The Northern Illinois Huskies and the UMass Minutemen meet in week 12 college football action from McGuirk Stadium on Saturday. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Northern Illinois Huskies vs. UMass Minutemen prediction.
Northern Illinois Huskies Recap
The Northern Illinois Huskies come into this game looking to bounce back from a 42-3 loss at the hands of Toledo last time out to sit at 2-7 this season. After this game, Northern Illinois will head home for a game against Western Michigan.
Huskies Drop 7 Of Last 8
Josh Holst has thrown for 689 yards, 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions on 60% passing while Brady Davidson has 269 passing yards, a touchdown and 3 interceptions on 42.7% passing this season. Telly Johnson Jr. has a team-high 601 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns while Chavon Wright has 512 rushing yards and 2 TDs as well this season. DeAree Rogers’ leads Northern Illinois’ receiving group with 41 grabs for 468 yards and 3 touchdowns on the year. On defense, Quinton Urwiler has a team-high 110 total tackles while the NIU defense as a whole has combined for 12 sacks and 7 interceptions so far this season.
Why the Northern Illinois Huskies will win
- Massachusetts has lost each of its last 13 games.
- The favorite has won 19 of Massachusetts’ last 20 games.
- Massachusetts has failed to cover the spread in seven of its last eight games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- The favorite has covered the spread in six of Northern Illinois’ last seven games.
UMass Minutemen Recap
The UMass Minutemen come into this game looking to rebound from a 44-10 loss to Akron last time out to sit at 0-9 this season. After this game, UMass will head on the road for a game against Ohio.
Minutemen Still Hunting For First Win
AJ Hairston has thrown for 866 yards, 4 touchdowns and 4 interceptions on 48.5% passing while Brandon Hood has rushed for a team-high 315 yards and 2 TDs and Rocko Griffin has 217 rushing yards and 2 TDs this season. Jacquon Gibson has a team-high 42 catches for 393 yards and Donnie Gray has 195 receiving yards while three more Minutemen have 100+ receiving yards as well this season. On defense, Tyler Martin has a team-high 72 total tackles and Timmy Hinspeter has 69 total tackles including a pair of sacks as well as an interception while Marques White has a team-high 5 sacks. As a unit, UMass has combined for 13 sacks and 4 interceptions so far this season.
Why the Massachusetts Minutemen will win
- Northern Illinois has lost seven of its last eight games.
- The home team has won each of Northern Illinois’ last four games.
- Northern Illinois has failed to cover the spread in seven of its last eight games against conference opponents.
- The home team has covered the spread in each of Massachusetts’ last four games.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Northern Illinois’ last eight November games as a road favorite have gone OVER the total points line.
- Each of Massachusetts’ last seven November games as an underdog have gone OVER the total points line.
Northern Illinois Huskies vs. UMass Minutemen Prediction
I’m on the under here. I’m not laying double-digits with an NIU team that can’t score, but I’m also not trusting a UMass team that got blown out by Kent State earlier this year either. For me the under is the way to go in this game as I can kick back and watch two teams muck around between the 20s and wait for my bet to cash in. Give me the under here.