The Ball State Cardinals and Central Michigan Chippewas are set to go at it on the turf at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. ESPN 3 will broadcast the action and this afternoon matchup is scheduled to get underway at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Ball State Cardinals at Central Michigan Chippewas Betting Preview
In this Saturday Mid-American game, Central Michigan has been projected as the favorite and the team’s currently giving up 2 points. The Cardinals are also receiving +100 moneyline odds while the Chippewas are -120. There could be some good live betting possibilities in this matchup.
The opening line was originally set at 0, but has recently shifted.
The Cardinals are 3-3 against the spread (ATS) and are down 1.6 units this season. They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an O/U record of 1-4. The Chippewas are down 3.5 units this year. The team is 4-2 ATS and has an even O/U record of 3-3.
The Cardinals have gone 2-4 straight up (SU), including 1-1 SU against MAC opponents. The Chippewas are 1-5 SU overall and are also 0-2 SU in conference play.
The Cards came up short to Northern Illinois 24-16 in a game where their defense allowed the Huskies to rush for 227 yards on 43 attempts, including two rush TDs. Marcus Jones had a productive day for the Huskies in that one with 130 rushing yards on 12 attempts. On the offensive side, Riley Neal completed 32 passes for 260 yards. James Gilbert (79 rushing yards on 19 attempts, one TD) led the ground attack in the loss while Justin Hall (seven receptions, 59 yards) and Corey Lacanaria (six catches, 41 yards) handled the receiving duties.
Central Michigan most-recently dropped a 34-24 game to Buffalo. The defensive unit let the Bulls run for 295 yards on 48 rush attempts, including three rush TDs. Kevin Marks was a force to be reckoned with, putting up 167 rushing yards and a score on 18 attempts for Buffalo. As a group, the Chippewas collectively completed 14-of-33 passes for 172 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. Tommy Lazzaro went nine-for-23 for 117 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions while Tony Poljan was five-of-10 for 55 yards and one touchdown. Lazzaro (102 rushing yards on 18 attempts) mounted the ground game in the defeat while JaCorey Sullivan (four receptions, 74 yards, one TD) and Devon Spalding (four catches, 43 yards) led the pass-catching corps.
Ball State’s run the ball on 47.9 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Central Michigan has a rush percentage of 54.5 percent. The Cardinals have rushed for 183 yards per game (including 146 per game versus Mid-American opponents) and have nine touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Chippewas are averaging 119 rushing yards per game (166 in conference) and have four total rush TDs.
It appears that the Cardinals ought to hold an edge in the trenches. Their offensive line has yielded only 33 sacks while the D-line logged 24 sacks. The Chippewas O-line has allowed 25 sacks and their defense has recorded only 34 sacks.
The Cards offensive scheme has tallied 275 yards per contest in the air overall (353 per game against conference opposition) and has nine passing scores so far. The Chippewas have produced 151 pass yards per outing (165.0 against MAC foes) and have seven total pass TDs.
Ball State has let opponents run for an average of 185 yards and pass for 221 yards per game. The Central Michigan defense has allowed 145.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 205.3 yards per game on the ground. The Chippewas are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 3.43 to opposing QBs, while the Cardinals have given up a 5.10 ANY/A.
Offensively, Neal is up to 1,099 passing yards on the year, and has completed 117-of-205 attempts with four passing scores and two interceptions. He’s got a 4.92 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 6.01 over the last two outings.
Riley Miller (296 receiving yards on the year), James Gilbert (381 rush yards, three rush TDs, 60 receiving yards) and Corey Lacanaria (257 receiving yards, one TD) have each played significant roles of late.
Tommy Lazzaro has completed 29-of-61 passes for 327 yards, three TDs and six INTs for Central Michigan. His ANY/A sits at a very poor 1.42 for the season and 0.34 over his past two outings.
Look for Lazzaro to attack all areas of the Ball State secondary. Tommy Lazzaro (zero receiving yards), JaCorey Sullivan (92 receiving yards, two receiving TDs), and Julian Hicks (115 receiving yards, two TDs) have collectively recorded 136 receiving yards and three scores over the last two games.
When these two teams met a year ago, Central Michigan won handily 56-9.
RELATED: Week 7 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
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SU Winner – Ball State, ATS Winner – Ball State
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Notes
Team Betting Notes
Ball State was the underdog by 3 points in its last game and the Over/Under was set at 53.5. The under cashed and Ball State did not cover in the 24-16 loss to Northern Illinois.
As a team, Ball State has produced 3.7027027027027 yards per carry over its past three contests and 3.5 over its last two.
Central Michigan has averaged 3.3 yards per carry over its last three games and 4.1 over its last two.
Central Michigan has lost four fumbles this season while Ball State has lost three.
In its last three matches, Ball State is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
Central Michigan was getting 7 points in its last outing and the Over/Under going into it was 52. The over cashed and Central Michigan did not cover in that 34-24 defeat to Buffalo.
Over its last three matches, Central Michigan is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The Cardinals offense has tallied three pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Chippewas have put up zero such plays.
The Ball State defense has allowed two pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Central Michigan has given up zero such plays.
The Ball State offense has created eight rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Central Michigan has created one such runs.
The Cardinals defense has allowed seven rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Chippewas have given up 12 such runs.
The Ball State D has 14 sacks on the year while Central Michigan has 13.
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