A couple of schools that like to run the football, Head Coach Rod Carey and the Northern Illinois Huskies (-5.5) are set to pay a visit to their conference rival Western Michigan Broncos at Waldo Stadium. The matchup is scheduled to get underway at 7:00 p.m. ET and fans can tune in to the action on ESPNU.
Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Western Michigan Broncos Betting Preview
In this Tuesday Mid-American game, Northern Illinois is projected as the favorite and is currently giving up 5.5 points. The Huskies are also receiving -235 moneyline odds while the Broncos are +185. Should one team finds paydirt early, it would probably create a solid live betting opportunity.
The Huskies have gained 3.4 units so far in 2018 and are 6-5 against the spread (ATS). They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an O/U mark of 2-9. The Broncos are down 2.7 units this season. The team is 3-8 ATS and has an O/U record of 6-4.
The Huskies have gone 7-4 straight up (SU), including 6-1 SU against MAC opponents. The Broncos are 6-5 SU overall and 4-3 SU in conference play.
The Huskies dropped one to Miami (OH) 13-7 in a matchup where their defense allowed the RedHawks to pass for 107 yards and rush for 94 yards. On the offense, Marcus Childers completed just 15 passes on 32 attempts for 157 yards and one interception. Tre Harbison (103 rushing yards on 16 attempts) and the signal-caller Childers (57 yards on 13 carries) led the ground attack. D.J. Brown (five receptions, 19 yards) and Spencer Tears (five catches, 74 yards) shared the receiving duties in the defeat.
A week ago, Ball State knocked off this Western Michigan crew by a score of 42-41. Kaleb Eleby completed 20-of-29 passes for 187 yards and one touchdown. LeVante Bellamy (213 rushing yards on 35 attempts, one TD) and Jamauri Bogan (105 yards on 25 carries, two TDs) mounted the running game while Giovanni Ricci (seven receptions, 65 yards, one TD) and Keishawn Watson (four catches, 29 yards) led the receiving attack in the loss.
Each of these squads sports a strikingly similar (60-40) run-pass ratio on the season. The Huskies have run for 183 yards/game (including 243 per game against Mid-American opponents) and have 15 scores on the ground this year. The Broncos are logging 215 rushing yards per game (209 in conference) and have 27 total rush TDs.
The Huskies offensive scheme has averaged 140 yards in the air overall (141 per game versus conference opposition) and has 10 passing scores so far. The Broncos have put up 239 pass yards per contest (234.6 against MAC foes) and have 20 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Northern Illinois has allowed opponents to run for an average of 108 yards and throw for 233 yards per game. The Western Michigan defense has given up 214.2 yards per game to opposing passers and 174.4 yards per game on the ground. The Huskies are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.29 to opponents, while the Broncos have given up a 7.83 ANY/A.
Offensively, Childers is up to 1,409 passing yards this year. The signal-caller has connected on 56 percent of his 295 attempts with nine scores through the air and six interceptions. Childers has a 3.45 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 3.87 over the last two games.
The Huskies will likely try to control the clock by pounding the defense with their running backs. Backfield mates Tre Harbison (768 rush yards, four rush TDs) and Marcus Jones (420 rush yards, three rush TDs) have really been focal points in the Northern Illinois offensive scheme.
Kaleb Eleby has managed to complete 43-of-57 passes for 480 yards, three TDs and zero INTs for Western Michigan. His ANY/A sits at 8.21 for the year and 5.62 across his last two outings.
The Broncos will also try to dictate the game’s pace by turning to their backfield. LeVante Bellamy (1,078 rush yards, six rush TDs, one receiving TD), Jamauri Bogan (629 rush yards, 12 rush TDs) and Chase Brown (267 rush yards) have seen quite a few touches recently.
When these two programs met last year, Northern Illinois got the victory over Western Michigan, 35-31.
RELATED: Week 13 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Betting Prediction: Northern Illinois Huskies at Western Michigan Broncos
SU Winner – Western Michigan, ATS Winner – Western Michigan
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Over/Under for Northern Illinois’ previous game was set at 48. The under cashed in the team’s 13-7 defeat to Miami (OH).
Northern Illinois has averaged 5.7 yards per rush attempt over its last three outings and 6.3 over its last two.
Western Michigan has averaged 4.3 yards per carry over its last three contests and 4.5 over its last two.
Western Michigan has lost nine fumbles this season while Northern Illinois has lost six.
In its last three contests, Northern Illinois is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The O/U for Western Michigan’s last match was 58.5. The over cashed in the 42-41 loss to Ball State.
Over its last three contests, Western Michigan is 0-3 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
The Huskies offense has registered one pass play of 40 or more yards, while the Broncos have put up 10 such plays.
The Northern Illinois defense has allowed eight pass plays of 40+ yards, while Western Michigan has given up six such plays.
Both defenses have produced 16 rushing plays of 20 yards or more. The Northern Illinois offense has recorded 61 running plays of 10+ yards while Western Michigan has accounted for 63 such plays.
The Huskies defense has allowed seven rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Broncos have given up 18 such runs.
The Northern Illinois defensive unit has 39 sacks on the year while Western Michigan has just 21.
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