The Bowling Green Falcons swoop into Ohio to have a showdown with the Akron Zips on Wednesday, November 9th at 8:00 p.m. ET. The contest between the two to MAC schools will be televised on the ESPNU Network. As of Monday, the Zips are a -8.5 favorite and the over/under is at 66.
After winning the MAC conference title last season, the Falcons have yet to win an in-conference match-up in 2016. Obviously, the departure of head coach Dino Babers to Syracuse had a profound effect on this team.
Bowling Green (1-7):
Taking that into account, it’s not all new head coach Mike Jinks’ fault. His skilled position players can’t protect the ball. Bowling Green has committed 26 turnovers, which are the second-most behind the Kansas Jayhawks 29.
Signal-callers James Morgan and James Knapke have 22 interceptions between the two of them, which is the most in the nation. So far this year, they have totaled over 2,200 yards of passing with 17 touchdowns but have an embarrassing 21 interceptions.
Believe it or not, Bowling Green is a passing team. With the numbers I just relayed to you, one wonders why. When bowling Green does run, they look to Fred Coppet and Josh Cleveland to get the job done. Together, they have just under 225 carries for over 1,050 yards and four scores.
Scott Miller is the Falcons most productive footballer. The wide receiver has found ways to get open despite a passing game that has continued to struggle. After last weeks contest, he has reeled in 64 balls for just under 850 yards and has an impressive 10 trips to the back of the end zone to show for it.
The bad news for the Falcons just keeps rolling in, as the only MAC team worse than Akron defensively is Bowling Green. The Falcons are giving up an average of 504.7 yards while allowing opponents to convert on nearly 50 percent of their first down attempts.
Akron (5-5):
Just two weeks back, the Zips looked like they were one of the top teams in the MAC East. Akron had a 3-1 record and their offense was starting to put some points on the board. Then, back-to-back losses changed all of that. To make matters worse, the Zips weren’t even all that competitive in either conference match-up.
Against Buffalo, the Zips were manhandled to the tune of 41-20. It was Buffalo’s first conference win of the season. Also, they were blown out against Toledo last week after being out-scored 45-7 over the final three quarters.
Quarterback Thomas Woodson has been doing his part to keep the Zips on the right track. Yes, he may have served-up a few interceptions last week, but overall he’s been pretty good. Woodson has collected 2,079 yards on just under 150 completions. He also has 18 touchdowns with only six picks in 2016.
Van Edwards Jr. and Manny Morgan have to be better than their 96 total rushing yards last week against Toledo. In 2016, the duo has carried the rock 150 times for for just under 775 yards and two scores. Four other tail backs have pitched in another nine touchdowns for the Zips.
Akron’s quarterback Thomas Woodson looks to three different receivers when he moves the ball down the field via the air. Together, they have snatched-up 139 balls for just over 2,100 yards and 20 scores. Jojo Natson leads this group with ten trips to the promised land.
The Zips defense allowed a season-worst 622 total yards against the Toledo Rockets last week. Now, they are giving up an average of 497 per game, which ranks 11th in the MAC. The defense is in shambles, ranking 103rd in the nation against the pass and 113th in the nation against the run.
Trends and Notes:
The Falcons are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
The Zips are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games.
The Under is 8-3 in Falcons last 11 road games.
The Under is 5-0 in Zips last 5 games overall.
The Favorite is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 meetings.
Game Prediction:
Bowling Green is playing for pride at this point of the 2016 season. Their 1-7 record was a far cry from the impressive team that took to the field throughout last year’s campaign. The Falcons are improving a little at a time, but the turnover bug is the wrong thing to have as an affliction when your not that good to begin with.
The Akron Zips have a chance to get above 500, and collect their sixth win of the season. As a result, Akron will become bowl eligible and can focus finishing out the conference schedule strong. The Zips have enough offense to cause some damage to their opponents in this one, but the defense will need to rise to the occasion to help out with the win.
The Get More Sports posse thinks that’s exactly what will happen on Wednesday. The better, more motivated team at home, will rise up to the challenge and earn themselves a bowl birth. Look for the Zips to be fired-up early and have a decent lead by the mid-way point. Take the Akron Zips -5 at half time in this Wednesday night affair.
