Northern Illinois Huskies vs Ball State Cardinals Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 09/01/2022

Game Time: 2:00 pm ET, Saturday, October 1, 2022

Venue:  Scheumann Stadium, Muncie, IN

Where to Watch:  ESPN+

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  NIU -4.5, Ball State +4.5; Over/Under:  60 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  NIU -4, Ball State +4; Over/Under:  60 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  NIU -4.5, Ball State +4.5; Over/Under:  60.5 points

 

Northern Illinois Huskies:  1-3 (0-0) (5th place, MAC West)

Ball State Cardinals:  1-3 (0-1) (6th place, MAC West)

 

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Kyle Hunter is on a RUN of 10-1 Last 11 NCAAF Plays! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

 

Northern Illinois Huskies:  lost their last game on the road against the Kentucky Wildcats 31-23.

Ball State Cardinals:  lost their last game on the road against the Georgia Southern Eagles 34-23.

 

NIU is entering this game with a 1-3 record overall to start their college football season and they will be playing their 3rd road game of the season here as they are 0-2 in their road games this year. This will also be their 1st conference game of the college football season this year. They lost against the Kentucky Wildcats in their last game on the road 31-23. Ethan Hampton started that game at QB and he completed 13/25 passes for 196 yards and 1 touchdown. Harrison Waylee led the team in rushing with 63 yards on 18 rushing attempts. Kacper Rutkiewicz led the team in receiving with 63 yards on 1 reception. Daveren Rayner led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 4 assisted tackles. Daveren Rayner, Demond Taylor, and Michael Kennedy all led the defense in sacks with 1 each while no one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Ball State is entering this game with a 1-3 record overall to start their college football season and they will be playing their 3rd home game of the season as they are 1-1 in their home games this year. This will also be the 2nd conference matchup on their conference schedule this season as they are 0-1. They lost against the Georgia Southern Eagles in their last game on the road 34-23. John Paddock started that game at QB and he completed 33/47 passes for 338 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Carson Steele led the team in rushing with 119 yards on 23 carries. Jayshon Jackson led the team in receiving with 122 yards and 1 TD on 10 receptions. Jordan Riley-Scott led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles. Tavion Woodard led the defense in sacks with 1 while no one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have NIU listed as a 4.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. NIU is only 1-3 to start their season but they have had some tough opponents so far and have played really well in those games as they kept the score closer. They only lost by 10 points to Vanderbilt from the SEC and they came close again last week against another SEC team Kentucky, losing that game by 8 points. Ball State has had a similar 1-3 start to their season but they have lost their games to much weaker opponents and have even dropped a home conference game already too. The only tough opponent Ball State had to play was Tennessee from the SEC and they got demolished in that game losing 59-10. NIU has had tough competition so far and they are always a good team that competes for a conference title every year. They will be hungry to get their conference schedule started with a win here and this is a team that they will have no problems scoring on while stopping them with their defense. The best way to place a bet here is on NIU to cover the spread in this game.

 

Northern Illinois Ball State Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 1, 2022 (2:00 pm ET start time) is NIU 34 Ball State 27.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Northern Illinois Huskies Ball State Cardinals prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAF predictions and previews.

 

 

Northern Illinois Huskies: 8-3 ATS in road games. 19-11 ATS in a road game where the total is between 56.5 and 63. 14-6 UNDER after allowing 31 points or more in 2 straight games.

Ball State Cardinals: 2-9 ATS when the total is between 56.5 and 63. 10-20 ATS as a home underdog of 7 points or less. 16-9 UNDER in all games.

 

 

Northern Illinois Huskies:  R. Lombardi (QB) Ques Sat - Knee. T. Rudolph (WR) out for season - Knee.

Ball State Cardinals:  B. Martin (LB) Ques Sat - Leg.

 

 

"I thought we had every opportunity to go out there and win the football game. We just have to continue to fight to get 11 guys doing their job every play, because you change three plays from that game and it takes 21 points off the board (for Kentucky)." - Thomas Hammock after his team’s loss against Kentucky in their last game.

 

 

“Guys do a great job from the time they show up in the morning in the meeting room, to their intensity level and approach on the practice field. This is important in order for us to make improvements that we need to make as a team and then, obviously, have a great day on the practice field.” - Mike Neu on his team this season. 

 

 

 

WR Tucker, Cole

WR Thornton, Shemar

WR McCray, Fabian 

TE Soraghan, Liam

TE Tewes, Tristen

QB Lombardi, Rocky

RB Brown, Antario

FB Lampe, Brock 

 

WR Jackson, Jayshon

WR Tyler, Yo'Heinz 

WR Abdur-Rahman, Amir

TE Hunt, Brady 

TE Koziol, Tanner

QB Paddock, John

RB Steele, Carson 

 

 

Passing: R. Lombardi (530)

Rushing: A. Brown (240)

Receiving: C. Tucker (333)

Touchdowns: C. Tucker (3) 

 

Passing: J. Paddock (1125)

Rushing: C. Steele (434)

Receiving: J. Jackson (331)

Touchdowns: T. Koziol (3)

 

Coaches:

Northern Illinois Huskies: Thomas Hammock (4th season)

Ball State Cardinals: Mike Neu (7th season)