Ball State vs Western Michigan NCAA Football Picks & Predictions 11/5/2019

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Waldo Stadium

Jon Wassink and the Western Michigan Broncos play the Ball State Cardinals at Waldo Stadium on Tuesday, November 5, 2019. The odds on this matchup have Western Michigan as 7-point favorites. The Cardinals are 5-3-0 ATS and 3-5-0 when betting on the total. The Broncos are 2-6-1 when wagering on the over/under and 5-4-0 against the spread.

In their last game, the Ball State Cardinals went up against the Ohio Bobcats and took the loss by a score of 34-21. Walter Fletcher led the team in rushing in the game. He had a long run of 73 yards and he added 1 touchdown during the game. He racked up a total of 156 yards via 14 carries which had him averaging 11.1 yards per run. Yo'Heinz Tyler was the receiving yardage leader with a tally of 44 yards on 3 catches. He had an average of 14.7 yards per catch in the game. Running the show from under center for the Cardinals was Drew Plitt who went 11/20 with 109 yards passing and completed 1 touchdown. He finished the game without throwing an interception. The Cardinals ran the ball a total of 34 times and totaled 244 yards earning them an average of 7.2 yards per rush. For the game, they totaled 54 plays which gave them a total of 353 yards. For the game, the Cardinals racked up a total of 16 1st downs and they totaled 3 penalties for 25 yards which is telling of the great week of practice this squad had. On the defensive side of the ball, Ball State gave up 8 completions on 16 attempts totaling 131 yards, and a completion percentage of 50.0%. In the running game, the Cardinals gave up 316 yards on 56 tries which is an average of 5.6 yards per attempt allowed. For this contest, they conceded a total of 447 yards and forced 1 turnover.

The Cardinals head into this matchup 4-4 this year. They are one of top scoring teams in the nation with an average of 33 points per game, which has them at 45th in college football. As a team, they are averaging 194.5 yards on the ground per game which is 4th in the Mid-American Conference. For total yardage, they currently sit at 4th in the conference and 58th in college football with 3,538 yards. The Cardinals have one of the average defenses in the nation, giving up 28.6 points per game which has them at 6th in the conference. When it comes to yards on the ground, Ball State is allowing 161.1 yards per contest putting them 3rd in the MAC and 67th in the country. Opposing teams are running for an average of 4.1 yards per carry ranking them 3rd in the conference and 62nd in college football overall. Overall, they have allowed 1,289 rushing yards through 8 contests. When it comes to yards through the air, the Cardinals have conceded 1,982 yards. Opponents are completing 56.7% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 6.8 yards per attempt.

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In their last outing, the Western Michigan Broncos took on the Bowling Green Falcons and ended up getting the win by a score of 49-10. LeVante Bellamy paced the team in rushing during the game. He tore off a long run of 75 yards and he notched 4 touchdowns for the contest. He racked up a total of 178 yards via 17 carries which meant he averaged 10.5 yards per run. Skyy Moore was the leader in receiving yardage with a total of 76 yards on 5 catches. He had an average of 15.2 yards per reception during the game. Leading the way at QB for the Broncos was Jon Wassink who went 15/23 with 175 yards passing and threw 1 TD. He finished the game without throwing an interception. The Broncos ran the ball a total of 57 times and earned 399 yards earning them an average of 7.0 yards per rushing attempt. On the day, they ran 81 plays which gave them a total of 574 yards. For the game, the Broncos totaled 30 1st downs and they had a total of 4 infractions for 40 yards which tells us their heads weren't always in the game. In terms of defense, Western Michigan conceded 18 completions on 26 tries for a total of 136 yards, and a completion percentage of 69.2%. Against the run, the Broncos conceded 130 yards on 27 tries which gave them an average of 4.8 yards per rushing attempt allowed. On the day, they gave up a total of 266 yards and forced 2 turnovers.

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The Broncos come into this game with a record of 5-4. In terms of offensive proficiency, the Broncos have one of the most prolific offenses in D-1. Western Michigan is making teams fear their ground game this season by averaging 205.8 yards on the ground per game, ranking them 30th in the nation. As a unit, they have a total of 1,852 rushing yards through 9 contests, so they'll look to continue their dominance on the ground to grind out wins. The Broncos average 461.8 yards per contest overall ranking them 27th in the nation and 1st in the MAC. The Broncos are allowing 25.8 points per contest ranking them 2nd in the Mid-American Conference and 55th in the country. Their passing defense is one of the middle of the road units in Division 1. They are conceding 252.3 passing yards per contest. For passing yards allowed per game, the Broncos are currently ranked 11th in the Mid-American Conference. In regard to points allowed, they have allowed 232 points in total. In terms of yards rushing, they are allowing 178.2 yards per contest ranking them 87th in the nation and 5th in the conference. In 2019, they have conceded a total of 1,604 yards rushing and 12.6 rushing touchdowns.

Who will win tonight's Cardinals/Broncos college football game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Cardinals +7

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