In a battle featuring two schools that prefer to run the football, Huskies of Northern Illinois (-6) are ready to greet their in-conference rival Miami (OH) RedHawks in Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium. The game is scheduled to get underway at 8:00 p.m. ET and ESPNU has the TV rights.
Betting Preview: Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Miami (OH) RedHawks
Miami (OH) is a live dog in this Wednesday matchup and is currently getting 6 points. The RedHawks are also receiving +190 moneyline odds while the Huskies are -240. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 47 points. It appears that there could be some solid in-game betting opportunities while the contest is taking place.
The game’s O/U hasn’t moved after it was set initially at 47. Having said that, the line opened at -7 so square bettors have been hammering the RedHawks.
The RedHawks have lost 0.9 units so far in 2018 and are 6-4 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U record of 6-4.
The Huskies have been a pleasant surprise for moneyline bettors this season, gaining 5.8 units. The team is 6-4 ATS and has an O/U record of 2-8.
The RedHawks are only 4-6 straight up (SU), including 4-2 SU against MAC opponents. The Huskies are 7-3 SU overall and 6-0 SU in conference play.
The RedHawks are coming off a 30-28 win over Ohio last weekTheir defense allowed the Bobcats to run for 201 yards on 32 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. A.J. Ouellette had a productive day for the Bobcats in that one with 168 rushing yards on 15 attempts. Offensively, Gus Ragland completed 20 passes for 199 yards, along with one TD and an interception. Alonzo Smith (94 yards on 20 rush attempts, two TDs) led the running attack in the win while Young (seven receptions, 67 yards) and Jack Sorenson (four catches, 36 yards) handled the receiving duties.
Northern Illinois enters this one after just getting a big 38-15 win over Toledo. The defense allowed the Rockets to rush for 167 yards on 42 attempts, along with one rushing TD. Cody Thompson had a good outing in the loss for Toledo, posting 110 yards on eight catches. For Northern Illinois, Marcus Childers completed 13-of-19 passes for 131 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Tre Harbison (139 rushing yards on 21 attempts) and Marcus Jones (103 yards on 12 carries, one TD) handled the ground game in the win while Spencer Tears (four receptions, 18 yards) and Jauan Wesley (two catches, 34 yards) led the pass-catching corps.
Miami (OH) has run the ball on 51.0 percent of its offensive plays this year, including 58.7 percent across possessions in conference play. Northern Illinois has an overall run percentage of 60.6 percent, and has rushed the ball 65.0 percent of the time when playing MAC opponents. The RedHawks have produced 145.9 rush yards per game (including 190.8 per game versus Mid-American opponents) and have 20 touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Huskies are averaging 180.2 rushing yards per game (248.2 in conference) and have 14 total rush TDs.
The RedHawks offensive scheme has averaged 228.1 yards through the air overall (224.7 per game against conference opposition) and has 16 passing scores so far. The Huskies have produced 138.3 pass yards per contest (139 in the MAC) and have 10 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Miami (OH) seems to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 156.1 yards and pass for 210.6 yards per game. The Northern Illinois defense has allowed 245.2 yards per game to opposing passers and 110.1 yards per game on the ground. The Huskies are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.39 to opponents, while the RedHawks have given up a 6.70 ANY/A.
Ragland probably has the edge over Childers in this one, as his adjusted net yards per pass attempt sits at 6.67for the year and 6.25 over his last two outings. Childers’ ANY/A is 3.35 for the year and 5.19 over his last two games.
These two MAC foes did not get a chance to play each other in 2017.
Miami (OH) RedHawks vs. Northern Illinois Huskies Free NCAA Betting Tip
SU Winner: Northern Illinois, ATS Winner: Northern Illinois, O/U: Under
Betting Notes
- Miami (OH), as a team, has averaged 3.6 yards per carry across its past three games and 3.9 over its last two.
- Northern Illinois has averaged 4.8 yards per carry over its last three contests and 5.6 over its last two.
- Both teams have lost five fumbles this year.
- The RedHawks offense has created three pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Huskies have put up one such play.
- The Miami (OH) defense has allowed four pass plays of 40+ yards, while Northern Illinois has given up eight such plays.
- Both teams have produced 13 rushing plays of 20+ yards. The Miami (OH) offense has recorded 47 running plays of 10+ yards while Northern Illinois has accounted for 57 such plays.
- The RedHawks defense has allowed nine rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Huskies have given up six such runs.
- The Northern Illinois defense has recorded 37 sacks on the year while Miami (OH) has just 24.
