Game: Eastern Michigan Eagles @ Kent State Golden Flashes
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Odds: Eagles +7.5, Golden Flashes -7.5
Total: 59.5
Kent State (4-6 SU, 4-6 ATS) will be looking to win consecutive games for the first time this year tonight when they face the Eastern Michigan Eagles (6-4, 4-6) at home in Week 12 of the college football season.
The Golden Flashes have won three of their four home games this season, most recently defeating Bowling Green 40-6. Eastern Michigan travels to Kent State after last week’s 34-28 victory against Akron, which helped them extend their current road win streak to four games.
Kent State has dominated recent meetings with Eastern Michigan, winning six of the seven matchups since 2005, with their most recent victory coming at home in November 2020, by a score of 27-23. Additionally, Kent State is 6-1 ATS in those seven games against EMU.
The Eagles are in good spirits after beating Akron last week to gain bowl eligibility. In just his fourth start at quarterback, Austin Smith performed well, tossing for 190 yards and two touchdowns to put the game out of reach before halftime.
Smith threw for two touchdowns last week which is encouraging for the Eagles as they get ready to play Kent State, a team that has had trouble stopping opposing quarterbacks. Kent State allows 280.3 passing yards per game, which ranks as the nation’s 12th-worst average.
Running back Samson Evans had yet another outstanding performance during last week’s triumph over the Zips. The senior amassed 133 yards and two touchdown runs against Akron and he has been crucial to the team’s recent road success, averaging 160.3 yards per game. He also has six touchdown runs during the team’s three-game road winning streak. Evans’ availability for Wednesday’s game is questionable after he was forced to exit last week’s game due to a neck injury.
Last week, the Golden Flashes jumped out to an early lead on Bowling Green for the third time in four games. After scoring three touchdowns in the second quarter, including two touchdown throws from QB Collin Schlee, Kent State led 20-0 at the break. Over the last four games, the club has averaged 21.3 points before the break but has had trouble keeping that momentum going after the break.
While the Golden Flashes were able to shut down Bowling Green in the second half of last week’s 40-6 victory, they had been outscored 44-19 overall after the break in their previous three games and had only averaged 3.6 third-quarter points over their previous seven games.
Running back Marquez Cooper has continued to produce consistently for Kent State. The gifted junior has scored five touchdowns in his last four home games and is averaging 139.7 rushing yards per game over his last six games.
The UNDER is 6-2 in the last eight head-to-head games. These two teams have combined to score more than 50 points just twice in their last eight games. Kent State ended a five-game ATS losing streak last week. EMU is 2-1 SU in its last three games and 3-1 SU in its last four road games.
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