Arkansas
Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois (NIU) Prediction, Preview, and Odds – 12-23-2023
College bowl season is in full swing and that brings us a clash of mid-major programs when a program from the Sun Belt takes on one from the Mid-American Conference. The Arkansas State Red Wolves do battle with the Northern Illinois Huskies in the Camellia Bowl Saturday afternoon. Arkansas State ended their regular season with a 35-21 road loss to Marshall on November 25, failing to cover the line as a 1.5-point underdog. Northern Illinois finished their regular season slate with a 37-27 road win over Kent State on November 25 though they failed to cover the line as a 19.5-point favorite in their previous contest. In the all-time series between the teams, the Huskies own a 7-1 advantage and have won the last two meetings. That includes a 38-20 victory in the most recent meeting, which took place in the GoDaddy.com Bowl in Mobile, Alabama on January 8, 2012.
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Arkansas State Red Wolves Look to Finish Season On Positive Note
Arkansas State was dropped on the road by Marshall in their regular season finale to end the year on a down note. The Red Wolves enter the bowl game 6-6 on the season and stood tied for second in the West Division of the Sun Belt with a 4-4 conference mark. Against Marshall, Arkansas State started slowly and it ended up costing them the game. The Red Wolves trailed 14-0 after the opening quarter and were down 28-0 late in the second quarter before getting on the board. Arkansas State trailed 28-7 at intermission, 35-14 after three quarters and got no closer than the final margin. The Red Wolves were outgained 493-305 in total offense, gave up 23 first downs while picking up 20 and lost time of possession by a 36:56 to 23:04 margin. Both teams turned the ball over twice though the Red Wolves did score on a punt return.
For the year, the Red Wolves are 64th in the nation in passing offense with 224 yards per contest through the air and 75th in rushing offense with 151.5 yards per contest on the ground. Arkansas State is 62nd in the FBS in scoring offense with 27.8 points per contest while they are 107th of 133 FBS teams in scoring defense by allowing 31.2 points per game. J.T. Shrout is 24 of 51 passing for 227 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Jaxon Dailey is 17 of 33 for 137 yards with seven rushing yards while Jalen Raynor (150 of 255, 2300 yards, 15 TD, six INT, 324 rushing yards, five TD) and Wyatt Beagle (one of one, 24 yards) have also seen action. Ja’Quez Cross leads the team on the ground with 120 carries for 688 yards and seven scores. Zak Wallace (121 carries, 556 yards, six TD) and Cedric Hawkins (30 carries, 151 yards, two TD) are secondary options in the run game. Courtney Jackson (38 catches, 658 yards, seven TD), Corey Rucker (31 grabs, 598 yards), Reagan Ealy (18 catches, 189 yards, TD), Jeff Foreman (25 grabs, 521 yards, four TD) and tight end Emmanual Stevenson (18 receptions, 129 yards, two TD) are each solid pass catching options. Dominic Zvada has hit all 40 extra point attempts and 15 of 20 field goal attempts with a long of 53 this season.
Shrout (ankle) last played on September 9 against Memphis and is out indefinitely. Stevenson (leg) last played on October 28 against Louisiana-Monroe and is done for the year.
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Northern Illinois Huskies Try to Earn Bowl Victory
Northern Illinois finished their regular season slate with back-to-back wins and five victories in their last seven games as they took down Kent State on the road. The Huskies improved to 6-6 on the season and finished second in the MAC West with a 5-3 record in conference play. Against Kent State, Northern Illinois led 10-0 after the opening quarter, trailed 17-10 at the half and led 24-20 after three quarters. Trailing 27-24, Rocky Lombardi gave the Huskies the lead for good with a one-yard touchdown run with 4:45 to play. They added a defensive score on a fumble recovery as time expired to earn the win. The Huskies owned a 426-366 edge in total offense and forced two turnovers, including that scoop-six, while committing one turnover. Those numbers offset a narrow 18-17 disadvantage in first downs and a 30:04 to 29:56 margin in time of possession in the game.
On the season, the Huskies are 107th in passing offense with an average of 186.3 yards per game while they are 40th in rushing offense with 178.8 yards per contest. Northern Illinois is 82nd in the FBS in scoring offense by averaging 25.2 points per game while they are 32nd in scoring defense by allowing 21.2 points per contest. Rocky Lombardi has completed 171 of 298 passes for 2,074 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions on the season. Ethan Hampton is 19 of 33 passing for 137 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Antario Brown leads the team in rushing with 187 carries for 1,164 yards and 10 scores this season. Gavin Williams (86 carries, 448 yards, three TD) and Justin Lynch (11 carries, 96 yards, TD) are also in the mix on the ground. Trayvon Rudolph leads the team with 46 receptions for 499 yards and two scores this season. Kacper Rutkiewicz (21 catches, 319 yards, two TD), Grayson Barnes (18 grabs, 317 yards, four TD), Davis Patterson (16 receptions, 197 yards), Christion Carter (12 catches, 178 yards, two TD), Jalen Johnson (16 grabs, 146 yards, TD) and Gavin Williams (22 receptions, 141 yards) have all gone over the 100-yard receiving mark this season. Kanon Woodill is 26 of 26 on extra point attempts and 11 of 15 on field goal attempts with a long of 49 this season. Jake Seibert is four of four on extra point attempts and two of five on field goal attempts with a long of 30 on the year.
Rutkiewicz (lower body) last played on October 7 while Davis Patterson (undisclosed) last played October 31: both are considered questionable for this contest. Losing center Pete Nygra to the transfer portal is a big blow for the team.
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Best Bets for this Game
Full-Game Side Bet
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Both teams, like so many bowl squads, have had guys enter the transfer portal or opt out for various reasons, taking some pieces out of the mix. This game pretty much boils down to a couple of things: experience and the run game. Northern Illinois has experience in spades with Lombardi, who seems like he’s been in college football for 12 years now, running the offense. That’s a big edge over Raynor, who was pushed into the starting role after Shrout was injured early on while Dailey failed to impress. Throw in the fact that the Huskies have one of the top backs in the MAC with Brown leading the ground attack makes things difficult for Arkansas State. The Red Wolves were leaky defensively, giving up 183.8 yards per game and 4.8 yards per carry, not to mention 21 scores, on the ground this season. Look for a heavy dose of Brown as he leads Northern Illinois to the bowl win: take the points but don’t be afraid to sprinkle on the money line.
Prediction: Northern Illinois Huskies +3
Full-Game Total Pick
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Arkansas State comes into this game having split their 12 games in relation to the total on the season. It was a split of things depending on the venue as the Red Wolves stayed under the number in four of their six games at home while they went over the mark in four of their six contests away from Jonesboro. Northern Illinois, likewise, split their 12 games on the season in relation to the total. Their splits were even more dramatic as all six home games were short of the total while all six games away from DeKalb went over the mark. Seeing how both teams have seen high point totals away from home, look for this one to find a way past the number as well.
Prediction: Over 53.5