Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Old Dominion Monarchs Game Preview and Prediction - 10/16/2021

Game Time: 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, October 16, 2021

Venue:  S.B. Ballard Stadium, Norfolk, VA

Where to Watch:  ESPN3

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  WKU -12, ODU +12; Over/Under:  67.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  WKU -12.5, ODU +12.5; Over/Under:  67.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  WKU -12.5, ODU +12.5; Over/Under:  67 points

 

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers:  1-4 (5th place, C-USA East)

Old Dominion Monarchs:  1-5 (7th place, C-USA East)

 

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Western Kentucky Hilltoppers:  lost at home on Oct. 9 against the UTSA Roadrunners 52-46.

Old Dominion Monarchs:  lost on the road on Oct. 9 in overtime against the Marshall Thundering Herd 20-13.

 

 

 

WKU is coming into this game with a 1-4 record overall and they are 0-2 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 2nd conference matchup of the year and they have already fallen behind a bit with a 0-1 record in their conference games this season. Their 1 loss came against the undefeated UTSA in their last game. They lost that one 52-46 in a high scoring game that they kept up the whole time but were slightly trailing the whole way by a few points. Bailey Zappe had a pretty good game as he completed 38/60 passes for 523 yards, 5 touchdowns and 1 interception. Adam Cofield led the team in rushing with 65 yards and 1 touchdown on 9 carries while Noah Whittington had 49 rushing yards on 8 carries but they did not really get much going in the running game in that one. The receiving corps had a very nice day as Jerreth Sterns led the team in receiving with 195 yards and 2 touchdowns on 16 carries while Mitchell Tinsley was right behind him with 102 yards receiving and 1 touchdown on 5 receptions. Daewood Davis also had a nice day with 75 receiving yards on 5 receptions while Dalvin Smith and Malachi Corley both caught 1 TD pass each. DeAngelo Malone led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles and 4 assisted ones. Beanie Bishop also had a great game with 7 solo tackles and Antwon Kincade was right behind him with 6 solo tackles and 1 assisted one. No one on the defense was able to record a sack but AJ Brathwaite Jr. had the only interception for his team in that one. They have scored 202 points in their first 5 games averaging 40.4 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 192 points against them allowing 38.4 PPG. Their offense is averaging 550.4 YPG while their defense is allowing 480.4 YPG.

 

 

ODU is coming into this game with a 1-5 record overall and they are 1-1 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be the 3rd conference matchup on their schedule this year and they have already fallen in a hole with a 0-2 record in their conference games this season. Their 2 losses came against the UTEP Miners and against Marshall in their last game. They lost that game 20-13 in OT but were able to stay in it for the entire length of the game, almost getting the win. D.J. Mack Jr. really struggled in that game as he completed 9/22 passes for 106 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Blake Watson had a massive day on the ground for them as he led the team in rushing with 168 yards on 26 carries but he was basically their entire running game. Ali Jennings led the receivers with 33 yards and 1 touchdown on 1 reception in what was a pretty quiet day for the receiving corps. Tre Hawkins led the defense with 5 solo tackles and 2 assisted ones in that game. Marcus Haynes led the defense in sacks with 1.5 while Chazz Wallace had the other 1/2 sack in that game, Sokoya McDuffie also had 1 sack in that one too. Roger Cray and R'Tarriun Johnson both came away with 1 interception each in that one. They have scored 142 points in their first 6 games averaging 23.7 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 177 points against them allowing 29.5 PPG. Their offense is averaging 345.7 YPG while their defense is allowing 330.5 YPG.

 

WKU is coming into this game as a 12 point favorite with the total set at 67.5 with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. WKU has had a very strong offense this year as they have been gaining a lot of yards and scoring a lot of points but it is their defense that has been hindering them this season. Just as they are scoring a lot of points, their defense is allowing a lot of points as well. Their bad defense may just be what keeps ODU in this game as their offense is not the greatest but they will be able to find ways to score on them in this game. This will likely be a high scoring game where both teams drive up the score as WKU tries to pull away and ODU keeps trying to come back. The best bet to make in this game is on the over.

 

Western Kentucky Old Dominion Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 16, 2021 (3:30 pm ET start time) is WKU 49 ODU 31.

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Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: 83-78 ATS in all games. 43-35 ATS in road games. 55-46 ATS against conference opponents. 88-74 O/U in all games. 32-12 O/U when the total is greater than or equal to 63. 45-31 O/U as a favorite. 55-45 O/U against conference opponents.

Old Dominion Monarchs: 36-48 ATS in all games. 22-31 ATS as an underdog. 15-24 ATS in home games. 21-29 ATS against conference opponents. 46-37 O/U in all games. 32-19 O/U as an underdog. 31-19 O/U against conference opponents.

 

 

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers:  J. Simon (TE) Ques Sat - Knee injury. J. Moses (RB) out for season - Knee injury.

Old Dominion Monarchs:  None.

 

 

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: Jerreth Sterns is one player to watch in this contest. He leads his team in receiving yards and in touchdowns this season. He is coming off of a massive game where he had almost 200 yards receiving and he will be looking to continue that here. He has been a focal point of this offense all season so look for them to get the ball in his hands as he looks to find the end zone yet again.

 

Old Dominion Monarchs: Blake Watson is one player to watch here. He leads his team in rushing yards this season. He is coming off of a big game where he had over 150 rushing yards and he will need to keep that up here. They will need to control the run game if they want to win here so look for him to get a lot of touches in this game.

 

 

“We still have all the goals in front of us we want to accomplish.” - Tyson Helton on his team’s optimism to still win the conference.

 

 

 

"Character is one of our three C's. We've been great at that. We've been great at not talking back to the refs or not showing disrespect to our opponents or not showing disrespect to our teammates or coaches. I've been incredibly impressed with how we've handled our emotions during games." - Ricky Rahne on his team’s discipline in all of their games this season.

 

 

WR Tinsley, Mitchell 

WR Davis, Daewood 

WR Sterns, Jerreth 

WR Corley, Malachi 

TE Beljan, Joey 

QB Zappe, Bailey 

RB Whittington, Noah 

 

WR Jennings III, Ali 

WR Smartt, Stone 

WR Harvey, Javon 

TE Anthony Jr., Donta 

QB Mack Jr., D.J. 

RB Watson, Blake 

 

Passing: B. Zappe (2235)

Rushing: A. Cofield (162)

Receiving: J. Sterns (741)

Touchdowns: J. Sterns (7)

Sacks: D. Malone (1.5)

Tackles: A. Kincade (27)

 

Passing: D. Mack Jr. (859)

Rushing: B. Watson (339)

Receiving: Z. Kuntz (262)

Touchdowns: D. Mack Jr. (6)

Sacks: M. Haynes (3.5)

Tackles: T. Hawkins III (27)

 

Coaches:

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: Tyson Helton (3rd season)

Old Dominion Monarchs: Ricky Rahne (2nd season)

 

83 degrees F scattered showers, 68% humidity, 40% chance of rain, up to 14 mph wind speeds SW.