Ball State Cardinals vs. Western Michigan Broncos
The Ball State Cardinals and the Western Michigan Broncos will both be trying to pick up a win on Tuesday when they battle at Waldo Stadium.
Oddsmakers currently have the Broncos listed as 10½-point favorites versus the Cardinals, while the game's total is sitting at 51½.
Ball State was crushed 35-3 by Central Michigan in Week 12 as a 15-point underdog. That game's 38 points went UNDER the posted total of 51.
Tim Hiller threw four touchdown passes to lead Western Michigan to a 35-14 win over Eastern Michigan in Week 11.
The Broncos covered the 13.5-point spread, while the final score played UNDER the day's posted total of 59.5.
Current streak:
Ball State has lost 3 straight games.
Team records:
Ball State: 1-10 SU, 5-5 ATS
Western Michigan: 5-6 SU, 3-7 ATS
Ball State most recently:
When playing in November are 7-3
When playing on turf are 1-9
After being outgained are 3-7
When playing within the conference are 3-7
Western Michigan most recently:
When playing in November are 7-3
When playing on turf are 5-5
After outgaining opponent are 6-4
When playing within the conference are 6-4
A few trends to consider:
Ball State is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Ball State is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Western Michigan
Ball State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Western Michigan
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Ball State's last 5 games when playing Western Michigan
Western Michigan is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Western Michigan's last 5 games when playing Ball State
Western Michigan is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Ball State
Western Michigan is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Ball State
Game Of The Day: Ball State at Western Michigan
By Marc Lawrence
The MAC makes its final regular season spotlight appearance Tuesday night when Ball State (1-10, 1-6) visits Western Michigan (5-6, 4-3) in a Western Division duel at Waldo Stadium. The game is televised on ESPN2 with a 7:00 PM ET kickoff.
The Broncos opened as 9.5-point favorites and the line has since moved to 10.5.
Zoo weather
There is a 10 percent chance of rain with temperatures in the mid to high 40’s at kickoff in Kalamazoo. Winds 5 mph out of the south/southeast.
Cardinal chirps
Have the Cardinals fans lost interest in there team? The announced crowd for last week’s home game against MAC West champion Central Michigan was 5,736, but there appeared to be just over 1,000 people in the 22,500-seat stadium. The Cardinals lost 35-3 and the game wasn't that close.
BSU was held without a touchdown for the first time this season and managed only 231 yards of total offense while converting 2-of-11 third downs. On defense, they allowed 344 yards in the air and four TD passes by Chippewas’ QB Dan LeFevour, who completed 25-of-28 passes.
The bad news is the Cardinals were not competitive for the first time in a MAC game this season. Ball State looks like a team worn-down by their poor performance.
"I think we ran out of juice. We didn't move the ball, and I think the team sensed that. We mishandled plays in our Wildcat offense," said beleaguered coach Stan Parrish.
The good news is Ball State did not commit a penalty against CMU. The Cardinals were flagged nine times in each of their previous two games.
Another hope for promise has been the play of RB Cory Sykes. He rushed for a team-high 85 yards on just 10 carries against Central Michigan.
Bronco banter
QB Tim Hiller threw for four TD passes in a 35-14 win at Eastern Michigan 10 days ago to reach 98 for his career. He needs two in the Broncos' game tonight against Ball State to tie Chad Pennington of Marshall for the MAC all-time record.
The Broncos forced six turnovers to pave the way. It’s been a long time coming as Western Michigan has allowed season high yards in each of its last four games. The WMU defense ranks No. 110 in the nation, allowing 482 yards per game. That is 132 YPG worse than what Ball State yields.
"Defensively, we came up with a lot of turnovers, which we had not done all year," Broncos coach Bill Cubit said.
WMU remains inconsistent on third-down defense. The Broncos allowed 10-of-14 third-down conversions in their loss to Kent State on Oct. 31. Eastern Michigan, the worst team in the MAC, converted 6-of-13 third downs against Broncos on Nov. 14.
Western Michigan needs a win this evening win just to finish the season with a 6-6 win-loss record and gain bowl eligibility.
Take a look at me now
Surprisingly, these two teams won 21 games collectively last season. Their six wins combined in 2009 have come against one non-FBS squad (Hofstra) and five other teams that together are 10-46 overall this season.
History says
Ball State head coach Stan Parrish is 1-13-1 SU and 2-13 ATS versus sub .500 lined opponents in his career.
Western Michigan is 2-6 SU and ATS the last eight games in this series.
Teams on Tuesdays during the regular season, playing off a SU and ATS loss, are 20-10-3 ATS.