Who’s Playing
Kent State @ Northern Illinois
Current Records: Kent State 7-5; Northern Illinois 8-4
What to Know
The Northern Illinois Huskies and the Kent State Golden Flashes are set to square off in a Mid-American matchup at noon ET Dec. 4 at Ford Field. If the matchup is anything like Kent State’s 52-47 victory from their previous meeting in November, the scorekeeper will be kept real busy.
It looks like the Huskies got the smaller half of the wishbone at Thanksgiving dinner. They suffered a grim 42-21 defeat to the Western Michigan Broncos last Tuesday. NIU was in a tough position by the half, with the score already sitting at 28-7. Their defeat shouldn’t obscure the performances of RB Antario Brown, who punched in two rushing touchdowns, and RB Clint Ratkovich, who punched in one rushing touchdown. That touchdown — a 96-yard rush in the second quarter — was one of the highlights of the game.
Meanwhile, it was all tied up 41-41 between the Golden Flashes and the Miami (OH) RedHawks going into overtime last week, but Kent State pulled a 48-47 win out of their hat in the final minutes. Yes, you read that final score correctly. And yes, they were playing football. RB Xavier Williams had a stellar game for Kent State as he rushed for two TDs and 168 yards on 13 carries. Williams put himself on the highlight reel with a 79-yard TD scramble in the third quarter. Williams’ sharp performance set his single-game rushing touchdown high for the season.
NIU is expected to lose this next one by 4. Those burned by picking them against the spread two weeks ago might want to keep in mind that the team has not yet dropped back-to-back games against the spread this season.
The Huskies are now 8-4 while the Golden Flashes sit at 7-5. A pair of defensive numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: NIU is 236th worst in the nation in rushing touchdowns allowed, with 30 on the season. Kent State is completely their equal: they are stumbling into the contest with the 236th most rushing touchdowns allowed in the nation, having given up 30 on the season. It’s possible one of these Achilles’ heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
How To Watch
- When: Saturday at 12 p.m. ET
- Where: Ford Field — Detroit, Michigan
- TV: ESPN
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
Odds
The Golden Flashes are a 4-point favorite against the Huskies, according to the latest college football odds.
The line has drifted a bit towards the Golden Flashes, as the game opened with the Golden Flashes as a 2-point favorite.
Over/Under: -110
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Series History
Northern Illinois have won two out of their last three games against Kent State.
- Nov 03, 2021 – Kent State 52 vs. Northern Illinois 47
- Oct 07, 2017 – Northern Illinois 24 vs. Kent State 3
- Nov 25, 2016 – Northern Illinois 31 vs. Kent State 21
