The Florida Atlantic Owls (-2.5) are set to take on the Ball State Cardinals at Scheumann Stadium. This daytime game is scheduled to kick off at 2:00 p.m. ET and ESPN+ has the TV rights.
Betting Preview: Florida Atlantic Owls vs. Ball State Cardinals
Ball State is entering this game as the underdog and is currently getting 2.5 points. The Owls are also receiving -140 moneyline odds while the Cardinals are +120. There will probably be some decent live betting opportunities while the game is taking place, and Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 65 points.
The opening line was 3 while the over/under hasn’t changed since it opened at 65.
The Owls are 1-1 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 1.0 unit so far in 2019. The team’s recorded an Over-Under mark of 1-1.
The Cardinals are down 1.0 unit for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 1-1 ATS and also have an O/U record of 1-1.
The Owls are 0-2 straight up (SU) in 2019 while the Cardinals are 1-1 SU.
The Owls are most-recently on the rebound after a 48-14 loss to UCF last week. Chris Robison completed just 18 passes on 40 attempts for 177 yards and one interception. Larry McCammon III (48 rushing yards on 18 attempts, one TD) and the signal-caller Robison (-20 yards on 10 carries) led the ground attack. John Raine (five receptions, 47 yards) and Harrison Bryant (four catches, 51 yards) handled the receiving duties in the defeat.
Ball State is coming off of a 57-29 win over Fordham. Drew Plitt completed 32-of-40 passes for 439 yards, six touchdowns and one interception. Caleb Huntley (64 rushing yards on 13 attempts, one TD) handled the running game while Justin Hall (six receptions, 83 yards, one TD) and Riley Miller (six catches, 116 yards, two TDs) led the receiving attack in the win.
Florida Atlantic has run the ball on 50 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Ball State has a rush percentage of 47.5 percent. The Owls have produced 79.5 rush yards per game and have two touchdowns on the ground this year. The Cards are putting up 126 rushing yards per game and have three total rush TDs.
The Owls offensive scheme has logged 191.5 yards/contest through the air overall and has only one passing TDs so far. The Cards have produced a superb 371 pass yards per game and have eight total pass scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, Florida Atlantic appears to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed 274.5 rush yards and 247 pass yards per game. The Ball State defense has given up 273.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 126.5 yards per game to opposing runners. The Cards are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 4.97 to opponents, while the Owls have given up a whopping 12.37 ANY/A.
Plitt has been more efficient than Robison of late. His adjusted net yards per pass attempt sits at 12.22 for the year and 9.06 over his past two games while Robison’s ANY/A is 2.39 (and 3.17 over the last two outings).
Florida Atlantic Owls vs. Ball State Cardinals NCAA Prediction
SU Winner: Ball State, ATS Winner: Ball State, O/U: Over
Team Betting Trends
- The Florida Atlantic defensive unit has sacked opposing quarterbacks three times this season. Ball State has registered two sacks.
- Ball State has lost one fumble in 2019 while the Florida Atlantic offense has not lost any.
- The Owls offense has tallied zero pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Cardinals have accounted for three such plays.
- The Florida Atlantic defense has allowed three pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Ball State has given up two such plays.
- The Florida Atlantic offense has created four rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Ball State has created one such runs.
- The Owls defense has allowed six rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Cardinals have given up three such runs.
- The Over/Under for Ball State’s last game was set at 51. The over cashed in the 57-29 win over Fordham.
- The Over/Under for Florida Atlantic’s previous game was 69. The under cashed in the team’s 48-14 defeat to UCF.
