Eastern Michigan Eagles vs. Ball State Cardinals Free Pick for Tuesday November 8, 2016, from Scheumann Stadium, Muncie, Indiana. Ball State is favored by one point with the total N/A.
Against The Spread
The Eagles
The Eastern Michigan Eagles are coming off a 28-15 home loss to Miami Ohio, a game they entered as a 7.5-point favorite. They had covered the spread in six consecutive games, all as underdogs, prior to the setback but are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games following a double-digit loss at home.
Starting quarterback Brogan Roback connected on 23-of-39 passes for 328 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the most recent game, and he has tallied 1387 passing yards with a solid 10:3 TD to INT ratio in six games since returning from a suspension. The Eagles allowed just 175 yards in the air against Miami Ohio, but they did give up 230 yards on the ground with three rushing touchdowns. The Eagles have allowed an average of 30.1 points per game on the season.
The Cardinals
The Ball State Cardinals were crushed by a 52-20 score as a 17.5 point underdog to Western Michigan last Tuesday, their fourth loss in five games. The Cardinals have covered the spread in just one game during that stretch and they’re 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a straight up loss of more than 20 points.
Starting quarterback Riley Neal sat out last week’s contest and backup Jack Milas struggled, throwing for only 199 yards with one touchdown and two picks. Neal is expected to be back for Tuesday’s matchup, but he has a weak 7:9 TD to INT ratio on the season. The Cardinals do feature a strong running game and accumulated 298 rushing yards against Western Michigan with James Gilbert leading the pack with 155 yards. Ball State is conceding an average of 28.3 points per game and allowed Western Michigan a whopping 553 total yards, which included 367 yards in the air.
The Total
Under is 6-1 in Eagles last seven games overall but 9-4 in their last 13 road games. Over is 14-4 in Eagles last 18 games following a double-digit loss at home. Under is 4-1 in Cardinals last five games overall and 7-2 in Cardinals last nine home games. Over is 6-1 in the last seven meetings but the last meeting went well under the total when Ball State won 28-17 on the road with the total set at 61.5 points on September 19, 2015.
