Wyoming Cowboys (1-0) vs. NIU Huskies (1-0)
September 11, 2021 1:30 pm EDT
The Line: NIU Huskies +5 / Wyoming Cowboys -5; Over/Under: 45.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Northern Illinois Huskies meet the Wyoming Cowboys Saturday in week 2 college football action at Husky Stadium. The Wyoming Cowboys look for another win after beating Montana State in their season opener. The Northern Illinois Huskies look for another win after beating Georgia Tech.
The Wyoming Cowboys look for their second 2-0 start in the last three seasons. Sean Chambers is completing 57.7 percent of his passes for 196 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Ayden Eberhardt and Isaiah Neyor have combined for 103 receiving yards on seven catches while Treyton Welch has two receptions. The Wyoming Cowboys ground game is averaging 151 yards per contest, and Xazavian Valladay leads the way with 77 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, Wyoming is allowing 16 points and 323 yards per game. Chad Muma leads the Wyoming Cowboys with 11 tackles, Victor Jones has 0.5 sacks and CJ Coldon has three pass deflections.
The Northern Illinois Huskies look for their first 2-0 start since the 2015 CFB season. Rocky Lombardi is completing 64.7 percent of his passes for 136 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Tyrice Richie and Messiah Travis have combined for 84 receiving yards on three catches while Harrison Waylee has one reception. The Northern Illinois Huskies ground game is averaging 165 yards per contest, and Waylee leads the way with 144 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, Northern Illinois is allowing 21 points and 429 yards per game. Lance Deveaux Jr. leads the Northern Illinois Huskies with 12 tackles, Cole Tucker has one sack and Nick Rattin has one pass deflection.
The Cowboys are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite and 2-5 ATS in their last 7 road games. The Huskies are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in September. The under is 10-4 in Cowboys last 14 games overall. The under is 4-1 in Huskies last 5 non-conference games.
I’m not running to the window to back the Northern Illinois Huskies, a team that was expected to be one of the worst in the country, but we can’t ignore a week 1 victory over Georgia Tech. The Wyoming Cowboys struggled to put away Montana State and the defense had issues getting off the field at times. If we’re putting stock into the opening games, Northern Illinois was more impressive. Better options than this game on the week 2 college football card, but I’d take a stab with NIU and the free points at home.
