Two schools that prefer to run the football, Head Coach Rod Carey and the Northern Illinois Huskies (+8) are set to face off against the BYU Cougars (-8) at LaVell Edwards Stadium. ESPNU has the TV rights and kickoff will take place at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: Northern Illinois Huskies vs. BYU Cougars
The Huskies come into this Saturday game as a noticeable underdog and they’re currently being given 8 points. The Huskies are also receiving +250 moneyline odds while the Cougars are -330. If one team gets out in front early it will produce a worthwhile live betting scenario. Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 44.5 points.
With the line opening at -8 and the O/U originally set at 45, bookmakers have swayed the odds slightly.
The Huskies are 3-4 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 1.6 units so far. They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an O/U record of 1-6.
The Cougars have gained 0.9 units this season. The team is 4-3 ATS and has an O/U record of 2-5.
The Huskies have gone 4-3 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Cougars are also 4-3 SU.
The Huskies continue to ride high after a 24-21 win over Ohio on October 13. Marcus Childers completed just 17-of-33 passes for 145 yards. Childers (169 yards on 23 rush attempts, one TD) also led the running attack. Jauan Wesley (six receptions, 61 yards) and D.J. Brown (four catches, 28 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
BYU just got a lopsided 49-23 win over Hawaii two weeks ago. The team’s let the Rainbow Warriors put up 248 passing yards and 63 rushing yards. John Ursua had a productive showing in the defeat, posting 89 yards on nine catches for Hawaii. For BYU, Zach Wilson completed 16-of-24 passes for 194 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Lopini Katoa (83 rushing yards on 16 attempts, one TD) and Riley Burt (59 yards on nine carries, one TD) spearheaded the running game as Aleva Hifo (three receptions, 45 yards, one TD) and Talon Shumway (three catches, 32 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the win.
Northern Illinois has run the ball on 57.9 percent of its offensive possessions this year while BYU has a rush percentage of 52.5 percent. The Huskies have produced 160.1 rush yards per game and have eight scores on the ground this year. The Cougars are putting up 139.9 rush yards per game and have 12 total rushing TDs.
The Huskies offense has logged 135.6 yards/game in the air overall and has eight passing scores so far. The Cougars have recorded 190.1 pass yards per game and have 10 total pass TDs.
Northern Illinois has allowed opponents to run for an average of 115.1 yards and throw for 236.3 yards per game. The BYU D has given up 204.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 149.4 yards per game on the ground. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to the opposition, as the Huskies have given up an ANY/A of 5.52 to opposing QBs, while the Cougars are allowing an ANY/A of 5.89.
Mangum has been more productive than Childers lately. His adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 5.04 for the year and 5.32 over his last two games while Childers’ ANY/A is 3.15 (and 3.27 over the last two games).
Northern Illinois Huskies vs. BYU Cougars Betting Pick
SU Winner: BYU, ATS Winner: BYU, O/U: Under
