We are approaching the time of year when the leaves turn, the chill in the air becomes outright cold, and football games start to really matter. The Ohio Bobcats sit at 2-1 in the MAC East Miami is already at 3-1, while Buffalo is currently 4-0. There is still a lot of football to be played, but a win here would really help Ohio’s cause. On the other sideline, the Ball State Cardinals are sitting at 3-5 overall, and basically need to win 3 of their last 4 to reach a bowl game.

Game Details

When: Thursday, Oct 25th, 7:02 PM

Where: Peden Stadium, Athens, Ohio

Watch: CBS Sports Network

Line: Ohio -10.5 per vegasinsider.com

Stats

The Bobcats are sitting at third in the conference in offense, scoring 36.3 points per game, just below the Western Michigan Broncos. Their defense is 9th, giving up 31 per game.

On the season, Nathan Rourke has thrown for 1490 yards while completing 61.4% of his passes. He has thrown 13 touchdowns and 4 picks. He has run the ball 70 times for 492 yards and 4 scores. He is currently the leading rusher on the team. Two other Bobcats, Maleek Irons and A.J. Ouelette are over 400.

The Cardinals are 8th in the conference in scoring, at 25 per, while 6th in defense at 26.1.

Riley Neal has thrown for 1841 yards, 10TDs, and 4 picks. James Gilbert has 534 yards on the ground.

Prediction

With a blowout win against the Falcons, I believe the Bobcats are starting to hit their stride. Nathan Rourke threw for 4 touchdowns and ran for another. The defense has been fairly solid all year and I think that will be a problem for the Cardinals. Ball State has struggled to put the ball in the end zone this year. Their defense has been decent, but the way the Bobcats looked against the Falcons, I do believe the team is starting to put it together on both sides of the ball. The Bobcats win 34-17.