The Ball State Cardinals will be at home to face the UConn Huskies on Saturday. Both schools are currently on two-game winning streaks, but one of those streaks will be snapped today. Ball State improved to 3-3 with a 17-16 win over Central Michigan last week.
UConn, meanwhile, blew out FIU by a score of 33-12, and the Huskies now sit at 3-4. These teams haven't met since 2002, so their head-to-head history is irrelevant to today's matchup. These are two of the weaker FBS schools, but we should still see an entertaining matchup in Muncie this afternoon.
UConn Huskies vs. Ball State Cardinals Betting Odds
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UConn Huskies vs. Ball State Cardinals Match Details
Fixture: UConn Huskies @ Ball State Cardinals
Date & Time: Saturday, October 15, 2:00 p.m. EDT
Venue: Scheumann Stadium
UConn Huskies vs. Ball State Cardinals Key Stats
Ball State runs a pass-heavy offense, and their game plan revolves around junior QB John Paddock. In his first full season as a starter for the Cardinals, Paddock has been solid. He's thrown for 1,660 yards, which ranks second in the MAC. He's tossed 12 TDs and six interceptions, which is a decent ratio, but it could be better. Ball State's offensive line has done a great job, too, as they've surrendered just four sacks which could be key as UConn's pass rush has been pretty good the last couple of weeks. The Cardinals' main back Carson Steele has been pretty good too, and he currently ranks second in the MAC in total rushing yards.
Paddock's main target, Jayshon Jackson, already has 496 receiving yards, and he's on pace for the most yards of his college career. Look for Paddock and Jackson to link up quite often again today behind their home crowd.
UConn has been poor on the road overall, but last week they put up 33 points on a subpar FIU defense. The Huskies have run the ball 286 times this year compared to just 81 passes. Nathan Carter, their leading rusher, suffered a season-ending shoulder injury earlier this year. As unfortunate as this is for UConn, their injury woes are piling up as backup running back Devontae Houston, who has totaled 240 yards over the past two weeks, has been ruled out today with an ankle issue. This means UConn will have to rely on third-sting RB Victor Rosa, and they might even mix in more looks for QB Zion Turner.
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UConn Huskies vs. Ball State Cardinals Betting Prediction
Both schools are hot right now, but the Huskies' injury problems should really make it difficult for them to put up points. Look for a low scoring affair today, especially from the visitors, as they'll be scrambling to find solutions on offense.
Prediction: UConn Team Total Under 19.5 Points (-120) & Game Total Under 48 (-110)
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