The Northern Illinois Huskies are entering the Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl as underdogs against the UAB Blazers. The game will get underway at 7:00 p.m. ET and ESPN is scheduled to televise the action.
UAB Blazers at Northern Illinois Huskies Betting Preview
Northern Illinois is a live dog and is currently getting 3 points in this game. The Blazers are also receiving -140 moneyline odds while the Huskies are +120. Should one side gets out in front early on it would generate a nice in-game betting opportunity. Oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 43.5 points.
Odds have moved a little from where they first opened. The opening line was -1 while the game’s O/U was originally set at 44.
Each of these teams has posted a good return this year as the Blazers have gained 3.8 units while the Huskies are up 2.2 units.
The Blazers have gone 10-3 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Huskies are 8-5 SU.
The Blazers enter after a 27-25 victory over Middle Tennessee on December 1 in which Tyler Johnston III completed nine-of-15 passes for just 140 yards, as well as a TD and an interception. Spencer Brown (156 rushing yards on 31 attempts, one TD) and the signal-caller Johnston III (56 yards on 17 carries, one TD) led the running attack. Donnie Lee (two receptions, 13 yards) and Jarrion Street (two catches, six yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Northern Illinois enters this Tuesday’s matchup after just getting a 30-29 win over Buffalo. The defense let the Bulls rush for 142 yards on 42 attempts, including two rush TDs. Anthony Johnson was a bright spot in the defeat, posting 124 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches for Buffalo. For Northern Illinois, Marcus Childers completed 21-of-33 passes for 300 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Childers (58 rushing yards on 15 attempts) and Tre Harbison (35 yards on 11 carries) spearheaded the running game as Spencer Tears (six receptions, 73 yards, two TDs) and D.J. Brown (four catches, 84 yards, two TDs) led all Northern Illinois pass-catchers in the win.
UAB has run the ball on 65.3 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Northern Illinois has an overall rush percentage of 59.8 percent. The Blazers have run for 209 yards per game and have 32 scores on the ground this year. The Huskies are logging 171 rushing yards per game and have 16 total rush TDs.
The Blazers offense has logged 191 yards/game in the air overall and has 14 passing scores so far. The Huskies have put up 154 pass yards per contest and have 15 total pass TDs.
On the defensive side of the ball, UAB seems to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed 119 rush yards and 181 pass yards per game. The Northern Illinois D has allowed 238.2 yards per game to opposing passers and 109.7 yards per game on the ground. The Blazers are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 4.81 to opposing QBs, while the Huskies have allowed a 5.45 ANY/A.
Offensively, Johnston III is up to 950 passing yards this season. He’s completed 59 percent of his 107 attempts with seven passing scores and eight interceptions. He has a 6.01 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 4.76 over the last two games.
We expect the UAB offense to mix it up in this one. As a group, Spencer Brown, Kailon Carter and Tyler Johnston III have combined to account for 310 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns over the last two outings.
Marcus Childers has connected on 198-of-347 passes for 1,840 yards, 14 TDs and eight INTs for Northern Illinois. His ANY/A sits at a less-than-spectacular 4.01 for the year and 5.60 over his last two outings.
Expect Childers to spread the ball around early and often in this one. Spencer Tears (288 receiving yards and three receiving TDs this season), D.J. Brown (454 receiving yards, five receiving TDs), and Marcus Childers (five receiving yards) have collectively recorded 271 receiving yards and five scores over the last couple of games.
Free Prediction: UAB Blazers vs. Northern Illinois Huskies
SU Winner – UAB, ATS Winner – UAB, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Notes
UAB has averaged 2.8 yards per carry across its last three contests and 2.7 over its last two.
Northern Illinois has averaged 3.7 yards per carry over its last three games and 2.8 over its past two.
Northern Illinois has lost seven fumbles this season while UAB has lost four.
The Blazers offense has tallied nine pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Huskies have accounted for two such plays.
Both teams have allowed eight pass plays of 40 yards or more. The UAB defense has given up 16 pass plays of 30+ yards while Northern Illinois has given up 19 such plays.
The UAB offense has created 22 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Northern Illinois has created 17 such runs.
The Blazers defense has allowed 19 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Huskies have given up nine such runs.
The Northern Illinois D has notched 49 sacks on the year while UAB has just 42.
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