Ball State Cardinals vs Kentucky Wildcats Prediction, 9/2/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ball State Cardinals vs Kentucky Wildcats

Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023

Location: Kroger Field in Lexington, KY

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Wildcats (-26)

Total/Over-Under: 48.5

Kroger Field is the location where the Kentucky Wildcats (7-6 last year) will go up against the Ball State Cardinals (5-7 last season) on Saturday, September 2, 2023. Kentucky opens this matchup as 26-point favorites. The over/under is 48.5.

The Ball State Cardinals ended the season with a 5-7 record. The last time they took the field, the Cardinals faced the Miami RedHawks and ended up losing by a score of 18-17. John Paddock connected on 19/32 with 119 yards passing. He had a QB rate of 78.1 and walked away from the game with 2 interceptions. Carson Steele was the leader on the ground for the Cardinals with 26 carries for 180 yds (6.9 yds per carry). The Ball State Cardinals ran the football 36 times and compiled 265 yards, which had them averaging 7.4 yds per carry. In all, they tallied 69 plays which gave them 407 yards. Ball State gave up 18 pass completions on 46 attempts for 217 yds, and a completion percentage of 39.1%. In the running game, the Cardinals gave up 120 yds on 36 tries, which averages out to 3.3 yds per rush surrendered.

Regarding putting the ball in the endzone, the Ball State Cardinals had an average of 23.3 points per outing. As a unit they averaged 155.7 yds on the ground, which ranked them 66th in college football. The Cardinals earned 4,610 total yards over the course of last year. Ball State totaled 18 passing touchdowns and 14 rushing touchdowns. Ball State totaled 256 1st downs as a unit, and they were called for 72 infractions for 671 yds. They turned the ball over 22 different times.

When talking about yards via the pass, the Cardinals gave up 2,593 yards which ranked them 33rd in Division 1. Over the course of their 12 games, they conceded 216.1 yards per game via the pass as well as surrendering a completion percentage of 57.9%. They yielded 398.4 yards/outing putting them at 82nd in Division 1. They surrendered 17 touchdowns through the air in addition to 23 rushing touchdowns. They allowed teams to run for an average of 4.1 yards per rush and 182.3 rushing yards per game over the course of last year. For the season, they allowed 2,188 yards on the ground in 12 games. The Cardinals ranked 70th in D-1 regarding the opposition scoring, allowing 26.9 points per game.

Get all of our College Football Expert Picks

The Wildcats ended the season having earned a 7-6 record. When they last stepped on the field, the Wildcats took a loss by a score of 21-0 against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Destin Wade ended the game with 98 yds on 16/30 through the air while his quarterback rate was 67.4. He tossed 2 interceptions and his Y/A was 3.3. Jutahn McClain carried the ball 10 times for 40 yds, ending the game with 4.0 yards per carry for Kentucky. Kentucky rushed the ball for 2.1 yards per attempt, totaling 68 yds on 32 attempts. The Wildcats finished the game with 185 yards on 69 plays (2.7 yds per play). The Wildcats passing defense gave up a completion percentage of 58.3%, surrendering 139 yds on 14 for 24 passing. Kentucky conceded 24 running attempts for 67 yards (2.8 yds per carry).

The Kentucky Wildcats held an average of 324.7 yards per outing, which had them sitting 116th in the nation. The Kentucky offense totaled 514 yds of penalties on 74 infractions, which had them ranked 76th in the nation in terms of helping out the opposition. For the previous year, the Wildcats earned 2,711 passing yards as well as averaging 208.5 passing yards per outing, which had them ranked 95th in D-1. Regarding putting points on the board, the Wildcats had a ranking of 112th in college football maintaining an average of 20.4 points per contest.

Kentucky conceded a total of 1,828 yards rushing (140.6 yards/game) and 16 touchdowns by way of the ground game over the course of last year. They allowed 10 touchdowns from the passing game in addition to 170.8 yards per contest, which had them ranked 7th in the nation. The Wildcats defense took the field for 780 plays, which was good for 13th in Division 1. The Wildcats allowed 19.2 points per contest, which had them ranked 11th in college football. In total, they conceded 250 total points.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Wildcats -26

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here