A couple of schools that like to run the football, Head Coach Frank Solich and the Ohio Bobcats (+3) are gearing up to pay a visit to their conference rival Ball State Cardinals (-3) at Scheumann Stadium. This afternoon matchup is scheduled to kick off at 2:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch the action by tuning in to ESPN+.
Betting Preview: Ohio Bobcats at Ball State Cardinals
Ohio is playing the role of underdog and is currently getting 3 points in this MAC game. The Bobcats are also receiving +135 moneyline odds while the Cardinals are -155. This MAC tilt should provide several decent in-game betting possibilities, and oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 63.5 points.
The opening line was -3 while the over/under hasn’t moved since it opened at 63.5.
The disappointing Bobcats are down 3.5 units so far and 1-6 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an Over-Under record of 4-3.
The Cardinals have gained 0.7 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 5-2 ATS and have an O/U record of 3-4.
The Bobcats are 3-4 straight up (SU), including 2-1 SU against conference opponents. The Cardinals are 4-3 SU overall and 3-0 SU in conference play.
The Bobcats enter after a 45-38 victory over Kent State last weekTheir defense allowed the Golden Flashes to run for 214 yards on 39 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. Will Matthews had a good day for the Golden Flashes in that one with 85 rushing yards and a score on 14 attempts. On the offensive side, Nathan Rourke completed 19 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns. De’Montre Tuggle (80 yards on 19 rush attempts, two TDs) and the signal-caller Rourke (79 yards on 14 carries, two TDs) spearheaded the ground attack in the win. Isiah Cox (four receptions, 115 yards, one TD) and Ty Walton (four catches, 59 yards) handled the receiving duties.
Ball State takes the field on Saturday having just earned a 52-14 win over Toledo. The team’s defensive unit allowed the Rockets to rush for 138 yards on 38 attempts, including two rush TDs. Ronnie Jones had a productive outing in the defeat for Toledo, recording 72 rushing yards and two touchdowns on eight attempts. For Ball State, Drew Plitt completed 11-of-17 passes for 206 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Caleb Huntley (119 yards on 20 rush attempts) and Walter Fletcher (68 yards on 11 carries, one TD) spearheaded the ground game in the win while Riley Miller (four receptions, 87 yards, two TDs) and Justin Hall (four catches, 73 yards, one TD) led the receiving attack.
Each team has a similar run-pass ratio on the season. Ohio has run the ball on 56.6 percent of its offensive possessions while Ball State has an overall rush percentage of 55.3. The Bobcats have rushed for 176 yards/game (including 197.7 per game against Mid-American opponents) and have 16 touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Cards are totaling 186.9 rushing yards per game (268.3 in conference) and have 13 total rush TDs.
The Bobcats offensive scheme has logged 230.6 yards/contest through the air overall (252.3 per game against conference opposition) and has 11 passing scores so far. The Cards have put up 267.6 pass yards per outing (165 in the MAC) and have 16 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Ohio has allowed 199.7 rush yards and 260.3 pass yards per game. The Ball State defense has given up 256.1 yards per game to opposing passers and 135.0 yards per game to opposing runners. The Cards are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.01 to opposing QBs, while the Bobcats have given up a 7.98 ANY/A.
Plitt has completed 134-of-207 passes for 1,613 yards, 14 TDs and six INTs. Plitt’s adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 6.88 for the year and 9.67 over his past two outings. In the other huddle, Rourke is up to 1,354 passing yards this season, and has connected on 95-of-159 attempts with eight passing touchdowns and four interceptions. Rourke’s got a 7.20 ANY/A for the year, although that number is 10.73 over the last two outings.
When these two teams met a year ago, Ohio won easily 52-14.
Ohio Bobcats at Ball State Cardinals NCAA Tip
SU Winner: Ball State, ATS Winner: Ball State, O/U: Under
Betting Notes
- The O/U for Ohio’s previous game was 63.5. The over cashed in the team’s 45-38 win over Kent State.
- Ohio, as a team, has produced 4.7 yards per carry over its past three contests and 5.1 over its last two.
- Ball State has averaged 5.1 yards per carry over its last three matchups and 5.9 over its past two.
- The Ball State offense has lost six fumbles this season while Ohio has let five get away.
- Over its last three matches, Ohio is 0-3 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The O/U for Ball State’s previous outing was set at 58.5. The over cashed in the team’s 52-14 victory over Toledo.
- Over its last three games, Ball State is 3-0 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- Both teams have produced five pass plays of 40 yards or more. The Bobcats have have made 11 pass plays of 30+ yards while the Cardinals have accounted for 14 such plays.
- The Ohio defense has allowed six pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Ball State has given up five such plays.
- The Ohio offense has created 10 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Ball State has created 11 such runs.
- The Bobcats defense has allowed 14 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Cardinals have given up eight such runs.
- Each team defense has recorded nine sacks this year.
