Miami Ohio takes on Bowling Green in MAC Battle

Wednesday offers another MAC Conference match-up between the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks and the Bowling Green Falcons. These teams aren’t nearly as offensively proficient as Toledo or N. Illinois, but this will without a doubt be a more competitive game. Despite the difference in records, both the Falcons and Redhawks are very similar in terms of offense and defense.

There are 120 teams in division 1 football, and Miami of Ohio and Bowling Green are the bottom two teams in running the ball. Both average around 62 yards on the ground per game. To put this into perspective, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets average 320 yards per game or 80 yards per quarter! Not having balance offensively has cost both of these teams a win or 2 this year, but they will without a doubt be playing to win as they get a taste of prime time television.

Quarterback Zac Dysert has shown the ability to move the Redhawks offense vertically, but has made critical mistakes in key situation that has cost them the chance to score. His 12 touchdown passes would be far more impressive if he didn’t have 12 interceptions to go along with them. With Miami of Ohio’s leading rusher Thomas Merriweather having just 325 yards on the ground, Dysert can afford to make mistakes. This offense averages just 19 points per game due to the fact that they rely on short passes to move the ball. Dysert averages just 7 yards per pass which is extremely low for having 203 completions on the year. The Redhawks will need to be mistake free if they are to pull out this win on the road against an under-rated Bowling Green team.

The Falcons are just 2-7 on the year, but are coming off of a solid win against C. Michigan 2 weeks ago. They have played an extremely tough non-conference schedule, and have drawn a tough MAC schedule as well for the 2010 season. With 3 losses by 3 points or less, this Falcons team could very easily be 5-4, and in a much different situation at this point of the year.

Bowling Green’s offense is very similar to Miami’s in that they rely solely on throwing the ball. Matt Schilz is not as good of a passer as Dysert, but he is fortunate enough to have one of the best receivers in division 1 football. Kamar Jorden has caught almost half of the passes thrown by Schilz, and is a little over 100 yards shy of eclipsing the 1000 yard barrier. He may not rank in the top of college football for receiving yards, but considering the fact that Bowling Green averages just 233 yards through the air each game, his stats are remarkable. The Falcons may be equally as bad as the Redhawks in running the ball, but they do have 1 running back that leads the way. Willie Geter has 566 yards and 4 touchdowns this year, and is capable of moving the chains in key situations.

This is far from being the most intriguing match-up of the college football season, but it’s the only show in town on Wednesday, and has a point spread! Any action is better that none. The line for this one is Miami of Ohio by 2.5. As an expert handicapper, I never recommend getting down on games between bad teams as they always find a way to lose. However, this game does offer an advantage to the bettor based on my power ratings. If you are looking for an edge on this game or any game, go to Coverthenumber.com and follow my lead.

Related posts:

1. MAC Conference Showdown: Miami of Ohio vs. Temple
2. Temple and Ohio in MAC Conference Grudge Match
3. MAC East Leaders Collide: Temple vs. Ohio
4. Huskies take on the Falcons in MAC Conference Battle
5. Northern Illinois hosts Ball St in MAC Battle

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