Ball State at Northern Illinois

Northern Illinois is off to a rough start in coach Thomas Hammock's first year. He has played a tough schedule in losing to Utah, Nebraska and Vanderbilt, which were all on the road. The Huskies are #124 in the country, averaging only 16.8 points and #127 in rushing yards (84.8 per game). Ross Bowers won the starting quarterback job, but it hasn't resulted in many wins. He has four touchdowns passes to three interceptions while completing 59.4 percent of his passes in four games for the Huskies. Ball State comes off a 34-23 loss at N.C. State and Drew Plitt completed 35-of-57 for 333 yards although with no TDs and an interception. The Cardinals outgained the Wolfpack 417-389 while covering as a 19.5-point underdog. The road team has covered the number seven of the last 10 meetings and Northern Illinois still hasn't shown it can put enough points on the board to cover as a favorite. Look for the Cardinals to keep this one close, so take the points with Ball State.