The Cardinals of Ball State (-3) are set to welcome the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers to Scheumann Stadium. Interested parties are able to tune in to the action on ESPN 3 and this afternoon matchup is scheduled to kick off at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Ball State Cardinals Betting Preview
In this Saturday game, Ball State is getting picked as the favorite and is currently giving up 3 points. The Hilltoppers are also receiving +135 moneyline odds while the Cardinals are -155. Multiple decent live betting possibilities could present themselves during the showdown, and oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 51.5 points.
The game’s O/U has moved upward after opening at 50. The original spread of -3 hasn’t budged.
The disappointing Hilltoppers are 2-1 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 4.0 units so far in 2018. The team’s recorded an Over-Under mark of 1-2. The Cardinals have gained 0.0 units this season. The team is 2-1 ATS and has an O/U record of 0-2.
The Hilltoppers are 0-3 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Cardinals are 1-2 SU.
The Hilltoppers are most-recently on the rebound after a narrow 20-17 defeat to Louisville last week in which the Hilltoppers completed 25-of-38 passes for 260 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Davis Shanley went 22-for-33 for 240 yards and one touchdown while Steven Duncan completed three-of-five for 20 yards and one interception. D’Andre Ferby (74 yards on 16 rush attempts) and the signal-caller Shanley (eight yards on 11 carries, one TD) led the ground attack. Kyle Fourtenbary (five receptions, 34 yards, one TD) and Garland LaFrance (five catches, 20 yards) shared the receiving duties in the defeat.
Ball State just dropped an ugly 38-10 game to Indiana. Riley Neal completed 12-of-24 passes for 115 yards. James Gilbert (89 rushing yards on 16 attempts, one TD) and the signal-caller Neal (35 yards on 10 carries) spearheaded the running attack as Corey Lacanaria (four receptions, 40 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the loss.
Western Kentucky has run the ball on 49.8 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Ball State has a rush percentage of 54.0 percent. The Hilltoppers have rushed for 111 yards per game and have just a single touchdown on the ground this year. The Cards are putting up 230 rushing yards per game and have four total rush TDs.
If the numbers so far this season are any indication, then the Cards might have the edge in all aspects of the ground game, as their backfield has produced 5.1 yards per carry while their defense is allowing 4.4 yards per rush attempt to opponents. The Hilltoppers have rushed for 3.1 yards per carry while allowing a YPC of 4.9 to opponents.
The Hilltoppers offense has logged 263 yards per game through the air overall and has four passing score so far. The Cards have put up 220 pass yards per contest and also have four total pass TDs.
Defensively, Western Kentucky should have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 193 yards and throw for 176 yards per game. The Ball State defense has allowed 205.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 182.0 yards per game on the ground. The Cards are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 4.69 to opposing QBs, while the Hilltoppers have given up a 5.70 ANY/A.
Offensively, Eckels is up to 514 passing yards this season, and has completed 57 percent of his 67 attempts with three scores through the air and has yet to throw an interception. Eckels has a 7.12 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 7.77 over the last two games.
On the other sideline, Riley Neal has completed 35-of-54 passes for 374 yards, two TDs and zero INTs. Neal’s ANY/A stands at 6.98 for the year and 2.60 over his past two outings.
When these two schools faced one another last year, Western Kentucky got the victory over Ball State, 33-21.
Free Pick: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs. Ball State Cardinals
SU Winner – Western Kentucky, ATS Winner – Western Kentucky, O/U – Under
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
Western Kentucky was favored by 24 points in its last game and the Over/Under was set at 54. The under cashed and Western Kentucky failed to cover in the 20-17 loss to Louisville.
Western Kentucky has averaged 2.8 yards per carry over its past two matchups.
Ball State has averaged 4.3 yards per carry over its last two.
Ball State has lost one fumble this season while Western Kentucky has lost two.
Over its last three contests, Western Kentucky is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
Ball State was favored by 15 points in its previous matchup and the O/U was set at 62.5. The under cashed and Ball State failed to cover in the 38-10 defeat to Indiana.
The Hilltoppers offense has created three pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Cardinals have put up one such play.
The Western Kentucky defense has allowed two pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Ball State has given up zero such plays.
The Western Kentucky offense has created zero rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Ball State has created five such runs.
The Hilltoppers defense has allowed five rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Cardinals have given up three such runs.
The Western Kentucky D has seven sacks on the year while Ball State has five.
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