The Eastern Michigan Eagles (1-4) play the Akron Zips (2-3) looking to snap their three-game losing streak. The MAC’s second-leading rusher, Darius Jackson (473 yards, 8 TDs), will have a major impact on this contest. Though Akron has not had the season it hoped, the Zips have shown signs of life in recent weeks, having won two of their last three. The game starts at 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct 10 and will air on ESP3.
Eastern Michigan was dominated by LSU 44-22 last week. Sam Browning had a solid game in the loss, registering six receptions for 87 yards. Akron also fell short, losing in a close one against Ohio 14-12. Thomas Woodson had a solid outing passing the ball for the Zips, completing 18 of 38 passes for 231 yards and one interception. Conor Hundley finished with 66 rushing yards on 18 attempts.
The Eagles, a nine-point underdog, will be looking to defend their home field when Akron comes to town.
Despite a 1-4 Straight Up (SU) record this season, the Eagles have fared well Against The Spread (ATS) with a 3-2 record. The Eagles have the fourth-best pass defense in the nation and give up 117.6 yards per game through the air. Keep an eye on Eastern Michigan to turn it up a notch during the second quarter, when it averages 13.8 points per game.
On the other side, the Zips have a record of 1-3-1 ATS and 2-3 SU. The Akron defense has allowed just 92.2 yards per game this season, 13th in the nation. The Zips might reap the benefits of Eastern Michigan’s sloppy passing attack, which ranks 117th in the country with 1.6 interceptions thrown per game. Eastern Michigan tends to lose the time of possession battle during games, averaging a time of 26:22 for 113th in the country.
Predictions: SU Winner – Akron, ATS Winner – Akron
Notes
Eastern Michigan is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Eastern Michigan’s last 8 games.
Eastern Michigan is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
Eastern Michigan is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Eastern Michigan is 8-1-1 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Akron.
Eastern Michigan is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Akron.
Eastern Michigan is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Akron.
Akron is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Eastern Michigan.
Akron is 2-0 SU when leading at the half this season. Eastern Michigan is 1-2 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Eastern Michigan is winless (0-3 SU) in games where it wins the turnover battle, and an even 1-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
Eastern Michigan also seems to have an advantage in the passing game when comparing just conference rankings. Its offensive passing attack (ranked sixth in the MAC) will face the 13th-ranked pass defense of Akron, while its sixth-ranked pass defense will look to limit the 13th-ranked passing game of the Zips.
When analyzing just in-conference ranks, Eastern Michigan seems to have the overall advantage in the run game. Its second-ranked rushing attack will face the ninth-ranked run defense of Akron, while its second-ranked run defense will look to contain the ninth-ranked rushing game of the Zips.
