A collegiate football game will be played in the South Side of Chicago for the first time in nearly 25 years. The Toledo Rockets will face-off against the Northern Illinois Huskies on the Chicago White Sox’s home field on Wednesday, November 9th at 8:00 p.m. ET. The match-up can be seen on the ESPN2 Network. As of this article, the Toledo Rockets come into this unique game as a -6.5 favorite and the total is at 69.
The Rocket’s surprising defeat at the hands of the Ohio Bobcats put a damper on a undefeated match-up against the Western Michigan Broncos to finish out the year. But if The Rockets take care of business before the finale’, they would still have a shot at winning the MAC West and playing in the conference title game.
Toledo (7-2):
Toledo’s Logan Woodside is tied for the national lead with 34 touchdown tosses and is fourth with an impressive 70.9 completion percentage. All this has been accomplished while guiding the Rockets to a 7-2 record. On the year, Woodside also has amassed over 3,000 yards through the air and only five interceptions.
Toledo likes to stay as balanced as possible when moving the chains down the grid-iron. When they run, the Rockets turn to Kareem Hunt and Terry Swanson to get the job done. As a duo, they have carried the ball for over 180 times for 1,433 yards and nine scores.
Logan Woodside isn’t shy about who he passes the ball to. Four wide outs have caught more than 20 passes and all have scored multiple touchdowns. Cody Thompson leads this group of talented wide outs with 987 yards and nine trips to the back of the end zone.
Logan Woodside’s success has helped take some pressure off of Toledo’s defense They are one of only four in the MAC allowing at least six yards per play. The Rockets give way to 23.5 points a game and 377 yards per contest. The defense is as average as it gets, but that has been enough for the amount of offense that Toledo produces.
Northern Illinois (3-6):
Quarterback Anthony Maddie has helped turn-around Northern Illinois’ season. The Huskies, who appeared in last year’s MAC title game, lost their first four contests in 2016. In the last game, Maddie entered and nearly led a comeback. He’s posted a 127.59 passer rating that’s good for fourth in the MAC, and has over 1,200 yards passing with eight touchdowns and five picks.
Running back Joel Bouagnon stole the show in Northern Illinois 45-20 victory over Bowling Green. Bouagnon rushed for 134 yards and five touchdowns in the victory. Furthermore, he posted his second 100-yard game and rushed for four more touchdowns than he had all season. Altogether, he has compiled almost 650 yards with six scores.
Signal-caller Anthony Maddie also uses his feet to move the chains. The multi-dimensional player has toted the rock 82 times for 558 yards and a team-high seven scores.
Wide receiver Kenny Golloday is the go-to-guy when the Huskies want to collect yardage through the passing game. In 2016, the versatile wide out has caught 66 balls for 888 yards and seven touchdown grabs. Tight end Shane Winnman is used as a red zone weapon. The bulky receiver has also nabbed 16 balls for 150 yards and five scores.
Northern Illinois defense has let the Huskies down repeatedly in 2016. Even though the offense has turned the corner, the defense continues to struggle. This year, they are 98th in the country, giving way to almost 260 passing yards a game. That’s bad news when Logan Woodside is coming to town.
Trends and Notes:
The Rockets are 18-6-2 ATS in their last 26 games overall.
The Huskies are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
The Under is 6-2-1 in the Rockets last 9 conference games.
The Under is 6-2 in the Huskies last 8 conference games.
The Road team is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 meetings.
Game Prediction:
Toledo needs this victory to keep pace and have a chance to show their stuff in the MAC title game against the Western Michigan Broncos. Last week’s win, showed that they might be back on track after the disappointing loss to Ohio.
Northern Illinois has won two straight games and also played the Broncos tough in a 45-30 defeat four weeks ago. With the injection of Anthony Maddie, the Huskies have been more balanced on offense and it’s starting to show in the win loss column.
Although the Huskies season has been a disappointment, they could still win out and get themselves into a bowl. The offense is humming and Toledo continues to struggle defensively.
The Rockets off-set the defensive play by putting points on the board at will. Wednesday should be no different against a weak Husky defensive unit. Play this one safe and avoid the home dog blues. Just take the over 69 and watch the offenses have their way in Guaranteed Rate Field.
