Kent State vs Ball State ncaaf betting

NCAAF: Kent State vs. Ball State Prediction 11/18/2023

The Kent State Golden Flashes (1-9) travel to face off against the Ball State Cardinals (3-7) on Saturday, November 18th. This game will be played at Scheumann Stadium in Muncie and televised on ESPN+. Ball State is coming off a win in their previous game, while Kent State is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Bowling Green. Kickoff is set for 2:00 ET.

Kent State Golden Flashes vs Ball State Cardinals

The Kent State Golden Flashes Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Against Bowling Green, the Golden Flashes trailed by -4 going into the 4th quarter and ended up losing by a score of 49-19. In the loss against Bowling Green, quarterback Tommy Ulatowski achieved a QB rating of 77.5, completing 23 of 40 passes for 284 yards. Additionally, he contributed one touchdown to the game.

Looking at the over/under in this matchup, the line was 41.5 and with their 68 points, the over hit. Against the spread, Kent State went into the game as 10.5-point underdogs giving them an ATS and straight-up loss.

So far, the Kent State Golden Flashes are 1-9, including going 0-6 on the road and 0-3 at home.

Having been the underdog in all of their games so far, Kent State has an ATS mark of 1-7-1. Their scoring margin for the season is -19.8 (per game). Through 10 games, the average over/under line in Kent State’s games is 46.4 points. Their games have averaged a combined 49 points leading to an OU record of 6-3.

The Ball State Cardinals Are Coming Off A Win

Even though Ball State was trailing by a score of 20-17 in their most recent game vs. Northern Illinois, they still went on to win 20-17. In the team’s most recent win, quarterback Kiael Kelly was not only responsible for one touchdown through the air but also added one touchdown on the ground. In terms of passing, he accumulated 115 yards while achieving a completion rate of 60.0%.

Ball State was the underdog at +9.5, giving them an ATS and straight-up win. The under hit in the game with the over/under line set at 43.5 points.

This season, the Ball State Cardinals are currently 3-7. So far this season, they have played six road games and three at home.

Having been the underdog in all of their games so far, Ball State has an ATS mark of 4-4-1. Their scoring margin for the season is -10.3 (per game). After 10 games, the average over/under line in Ball State’s matches stands at 47.7 points. The collective score in their games has averaged 44.3 points, resulting in an OU record of 3-6.

Kent State Offense Breakdown

Kent State enters the game on offense with an average of 14.6, ranking them 103rd in the NCAA. Their passing game has them at 114th in the nation, with an average of 165.3 passing yards per game. On the ground, they’re at 108th in rushing yards, with an average of 379 rushing attempts per game this season.

Michael Alaimo leads the team in passing yards this season with 932. He’s averaging 11.8 per completion and holds a 54.9% completion rate, having thrown two touchdowns.

Ball State Offense Breakdown

Ball State’s rushing attack is ranked 44th in college football with 365 rushing attempts per game. This has translated into an average of 148.6 rushing yards per game, placing them 79th nationally. On average, they are attempting 26.8 passes per game leading to 146 passing yards per contest. In terms of scoring, they hold the 101st position, averaging 17 points per game.

Layne Hatcher is the top passer for the team this season, with 565 yards and an average of 9.3 per completion. His completion rate is 64.2%, and he’s thrown four touchdowns.

Kent State Team Defense

The Kent State defense holds the 135th position in points allowed, allowing 34.4 points per game. Teams have an average of 230.3 passing yards per game against them (100th nationally). In terms of rushing, they’ve given up 159.4 rushing yards, placing them 105th in college football.

Ball State Team Defense

Ball State’s defense is ranked 121st in passing yards allowed per game as they prepare for this matchup. Opponents have attempted an average of 30.9 passing attempts against the Cardinals. They have given up 27.3 points per game so far, placing them 105th in college football. In the NCAA’s rush defense category, they are 50th.

Kent State vs Ball State Trends

  • On the road, Kent State has gone 3-6-1 vs. the spread.
  • Ball State is 2-1 ATS in their last home games.
  • Looking back at the last ten times Ball State went into a game as the underdog, their ATS mark was 5-4-1.
  • Kent State’s record vs. the spread in their three most recent games as the favorite is 2-1.

Kent State vs Ball State Prediction

Coming into this game, Ball State’s offense has been a below average group at converting on third downs. I’m not counting on them suddenly figuring this out and like Kent State +12.

I’m taking the over with the over/under line set at 42. So far this season, games involving Ball State have generated an average combined score of 44.3 points, and I believe this game will exceed 42.


All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!


* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.