Betting news, trends, odds and predictions for from various handicappers and websites for Wednesday 10/31/18
Ball State Cardinals vs. Toledo Rockets Preview and Predictions 10-31-2018 in NCAAF
NCAAF Previews 30th October 2018 By Charles Jay for Scores And Stats
by Charles Jay Scores & Stats on 10/30/2018
The Ball State Cardinals lost twice last time out. They not only got beaten 52-14 by Ohio, but they lost their starting quarterback as well. So now they will have to engage with one of the more explosive teams in the Mid-American Conference with a much less experienced signal-caller.
And the Toledo Rockets, who were coming off a dreadful second half in their loss to Buffalo, really found themselves on the offensive side of the ball in their last outing, although they also have some questions to answer at the quarterback spot.
Toledo will most likely be going to some kind of bowl game when all is said and done. But Ball State will have to win all three of its remaining games to be eligible.
These teams meet up at the Glass Bowl on Wednesday night on ESPN2.
TV: ESPN2, 7:30 PM ET. LINE: Toledo -18
ABOUT BALL STATE: It was thoroughly disappointing to the Cardinals (3-6 SU, 4-5 ATS) to have lost 52-14 to the Ohio Bobcats last time out, giving up 31 points in the second quarter, along with 411 yards rushing and 30 first downs. But on top of that, they lost quarterback Riley Neal, who tore a meniscus and won't be available this week. Neal actually played through the injury for a little while, but when coach Mike Neu noticed that he wasn't able to move laterally all that well, he took him out of the game and replaced them with Drew Plitt. Neal has thrown for 1917 yards and 11 touchdowns, completing 58%. Plitt has completed 18 of 29 for 235 yards in limited action. He also played some last season, including three starts, and was a 50% passer. Backups got plenty of time last year because Neal missed nine games with a knee injury. Ball State might be missing other personnel as well. Running back James Gilbert (586 yards, 4.4 yards per carry) has a back injury that has caused him to miss practice. He was first-team All-MAC back in 2016 and sat out with a medical redshirt last year. Also, Jacob White, middle linebacker and the team's leading tackler, is hobbled by an ankle injury. Neal's absence also affects the running game, as he has run for 357 yards. And BSU has had a very hard time stopping opponents on the ground, giving up 4.8 yards per rushing attempt. They are fifth in the nation first downs, but are 122nd in the nation when it comes to yards per point. They will have to win each of their remaining games – against Toledo, Western Michigan and Miami of Ohio – to become bowl-eligible.
ABOUT TOLEDO: They were completely flummoxed by Buffalo a couple of games ago, giving up 24 unanswered points in the second half while going limp on offense, but the Rockets (4-4 SU, 3-5 ATS) came through huge against Western Michigan last week. Of course, it didn't hurt them that Jon Wassink, the WMU quarterback, got injured on the opening drive and had to leave the game. But still, they cut through the Broncos' defense like a swath, rolling up 515 yards in a 51-24 romp. Their starting quarterback, Mitch Guadagni, had to leave the game with a shoulder injury, after producing 190 yards of total offense. He's 13th in the nation in Passing Efficiency, so that loss is usually felt. Eli Peters, the Illinois transfer, threw three touchdown passes. But he's only a 47% passer on the season. Cody Thompson had three touchdowns, and he currently ranks in the nation's top 10 with nine receiving TDs. Toledo is 12th the nation in scoring at 40.8 points per game. They have three players who have rushed for more than 400 yards; Guadagni is one of them, but there are two running backs – Brian Koback and Shakif Seymour. They only have two receivers with over 400 yards. But Diontae Johnson is seventh in the nation in kickoff returns. Peters and Guadagni have combined to throw 22 touchdowns with only five interceptions. Toledo's average field position for the offense is the 34-yard line, which is seventh best in the country. And 78.3% of their first downs have been achieved on either a first or second down.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Ball State is 127th in the country in the advanced metric of "IsoPPP," which measures explosiveness, according to the people at analytics site Football Outsiders. Meanwhile, Toledo is a very solid 22nd in that same category.
2. Toledo's backup tight end Reggie Gilliam, a sophomore, currently leads the nation in blocked kicks with four.
3. Toledo has been to four different bowl games the last four seasons - the GoDaddy, Boca Raton, Camellia and Dollar General Bowls. Their stadium was also the site of the Glass Bowl game, a post-season contest from 1946-49 in which the Rockets participated all four years.
PREDICTION: Toledo 43, Ball State 20
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