Two of the best MAC West Division teams will meet on the gridiron in the Buckeye State when the Northern Illinois Huskies play the Toledo Rockets. The game is slated to begin on Thursday, November 2nd at 6 p.m. EST and can be seen on the ESPNU Network. Heading into this conference match-up, the Rockets are a -9 point favorite. Odds gurus also have placed this showdown’s over/under at 55.5.
Last Thursday, Northern Illinois defended their home turf against the Eastern Michigan Eagles. In that contest, the Huskies won their fourth straight when they were victorious 30-27 in overtime. The Northern Illinois Huskies rallied to get the win over Eastern Michigan and set up this battle with Toledo. With the 14 point comeback, the Huskies improved to 4-0 in MAC play and 6-2 overall.
Toledo also won their fourth game in a row when they beat down the Ball State Cardinals 58-17 last Thursday on the road. In that game, the Rockets trailed 7-3 after one-quarter of football. Then, they opened up their offense and exploded for 55 points. Toledo is now 4-0 in the MAC, giving the victor of this battle the inside track to a spot in the MAC Conference title game.
Northern Illinois Huskies (6-2)
The Northern Illinois Huskies are much better than people thought they would be. Their only two losses on the season are to the B.C. Eagles on opening day and the San Diego State Aztecs in late September. Obviously, the defeat to the Eagles is looking better every day. The Huskies are averaging 214.6 yards per game through the air (79th) and 48th in rushing offense with 182 yards per via the ground.
The balance to the offense has been a huge asset for the Huskies as it keeps pressure off of quarterback Marcus Childers. Childers replace starter Ryan Graham when he went down against the Aztecs in September. The freshman started slow but has now accumulated some nice figures. In his four starts under center, Childers has tossed the rock for 877 yards with nine touchdowns and only one pick. A big advantage to having him in the game is that he is a shifty runner. The rookie has scampered for another 334 yards and three more scores.
Speaking of running the football, tailbacks Jordan Huff and Marcus Jones handle the duties out of the backfield for the Huskies. Together, they have rumbled for almost 700 yards with four trips to the back of the end zone. Huff leads the club with 450 yards but is questionable for this game with an unspecified injury. If he can’t go, quarterback Marcus Childers and Marcus Jones will need to make up for the lost production.
Five receivers all catch about the same amount of passes no matter who is slinging the ball to them. The quartet has accumulated just over 130 catches for over 1,500 yards and 16 scores. Tight end Shane Wimann is a beast in the red zone. The 6’4, 250-pound pass catcher has six end zone appearances on only 22 catches.
Running the ball against the Northern Illinois defense has been anything but easy for opposing schools in 2017. The Huskies front half ranks 9th in the country, surrendering only 106 yards a game. That is pretty darn good considering some of the outstanding backs they have gone up against this season. Aztec tailback Rashard Penny and B.C.’s AJ Dillon are a few I wanted to mention. Overall, they only allow 18 points a contest which is 17th best in the nation.
Toledo Rockets (7-1)
The Toledo Rockets offense is flying high in 2017. In their last game against the Cardinals, big plays punctuated the day as Toledo scored four offensive touchdowns that covered at least 60 yards. Furthermore, they also added an 87-yard punt return for a score as well.
Quarterback Logan Woodside returned for his senior season to claim a MAC Conference title and another bowl berth. The talented signal-caller was one of the best in the nation in 2016 and is well on his way to that mark this year. In eight games, Woodside has completed 146 of his 232 passes (62 percent) for nearly 2,300 yards. More impressively, the senior gunslinger has tossed the rock for 19 touchdowns and only two interceptions.
Three talented tailbacks also do their part to contribute to the Rockets outstanding offense. The trio has kept the offense somewhat balanced with just over 1,700 yards rushing and 15 scores. Running back Terry Swanson has 728 yards on 131 carries with a team-high eight touchdowns. Shakif Seymour also has six touchdowns to go along with his almost 500 yards rushing.
The passing game took a little step back when they lost wideout Cody Thompson for the year at Eastern Michigan. Now, three other wide receivers have had to step up their game to keep the passing game flourishing. The trio has collected over 1,250 yards passing with 13 touchdowns. Sophomore Diante Johnson is becoming a household name for quarterback Logan Woodside. The speedy pass-catcher has nabbed 36 catches for almost 700 yards and has 10 total touchdowns.
Defensively, the Rockets have shown a lot of improvements from the unit that gave up way too many points to opposing schools last season. In 2017, they have held down the fort a little bit better. The Rockets are conceding only 200 yards through (44th) the air and 160 via the ground (61st). Their offense is averaging 40 points a game so the 25 that this unit gives up is manageable.
Prediction
Sin City came out with the Rockets as a 9.5 point favorite and the public has only pushed it down a half point. That surprises me a bit because the Huskies are playing some pretty good football during their four-game winning streak. Yes, Toledo has reeled off four of their own but I don’t expect this one to be very easy. Even in the confines of Glass Bowl Stadium. I like the fact that quarterback Marcus Childers has run the ball under center effectively and am hoping Jordan Huff will be back. Therefore, I’m suggesting to take the Huskies to cover the nine points. If this makes you a little sketchy, buy it up to 10 or 10.5 for some breathing room.
The over/under has dropped considerably from 62.5 to 55.5. With the injury concerns at tailback for the Huskies and their ability to stop the Rockets rushing attack, I’m saying that it is best to let this one go. It’s true that both clubs can move the football but it seems too risky for me to suggest playing. #moneytreesgrow @EriktheHun
Trends
The Huskies are 34-14-3 ATS in their last 51 road games.
The Huskies are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
The Under is 4-1 in the Huskies last five Thursday games.
The Rockets are 1-6 ATS in their last seven home games.
The Rockets are 5-2 ATS in their last seven Thursday games.
The Over is 4-0-1 in the Rockets last five Thursday games.
The Road Team is 6-0 ATS in their last six meetings.
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