The Arkansas State Red Wolves (6-6) face off against the Northern Illinois Huskies (6-6) on Saturday, December 23rd. This game will be played at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery and televised on ESPN. Northern Illinois is coming off a win in their previous game, while Arkansas State is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Marshall. Kickoff is set for 12:00 ET.

Arkansas State Red Wolves vs Northern Illinois Huskies

The Arkansas State Red Wolves Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Even though the Red Wolves cut into Arkansas State’s lead in the 4th quarter, Arkansas State still ended up losing their most recent game by a score of 35-21. In the loss to Marshall, quarterback Jaylen Raynor concluded with a QB rating of 70.39 while connecting on 19 of 38 passes for 263 yards. Moreover, he contributed one touchdown to the game.

Arkansas State and Marshall combined for 56 points in the game, which was enough to surpass the over/under line of 53 points. In addition to losing straight-up, Arkansas State did not cover the spread as 1-point underdogs.

So far, the Arkansas State Red Wolves are 6-6, including going 2-4 on the road and 3-2 at home.

When looking at Arkansas State’s betting lines on the spread, they have been the underdog in all of their games and have an ATS mark of 6-5. After 12 games, the average over/under line in Arkansas State’s matches stands at 55.6 points. The collective score in their games has averaged 58.9 points, resulting in an OU record of 6-5.

The Northern Illinois Huskies Are Coming Off A Win

Northern Illinois is coming off a 37-27 win over Kent State in their last game. In the win to Kent State, quarterback Rocky Lombardi recorded two rushing touchdowns, accumulating 19 rushing yards. In the passing game, he completed 50.0% of his passes for a total of 183 yards and achieved a passer rating of 104.63.

On the point-spread, Northern Illinois was favored by 20.5 going into the game, giving them an ATs loss. On the over/uner the combined 64 points surpassed the pre-game betting line of 45 points.

So far, the Northern Illinois Huskies are 6-6, including going 2-3 on the road and 3-2 at home.

Against the spread, Northern Illinois has gone 4-6 this season. The Huskies have been favored seven times compared to three games as the underdog. Through 12 games, the average over/under line in Northern Illinois’ games is 47.4 points. Their games have averaged a combined 46.4 points leading to an OU record of 5-5.

Arkansas State Offense Breakdown

The Red Wolves’ offense is gearing up to take on Northern Illinois, with an average of 152.9 rushing yards per game and an 4 yards per attempt. In the college football rankings, they are currently in 72nd place for rushing yards and 70th place for passing yards, accumulating an average of 223.4 yards per contest. Arkansas State’s overall scoring average is at 27.8 points per game, placing them 55th rank nationally.

Leading the team in passing yards is Jaylen Raynor with 2293 yards. In addition, he is 3rd on the team in rushing yards. This season, he’s carried the ball 110 times for 331 yards while boasting a completion rate of 58.8%.

Northern Illinois Offense Breakdown

The Huskies come into their matchup vs. Arkansas State 60th in college football at 416 rushing attempts per game. This has translated to an average of 179.5 rushing yards per game, placing them 45th nationally. Additionally, they’ve been airing it out 27.8 times each game, accumulating an average of 186.2 passing yards. In terms of scoring, they stand 67th, with 25.2 points per game.

Rocky Lombardi is the top passer for the team this season, with 2074 yards and an average of 12.1 per completion. His completion rate is 57.4%, and he’s thrown 10 touchdowns.

Arkansas State Team Defense

The Red Wolves’ defense has given up 184.3 rushing yards per game this season, which is 74th. Opponents are recording an average of 261.7 passing yards, and opposing quarterbacks come in with a passer rating of 107 when playing against Arkansas State. In terms of points allowed, they currently sit 21st in NCAA rankings.

Northern Illinois Team Defense

This season, the Huskies’ defense has allowed 154 rushing yards per game, ranking 127th. Opponents average 164.2 passing yards, and opposing quarterbacks have put together a passer rating of 77.7 against Northern Illinois. They hold the 81st position in NCAA points allowed.

Arkansas State vs Northern Illinois Trends

• Looking at Arkansas State’s ten most recent road games, they have put together a record vs. the spread of 6-4.
• Looking across Northern Illinois’ five most recent home games, they are 2-3 against the spread.
• In the ten most recent times they were the underdog, Northern Illinois has put together an ATS record of 8-2.
• The previous ten time that Arkansas State was favored, they are 5-5 against the spread.

Arkansas State vs Northern Illinois Prediction

Look for Arkansas State’s passing attack to put together another big game, as they are coming off a big performance vs. Marshall. Favored by 1 on the road, I like Arkansas State to cover.

Up to this point in the season, Arkansas State games have an average of 58.9 points scored. Considering the over/under line at 53.5, I’m going with the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.