The Northern Illinois Huskies and Ball State Cardinals square off Wednesday night in week 11 MAC college football action at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois. The Ball State Cardinals look for a win after winning four of their last five games. The Northern Illinois Huskies look for a win after winning five of their last six games.
The Ball State Cardinals have won three straight road games. Drew Plitt is completing 63.2 percent of his passes for 1,776 yards, 14 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Justin Hall and Jayshon Jackson have combined for 1,064 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns while Yo’Heinz Tyler has 32 receptions. The Ball State Cardinals ground game is averaging 130.1 yards per contest, and Carson Steele leads the way with 582 yards and 5 touchdowns. Defensively, Ball State is allowing 27.6 points and 401.6 yards per game. Bryce Cosby leads the Ball State Cardinals with 74 tackles, Tavion Woodard has 4.5 sacks and Jaylin Thomas has two interceptions.
The Northern Illinois Huskies have won three straight home games. Rocky Lombardi is completing 57.8 percent of his passes for 1,853 yards, 12 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Trayvon Rudolph and Tyrice Richie have combined for 1,179 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns, while Cole Tucker has 17 receptions. The Northern Illinois Huskies ground game is averaging 221.4 yards per contest, and Jay Ducker leads the way with 579 yards and 2 touchdowns. Defensively, Northern Illinois is allowing 33.8 points and 449.4 yards per game. CJ Brown leads the Northern Illinois Huskies with 64 tackles, Devonte O’Malley has 2.5 sacks and Jaden Dolphin has 1 interception.
The Cardinals are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games in November and 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games as a favorite. The Huskies are 4-1-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record and 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 games as a home underdog. The under is 9-3 in Cardinals last 12 games overall. The over is 5-2 in Huskies last 7 conference games. The Cardinals are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 meetings.
The Ball State Cardinals are finding ways to win games lately, but they’re a below average team on both sides of the ball and not a team I want to back on the road. The Northern Illinois Huskies have major defensive issues, but they have a top-20 rushing offense and a top-50 scoring offense. With that offense, you can argue NIU is the better team here. I’ll gladly back the home dog in the Huskies.