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The Ball State Cardinals are 1-4 against the Miami (OH) RedHawks since November of 2016, but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. Ball State and Miami (OH) will face off in a Mid-American battle at 3:30 p.m. ET at Scheumann Stadium. The Cardinals are out to stop a three-game streak of losses at home.
The Eastern Michigan Eagles typically have all the answers at home, but last week Ball State proved too difficult a challenge. Ball State walked away with a 38-31 victory. RB Carson Steele was the offensive standout of the matchup for Ball State, rushing for one TD and 138 yards on 18 carries. Steele's performance made up for a slower contest against the Western Michigan Broncos two weeks ago.
Meanwhile, the RedHawks had a touchdown and change to spare in a 34-21 win over the Akron Zips last week. Miami (OH) QB AJ Mayer was slinging it as he passed for three TDs and 229 yards on 27 attempts. Near the top of the highlight reel was Mayer's 57-yard TD bomb to WR Jack Sorenson in the first quarter.
The Cardinals are the favorite in this one, with an expected 5-point margin of victory. They might be worth taking a chance on against the spread as they are currently on a three-game streak of ATS wins.
Ball State is now 4-3 while the RedHawks sit at a mirror-image 3-4. A couple defensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: Ball State is 226th worst in the nation in rushing touchdowns allowed, with 14 on the season. Miami (OH) has experienced some struggles of their own as they are stumbling into the game with the 216th most passing touchdowns allowed in the nation, having given up 13 on the season. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
