North Dakota Fighting Hawks vs James Madison Dukes Prediction, 5/2/2021 FCS Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: North Dakota Fighting Hawks vs James Madison Dukes

Date: Sunday, May 2, 2021

Location: Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, VA

TV: ESPN2

Odds/Point Spread: North Dakota (+2.5)

Bridgeforth Stadium is the site where and the James Madison Dukes (6-0) will play the North Dakota Fighting Hawks (5-1) on Sunday. James Madison opens this game as 2.5-point favorites. The over/under opens at 52.5.

The last time they took the field the Fighting Hawks took on the Missouri State Bears and earned the win by a score of 44-10. Tommy Schuster went 13/18 with 223 yards through the air and added 2 TD's. He ended the game without an interception. Otis Weah led the team in rushing for the game. He had a long run of 14 yards and he tallied 1 TD during the game. He scurried for 64 yards by way of 13 carries which gave him an average of 5.0 yards per tote. Bo Belquist led the team in receiving yardage by racking up 88 yards on 4 catches. He notched an average of 22.0 yards per catch for the game. The North Dakota Fighting Hawks ended up rushing 35 times and racked up a total of 146 yards which gave them an average of 4.2 yards per attempt. For the game, they ran 53 plays which gave them a total of 369 yards. For the contest, the Fighting Hawks racked up a total of 17 1st downs and they had 6 penalties for 74 yards.

When it comes to their defensive performance, North Dakota allowed 13 completions on 31 throws totaling 97 yards, and a completion percentage of 42.0%. On the ground, the Fighting Hawks allowed 93 yards on 34 attempts which gave them an average of 2.7 yards per rushing attempt allowed. For this contest, they gave up a total of 190 yards and forced 2 takeaways.

North Dakota has accounted for 188 total points and has compiled 26 TDs, while having an average of 33:01 mins of ball control per outing. When talking about getting in the endzone, the North Dakota Fighting Hawks have an average of 31.3 points per contest. In terms of resetting the downs, North Dakota has compiled 59 first downs via the pass and 57 rushing first downs.

The last time they took the field the Dukes played the VMI Keydets and won 31-24. Jawon Hamilton paced the team on the ground for the game. He broke a long run for 99 yards and he tallied 1 TD for the game. He scurried for 171 yards on 19 carries which means he ran for an average of 9.0 yards per carry. Antwane Wells Jr. was the leader in receiving yardage by racking up 132 yards on 4 catches. He notched an average of 33.0 yards per catch for the game. Cole Johnson went 11/22 with 204 yards through the air and tossed 2 TD's. He gave away 2 interceptions during the game. The James Madison Dukes ended up running the ball 51 times and racked up a total of 309 yards which had them averaging 6.1 yards per attempt. Overall, the Dukes earned 22 1st downs and they totaled 4 penalties for 55 yards. For the game, they ran 73 plays which added up to 513 yards.

In terms of defense, James Madison conceded 30 completions on 50 tries for a total of 286 yards, and a completion percentage of 60.0%. On the day, they gave up 403 yards and forced 3 turnovers. In the running game, the Dukes conceded 117 yards on 23 runs which means they had an average of 5.1 yards per rushing attempt allowed.

Regarding this team's ability to score points, the Dukes hold an average of 33.3 points per contest. With an average of 33:39 mins per game of ball control, the Dukes are sitting with 24 touchdowns and 200 points this season. They are sitting with 72 first downs via the rush as well as 57 first downs by way of the pass on the campaign.

Who will win tonight's FCS game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take North Dakota (+2.5)

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