by Amedeus Mastrangelo
Monday, Nov 08, 2021
Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Tuesday, November 9, 2021
Venue: Waldo Stadium, Kalamazoo, MI
Where to Watch: CBS Sports
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Akron +26, WMU -26; Over/Under: 61.5 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Akron +26, WMU -26; Over/Under: 62 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Akron +25.5, WMU -25.5; Over/Under: 61.5 points
Season Record
Akron Zips: 2-7 (5th place, MAC East)
Western Michigan Broncos: 5-4 (6th place, MAC West)
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Akron Zips vs Western Michigan Broncos Preview and Analysis
Recent Form
Akron Zips: lost at home on Nov. 2 against the Ball State Cardinals 31-25.
Western Michigan Broncos: lost at home on Nov. 3 against the Central Michigan Chippewas 42-30.
Akron Zips Analysis
Akron is coming into this college football game with a 2-7 record overall and they are 1-3 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 6th conference matchup of the year and they are currently 1-4 in their conference games this season. They have lost 5 of their last 6 games and they are coming into this one on a three-game losing streak after a loss in their last game against Ball State. Zach Gibson played well in that game as he completed 24/31 passes for 331 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jonzell Norrils led the team in rushing with 88 yards and 1 touchdown on 17 carries. Michael Mathison had a nice day as he led the receivers with 154 yards and 1 touchdown on 8 receptions while Konata Mumpfield had 67 yards on 5 receptions. Tristian Brank caught the other touchdown pass in that one. A.J. Watts led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles. Corey Thomas Jr. recorded the only sack in that game for the defense while no one was able to come up with an interception for them in that one. They have scored 184 points in their 9 games this season averaging 20.4 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 342 points against them allowing 38 PPG. Their offense is averaging 349.7 YPG while their defense is allowing 446.4 YPG.
Western Michigan Broncos Analysis
WMU is coming into this game with a 5-4 record overall and they are 3-2 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be the 6th conference matchup on their schedule this year and they are currently 2-3 in their conference games this season. They have lost 3 of their last 4 games and they are coming into this one on a 2 game losing streak after a loss in their last game against CMU. Kaleb Eleby played alright in that game but he also struggled at times as he completed 22/36 passes for 276 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Sean Tyler led the team in rushing with 59 yards and 2 touchdowns on 15 carries while La'Darius Jefferson had 56 yards and 1 TD on 11 carries. Corey Crooms had a nice day as he led the receivers with 118 yards and 1 touchdown on 7 receptions while Jaylen Hall had 77 yards on 5 receptions. Jake Moertl led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles. Braden Fiske led the defense in sacks in that game with 1 while no one on the defense was able to come away with an interception for them in that one. They have scored 262 points in their 9 games this season averaging 29.1 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 260 points against them allowing 28.9 PPG. Their offense is averaging 433.9 YPG while their defense is allowing 328.3 YPG.
Akron vs Western Michigan Prediction
Akron is coming into this game as a 26 point underdog with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Akron played much better in their last game and they put up a real fight against Ball State with a chance to win that game. They scored 25 points on them and only lost the game by 6. WMU is coming off of a loss to CMU in their last game and they have not looked good in their last few games now. This is a lot of points for them to cover with the way they have been playing and Akron has not been awful in their recent games either. The best bet to place in this game is on Akron to cover the spread here.
Akron Western Michigan Prediction: Our NCAAF Pick for Tuesday, November 9, 2021 (8:00 pm ET start time) is WMU 35 Akron 20.
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NCAAF Betting Trends
Akron Zips: 119-150 ATS in all games. 19-27 ATS when the total is between 56.5 and 63. 78-99 ATS as an underdog. 50-56 ATS as a road underdog. 64-77 ATS in road games. 77-107 ATS against conference opponents.
Western Michigan Broncos: 107-94 O/U in all games. 59-48 O/U as a favorite. 39-25 O/U as a home favorite. 45-36 O/U in home games. 71-64 O/U against conference opponents.
Key Injuries
Akron Zips: K. Nelson (QB) day-to-day - Undisclosed injury. G. Qualls Jr. (WR) day-to-day - Undisclosed injury. T. Dollard (RB) Out indefinitely - Suspension.
Western Michigan Broncos: D. Bussell (CB) out for season - Shoulder injury.
Notable Quotes
“We appreciate Coach Tom Arth’s work on behalf of our student-athletes and coaches and we wish him well moving forward.” - Charles Guthrie on dismissing head coach Tom Arth.
“He was supposed to kick it out of bounds. Kick it right on the sideline, because if you tell him to kick it out of bounds, they kick 12-yard punts, so you tell them to kick it right between the numbers and the sideline. Forty yards, four-second hang time, outside the numbers – that’s the design of it. He got a hold of it. It was like a 50-yard punt right down the middle, and we just have to recover at that point.” - Tim Lester on kicking a few punts right at Pimpleton who returned 2 of them for TDs in their loss to CMU in their last game.
Starting Lineups
Akron Zips
WR Mathison, Michael
WR Qualls Jr., George
WR Mumpfield, Konata
TE Brank, Tristian
QB Nelson, Kato
RB Hester, Blake
Western Michigan Broncos
WR Skyy Moore
WR Crooms, Corey
WR Nunnelly, Bryce
TE Sherwin, Jack
QB Eleby, Kaleb
RB Tyler, Sean
Statistical Leaders
Akron Zips
Passing: Z. Gibson (846)
Rushing: J. Norrils (375)
Receiving: K. Mumpfield (562)
Touchdowns: K. Mumpfield (6)
Western Michigan Broncos
Passing: K. Eleby (2253)
Rushing: S. Tyler (690)
Receiving: S. Moore (814)
Touchdowns: L. Jefferson (10)
Coaches:
Akron Zips: Oscar Rodriguez Jr. (Interim)
Western Michigan Broncos: Tim Lester (5th season)
Amedeus Mastrangelo
About the Author:
Amedeus Mastrangelo has been heavily wagering on all sports for years and plays just about everything, including sides, totals, favorites, underdogs, against the spread, alternative spreads, first half, second half, player props, and futures. The bottom line is, if Mastrangelo can see an edge in any way shape or form, then he's going to take advantage.
