Northern Illinois Huskies vs Kent State Golden Flashes Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 11/03/2021

by Amedeus Mastrangelo

Monday, Nov 01, 2021
Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Wednesday, November 3, 2021
Venue:  Dix Stadium, Kent, OH
Where to Watch:  ESPN2

 

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  NIU +5, Kent State -5; Over/Under:  66.5 points
Bet365:  Point Spread:  NIU +5, Kent State -5; Over/Under:  66.5 points
BetMGM:  Point Spread:  NIU NL, Kent State NL; Over/Under:  67.5 points
 

Season Record

Northern Illinois Huskies:  6-2 (1st place, MAC West)
Kent State Golden Flashes:  4-4 (1st place, MAC East)
 
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Northern Illinois Huskies vs Kent State Golden Flashes Preview and Analysis

 
Recent Form
Northern Illinois Huskies:  won on the road on Oct. 23 against the Central Michigan Chippewas 39-38.
Kent State Golden Flashes:  won on the road on Oct. 23 against the Ohio Bobcats 34-27.
 
 
 

Northern Illinois Huskies Analysis

NIU is coming into this college football game with a 6-2 record overall and they are 3-1 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 5th conference matchup of the year and they are leading the way right now with a 4-0 record in their conference games this season. NIU is coming into this game on a 5 game winning streak after beating CMU in their last game. They won that game by 1 point 39-38 in a game that they trailed the entire first half and had to make a second half comeback winning the game barely. Rocky Lombardi had a good game as he completed 16/26 passes for 320 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. Jevyon Ducker had a great game on the ground as he led the team in rushing with 183 yards on 31 carries but he was basically their entire running game in that one. Trayvon Rudolph had a very nice day as he led the receivers with 160 yards and 2 touchdowns on 6 receptions while Tyrice Richie was right behind him with 147 yards and 1 touchdown on 8 receptions in what was a very nice day for the receiving corps. CJ Brown led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles and 1 assisted one while Javaughn Byrd was right behind with 6 solo tackles. No one on the defense recorded a sack in that game or was able to come away with an interception for them. They have scored 238 points in their 8 games this season averaging 29.8 PPg and they have allowed their opponents to score 252 points against them allowing 31.5 PPG. Their offense is averaging 398.3 YPG while their defense is allowing 420.4 YPG.
 
 

Kent State Golden Flashes Analysis

Kent State is coming into this game with a 4-4 record overall and they are 3-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be the 5th conference matchup on their schedule this year and they are in a great spot right now with a 3-1 record in their conference games this regular season. They have won 3 of their last 4 games coming into this one after winning against Ohio in their last game. They won that game 34-27 in a game that was close but they maintained a slight lead the entire time, holding off a late comeback attempt by Ohio in that one. Dustin Crum played alright in that game as he completed 26/31 passes for 257 yards and 1 touchdown. He also led the team in rushing with 93 yards and 1 touchdown on 17 carries while Xaview Williams had 60 yards and 1 touchdown on 11 carries. Marquez Cooper ran the other TD in with 50 yards on 14 carries. Dante Cephas had a nice day as he led the receivers with 103 yards and 1 touchdown on 9 receptions while Nykeim Johnson had 86 yards on 8 receptions. Manny Lawrence-Burke led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles and 7 assisted ones. No one on the defense recorded a sack in that game while KJ Sherald came away with the only interception for them in that one. They have scored 233 points in their 8 games this season averaging 29.1 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 267 points against them allowing 33.4 PPG. Their offense is averaging 450.5 YPG while their defense is allowing 475.1 YPG.
 

 

Northern Illinois vs Kent State Prediction

NIU is coming into this game as a 5 point underdog with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. NIU have been owning the MAC this season as they are undefeated through 4 conference games and are leading their division in the conference. Kent State is also leading their division on the other side of the conference but they have not been playing as well as NIU has been. NIU has been in a lot of close games recently and Kent State likely has this game circled on their calendar. The best bet to place in this game is on NIU to cover the spread here because even though they might lose their first conference game here, it will be a very close game, likely within a field goal or less for either side.
 
Northern Illinois Kent State Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Wednesday, November 3, 2021 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Kent State 31 NIU 30.
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NCAAF Betting Trends

 
Northern Illinois Huskies: 150-123 ATS in all games. 85-52 ATS in road games. 102-83 ATS against conference opponents. 95-83 ATS after playing a conference game. 111-94 ATS in games played on turf.
Kent State Golden Flashes: 108-117 ATS in all games. 45-52 ATS in home games. 85-88 ATS in games played on turf. 32-37 ATS in November games. 41-48 ATS off 1 or more consecutive unders.
 

Key Injuries

 
Northern Illinois Huskies:  C. Tucker (WR) Ques Wed - Undisclosed injury. Harrison Waylee (RB) Ques Wed - Undisclosed injury. J. Richardson (K) Ques Wed - Undisclosed injury. D. Lafayette (S) Out indefinitely - Leg injury.
Kent State Golden Flashes:  None.
 

Notable Quotes

 
"I love the resolve of our football team. We're used to playing tough football games and this was another tough one." - Thomas Hammock on his team.
 
 
“I’m just trying to be consistently good, not occasionally great.” - Dante Cephas on his goals when he is playing in games.
 
 

Starting Lineups

 
Northern Illinois Huskies
WR Tyrice Richie
WR Rudolph, Trayvon 
WR Travis, Messiah 
TE Soraghan, Liam 
QB Lombardi, Rocky 
RB Brown, Antario 
FB Ratkovich, Clint 
 
Kent State Golden Flashes
WR Cephas, Dante 
WR Poke, Ja'Shaun 
WR Johnson, Nykeim 
TE Hackett, Aaron 
QB Crum, Dustin 
RB Cooper, Marquez 
 

Statistical Leaders

 
Northern Illinois Huskies
Passing: R. Lombardi (1321)
Rushing: H. Waylee (574)
Receiving: T. Richie (474)
Touchdowns: R. Lombardi (5)
 
Kent State Golden Flashes
Passing: D. Crum (1770)
Rushing: M. Cooper (558)
Receiving: D. Cephas (683)
Touchdowns: D. Cephas (6)
 
Coaches:
Northern Illinois Huskies: Thomas Hammock (3rd season)
Kent State Golden Flashes: Sean Lewis (4th season)


Amedeus Mastrangelo

About the Author:

Amedeus Mastrangelo has been heavily wagering on all sports for years and plays just about everything, including sides, totals, favorites, underdogs, against the spread, alternative spreads, first half, second half, player props, and futures. The bottom line is, if Mastrangelo can see an edge in any way shape or form, then he's going to take advantage.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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