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Ball State will be in front of their home fans on Saturday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-field advantage. They will take on the Toledo Rockets at 2:00 p.m. ET on Saturday. Ball State is staggering into the game hobbled by three consecutive losses, while Toledo will skip in buoyed by five consecutive wins.
Last Saturday, Ball State lost to Eastern Michigan on the road by a decisive 24-10 margin. Ball State gained 53 more yards than Eastern Michigan, but the latter made more effective use of their yardage.
Kiael Kelly put forth a good effort for the losing side as he rushed for 94 yards on only nine carries.
Ball State's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB five times. Leading the way was Cole Pearce and his two sacks.
Meanwhile, Toledo was not the first on the board last Saturday, but they got there more often. They enjoyed a cozy 41-24 victory over UMass.
Dequan Finn went supernova for Toledo, throwing for 139 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 172 yards and a touchdown on only 13 carries. Finn was also active on the ground: one of his best plays was a 56 yard sprint for a TD in the third quarter. The team also got some help courtesy of Peny Boone, who rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.6 yards per carry.
Ball State's loss was their sixth straight on the road, which dropped their overall record down to 1-5. That rough patch could be blamed on the team's lackluster offensive performance: across that stretch, they only averaged 14.83 points per game. The victory bumped Toledo's season record up to 5-1.
While only Ball State took care of their fans the last time they played, neither team managed to cover. Looking ahead, Toledo is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 17 points. This contest will be their sixth straight as the favorites (so far over this stretch they are 1-4 against the spread).
Ball State came up short against Toledo in their previous matchup last November, falling 28-21. Will Ball State have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
