The Ball State Cardinals will head out on the road to face off against the Northern Illinois Huskies at 7:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday at Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium. Ball State is hoping to put an end to a seven-game streak of away losses dating back to last season.
Last Wednesday, it was a hard-fought game, but Ball State had to settle for a 24-21 loss against Bowling Green.
Despite the loss, Ball State had strong showings from Kiael Kelly, who rushed for 90 yards and two touchdowns, and Marquez Cooper, who rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Northern Illinois' good fortune finally ran out on Tuesday. They took a 37-31 hit to the loss column at the hands of Central Michigan. Northern Illinois gained 59 more yards on the day, but it was Central Michigan that made the best of use of them.
Despite their defeat, Northern Illinois saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Antario Brown, who rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.6 yards per carry, was perhaps the best of all. Brown was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 61 yards. Rocky Lombardi had a good game too, finishing with 298 passing yards and three touchdowns in total.
The losses dropped Ball State to 2-7 and Northern Illinois to 4-5.
Not only did the pair lose their last games, but neither team managed to cover the spread. Looking ahead, Northern Illinois is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by ten points. For those looking to play the spread, watch out: Northern Illinois is expected to win, but their 1-4 record against the spread as such isn't exactly encouraging.
Ball State didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Northern Illinois in their previous matchup back in October of 2022, but they still walked away with a 44-38 win. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Northern Illinois' Harrison Waylee, who rushed for 230 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.7 yards per carry. Now that he won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be that much easier for Ball State to walk away with another win? Check CBSSports.com after the match to find out.
