In a display of two schools that like to mix in a lot of running plays, Head Coach Chris Creighton and the Eastern Michigan Eagles (+4) will be taking the field against the Western Michigan Broncos (-4) at Waldo Stadium. This conference game will get underway at 12:00 p.m. ET and ESPN+ is in line to broadcast the action. When these two programs faced one another last year, Western Michigan knocked Eastern Michigan off by a field goal 20-17.
Betting Preview: Eastern Michigan Eagles at Western Michigan Broncos
Eastern Michigan is playing the role of underdog and is currently getting 4 points in this MAC game. The Eagles are also receiving +155 moneyline odds while the Broncos are -175. Oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 61 points, and if one side can catch a lucky break early on, it will probably create a decent live betting opportunity.
Odds have moved a little from where they initially opened. The line opened at -3 and the game’s total was set originally at 61.5.
The Eagles are 3-2 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 1.8 units so far in 2018. They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an Over-Under record of 1-3.
The Broncos have gained 1.0 unit for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 2-3 ATS and own an even O/U record of 2-2.
The Eagles have gone 2-3 straight up (SU), including 0-2 SU against conference opponents. The Broncos are 3-2 SU overall and 1-0 SU in conference play.
Western Michigan enters this one on a three-game losing streak while Eastern Michigan has won its last three in a row. The Eagles hope to bounce back after a narrow 26-23 loss to Northern Illinois last week where Tyler Wiegers completed only 17-of-40 passes for 180 yards and one touchdown. Shaq Vann (68 yards on 18 rush attempts, one TD) spearheaded the ground attack. Mathew Sexton (five receptions, 34 yards) and Arthur Jackson III (five catches, 56 yards) shared the receiving duties in the defeat.
The Western Michigan Broncos are coming off of a 40-39 win over Miami (OH). The defensive secondary allowed the RedHawks to air it out for 294 yards and three touchdowns. Jack Sorenson had a good outing in the loss for Miami (OH), recording 156 yards and a score on nine catches. For Western Michigan, Jon Wassink completed 27-of-42 passes for 439 yards and five touchdowns. LeVante Bellamy (66 yards on 12 rush attempts) and Jamauri Bogan (10 yards on 10 carries) handled the running game as Jayden Reed (seven receptions, 137 yards, four TDs) and D’Wayne Eskridge (seven catches, 141 yards) led the receiving attack in the win.
Each team has a strikingly similar (52-48) run-pass ratio on the season. The Eagles have produced 112.6 rush yards per game (including 102.0 per game versus Mid-American opponents) and have seven scores on the ground this year. The Broncos are totaling 204.6 rushing yards per game and have nine total rush TDs.
If 2018 numbers are any indication, then it’s looking like the Broncos ought to hold an edge in all aspects of the ground game. Their running backs has generated 5.4 yards per carry while their defense is allowing 4.5 YPC to opponents. The Eagles have ran for 3.0 yards per carry while allowing 5.1 YPC to opponents.
The Eagles offense has tallied 282.6 yards per contest in the air overall (264.0 per game versus conference opposition) and has 10 passing scores so far. The Broncos have produced 284.6 pass yards per outing and have 13 total pass TDs.
On the defensive side of the ball, Eastern Michigan has allowed 220.2 rush yards and 191.2 pass yards per game. The Western Michigan D has allowed 191.2 yards per game to opposing passers and 174.0 yards per game to opposing runners. The Eagles are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.38 to opponents, while the Broncos have allowed an 8.17 ANY/A.
Wassink has been more productive than Wiegers recently. His adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 8.50 for the year and 12.15 over his past two games while Wiegers’ ANY/A is 6.92 and 4.62 over his last two.
Eastern Michigan Eagles at Western Michigan Broncos Betting Pick
SU Winner: Western Michigan, ATS Winner: Western Michigan, O/U: Under
Betting Notes
- Eastern Michigan was favored by 4 points in its last game and the Over/Under was set at 50.5. The under cashed and Eastern Michigan failed to cover in the 26-23 loss to Northern Illinois.
- As a team, Eastern Michigan has averaged 2.80869565217391 yards per carry across its past three outings and 2.5 over its last two.
- Western Michigan has averaged 5.3 yards per carry over its last three games and 5.1 over its last two.
- Western Michigan has lost two fumbles this season while Eastern Michigan has let three get away.
- In its last three games, Eastern Michigan is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- Western Michigan was the underdog by 3 points in its last matchup and the Over/Under was set at 53. The over cashed and Western Michigan covered in the team’s 40-39 win over Miami (OH).
- The Eagles offense has created six pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Broncos have put up five such plays.
- Both defenses have allowed four pass plays of 40 or more yards. The Eastern Michigan defense has given up four pass plays of 30+ yards while Western Michigan has permitted eight such plays.
- The Eastern Michigan offense has created one rushing play of 20 or more yards, while Western Michigan has created 10 such runs.
- The Eagles defense has allowed 11 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Broncos have given up eight such runs.
- The Western Michigan defensive unit has tallied 10 sacks on the year while Eastern Michigan has eight.
