Eastern Michigan heads south this weekend to face a Bowling Green team hungry for its first Mid-American Conference victory. The Eagles chased but never caught Ball State, falling 38-31 to the Cardinals at home last Saturday.
Will Eastern spark enough momentum for a win on the road?
Eastern Michigan at Bowling Green: NCAA Week 8 Football Odds
Early odds predict Eastern Michigan by a field goal
Michigan sportsbooks are predicting a close win for Eastern Michigan over Bowling Green, with opening lines giving the Falcons 3 to 3.5 points.
As of late Monday evening, DraftKings Sportsbook and Caesars Sportsbook served up the same odds for the game, with Eastern giving 3 points and an over/under of 49.
Both sportsbooks offered a moneyline of -160 for Eastern and +140 for Bowling Green.
BetRivers Sportsbook varied by just a half-point, giving Bowling Green 3.5 points and predicting an o/u of 49.5. The moneyline range was -165 and +135.
Eastern is 2-5 against the spread this season, while Bowling Green is an impressive 5-1-1 in comparison with the number.
The Eagles are 1-2 on the road this year, while the Falcons are 1-2 at home.
How to watch: Eastern Michigan Eagles at Bowling Green Falcons
- Who: Eastern Michigan (4-3, 1-2 MAC) at Bowling Green (2-5, 0-3)
- When: Noon ET, Saturday
- Where: Doyt Perry Stadium, Bowling Green, Ohio
- Online livestream: ESPN+ (Announcers: Jason Ross, Forrest Connoly)
- Radio: 89.1 WEMU-FM
Late interception seals Eastern’s fate against Ball State
Ball State jumped to an early 14-0 lead and Eastern trailed all four quarters in the 38-31 loss in Ypsilanti.
Eastern opened the second quarter with a two-yard touchdown run from Darius Boone Jr., then forced the Cardinals to punt, but they couldn’t cash in. The ensuing drive opened with an interception from Ben Bryant.
The Eagles clawed to within three just before the half after Boone capped a 15-play, 75-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 17-14. But it just wasn’t enough.
Bryant finished 35-for-48 and threw for 331 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
Jawon Hamilton had eight carries for 40 yards. Samson Evans had six carries for 22 yards and a touchdown.
Dylan Drummond caught the sole touchdown pass for the Eagles, a 41-yarder. He finished with 105 yards on seven catches.
Hassan Beydoun added 81 yards on 12 catches.
The Ball State game marked three in a row with Eastern scoring just one passing touchdown — the Eagles last scored more than once through the air at Northern Illinois, a 27-20 loss in Week 5.
Bowling Green looks to snap three-game skid
The Falcons have yet to beat a conference opponent and last won a game on Sept. 25 when they beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers 14-10.
Last week, Bowling Green fell to Northern Illinois 34-26 on the road.
The Huskies gained 319 yards on the ground against the Falcons, including 210 to freshman running back Jay Ducker, who became the first Northern Illinois player to rush for 200 yards in a game since 2013.
Senior quarterback Matt McDonald completed just 16 passes on 41 tries, throwing for 235 yards and a touchdown. McDonald led the team in rushing, gaining 75 yards on six carries.
Austin Osborne caught five passes for 63 yards and a touchdown. Jhaylin Embry finished with 64 yards on three carries.
Eastern needs to capitalize on Bowling Green’s struggles
Saturday marks the 40th meeting between these schools that first played each other on Oct. 22, 1919, a 10-0 Eastern win in Bowling Green.
Since then, the Falcons have dominated the series 25-13-1. But Eastern has won the past two outings, most recently a 34-31 win in Ypsilanti in 2017.
The Falcons’ overall struggles date back to 2015, the last time the school had a winning record.
