SU) and 3-3 Against The Spread (ATS), the RedHawks will look to improve heading into Week 7. The RedHawks average 3.5 yards each time they throw, 13th in the nation.
Over on the other sideline, the Huskies head into Week 7 with records of 3-2-1 ATS and 3-3 SU. Other teams have a high success rate throwing the ball against the RedHawks. It may be in Northern Illinois’s game plan to take advantage of the home team’s 63.1% completion percentage allowed to opponents. Shifting to the other side of the ball, it might be tough for the RedHawks to keep up with Northern Illinois’s defense in a few areas. The front seven for the Huskies will be looking to shut down the weak rushing attack of the RedHawks, which ranks 113th in the nation with an average of 120.5 rushing yards per game. The Huskies need to make the RedHawks turn the ball over. The RedHawks rank 126th in the country in turnovers with 3.2 per game. The Huskies will look to put the ball in the end zone against a Miami (OH) defense that allows an average of 13.2 points in the second quarter, one of the worst marks in the nation. Northern Illinois has put in some strong special teams performances this season. The team has averaged 149.2 return yards per game, ranking them fourth in the nation.
Predictions: SU Winner – Northern Illinois, ATS Winner – Northern Illinois
Notes
Miami (Ohio) is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games.
Miami (Ohio) is 3-12 SU in its last 15 games at home.
Miami (Ohio) is 4-7-1 ATS in its last 12 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Miami (Ohio)’s last 5 games at home.
Miami (Ohio) is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Northern Illinois.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Miami (Ohio)’s last 6 games when playing Northern Illinois.
Northern Illinois is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Miami (Ohio).
Northern Illinois is 3-0 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. Miami (OH) is 1-0 SU when leading after three quarters.
The Northern Illinois defense has forced an average of 2.0 turnovers over its last five games. Miami (OH) is just 1-3 SU this season when turning the ball over at least 2.0 times in a game.
