The Bowling Green Falcons (+17) aren’t traveling far to face their conference counterpart Ohio Bobcats at Peden Stadium. ESPN 3 is scheduled to televise the action and kickoff is pegged for 2:00 p.m. ET.
Bowling Green Falcons vs. Ohio Bobcats Betting Preview
In this Saturday Mid-American game, Ohio is projected as the big favorite and is currently giving up 17 points. If they want to take the moneyline, bettors would currently need to wager $1,200 in order to win $100 back on the Bobcats (-1200). The Falcons are getting +710 moneyline odds. Oddsmakers have determined the over/under (O/U) to be 69.5 points, and should one team can catch a lucky break early, it’ll likely result in a worthwhile betting opportunity in-game.
The Falcons have lost 2.0 units so far and are 2-5 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an Over-Under record of 5-1. The Bobcats have lost 1.0 unit for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 3-3 ATS and have an O/U record of 3-2.
The Falcons are 1-6 straight up (SU), including 0-3 SU against MAC opponents. The Bobcats are 3-3 SU overall and 1-1 SU in conference play.
The Falcons are looking to bounce back after a 42-35 defeat to Western Michigan last weekTheir defense allowed the Broncos to run for 282 yards on 54 rush attempts, including four rush TDs. LeVante Bellamy logged a good day for the Broncos in that one with 145 rushing yards on 24 attempts. On the offensive side, Jarret Doege completed 21-of-34 passes for 379 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Andrew Clair (80 rushing yards on six attempts, one TD) led the ground attack while Scott Miller (eight receptions, 206 yards, two TDs) and RB Marlow III (five catches, 98 yards) handled the receiving duties in the defeat.
Ohio narrowly fell 24-21 to Northern Illinois. The team’s defense allowed the Huskies to rush for 255 yards on 46 attempts, including three rush TDs. Marcus Childers was on a different level for Northern Illinois, recording 169 rushing yards and a score on 23 attempts. For Ohio, Nathan Rourke completed 15-of-23 passes for 275 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. A.J. Ouellette (16 rushing yards on 11 attempts, one TD) and Maleek Irons (30 yards on 11 carries) handled the running game as Papi White (six receptions, 59 yards) and Isiah Cox (three catches, 147 yards, one TD) led the receiving corps in the loss.
Bowling Green’s run the ball on 46.7 percent of its offensive plays this year, including 41.4 percent across possessions in conference play. Ohio has an overall rush percentage of 58.2 percent, and has kept it on the ground 61.9 percent of the time against MAC opponents. The Falcons have rushed for 108 yards/game (including 136 per game against Mid-American opponents) and have seven scores on the ground this year. The Bobcats are putting up 178 rushing yards per game (88 in conference) and have 14 total rush TDs.
The Falcons offense has averaged 279 yards through the air overall (323 per game against conference opposition) and has 19 passing scores so far. The Bobcats have recorded 256 pass yards per outing (279.5 in the MAC) and have 11 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Bowling Green seems to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed 325 rush yards and 182 pass yards per game. The Ohio defense has allowed 327.2 yards per game to opposing passers and 163.5 yards per game on the ground. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Falcons have given up an ANY/A of 8.42 to opposing QBs, while the Bobcats are yielding an ANY/A of 8.11.
Offensively, Doege is up to 1,575 passing yards this season. He’s completed 145-of-227 attempts with 15 scores through the air and seven interceptions. Doege has a 5.81 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 10.70 over the last two outings.
Nathan Rourke has completed 67-of-120 passes for 1,016 yards, eight TDs and three INTs for Ohio. His ANY/A sits at 7.44 for the year and 9.69 over his last two games.
When these two programs faced each other a year ago, Ohio got the victory 48-30.
RELATED: Week 8 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Betting Prediction: Bowling Green Falcons vs. Ohio Bobcats
SU Winner – Ohio, ATS Winner – Ohio, O/U – Under
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Notes
Team Betting Notes
The Ohio defense has tallied more than twice as many sacks as Bowling Green this season (11 versus five).
The Ohio offense has lost eight fumbles this season while Bowling Green has let six get away.
The Falcons offense has tallied seven pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Bobcats have put up five such plays.
Both teams have allowed eight pass plays of 40 or more yards. The Bowling Green defense has given up 13 pass plays of 30+ yards while Ohio has permitted 14 such plays.
The Bowling Green offense has created seven rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Ohio has created 12 such runs.
The Falcons defense has allowed 22 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Bobcats have given up nine such runs.
The Over/Under for Ohio’s last matchup going into it was 52. The under cashed in that 24-21 loss to Northern Illinois.
Over its last three contests, Ohio is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
Over its last three contests, Bowling Green is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
The O/U for Bowling Green’s previous game was set at 68.5. The over cashed in the team’s 42-35 defeat to Western Michigan.
As a team, Bowling Green has averaged 4.4 yards per rush attempt across its last three games and 6.5 over its last two.
Ohio has averaged 4.9 yards per carry over its last three contests and 2.5 over its past two.
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