Central Michigan Chippewas (3-5 SU, 2-6 ATS) vs. Ball State
Cardinals (8-1 SU, 7-2 ATS)
College Football Week 11
Date and Time: Wednesday November 6, 2013 8pm EST
Where: Scheumann Stadium, Muncie IN
TV: ESPN2
by Tim, Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: CMU +19.5/BSU -19.5
Over/Under Total: 58
There must be something in the water in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan home of
the Central Michigan Chippewas? Central has enjoyed great
success but, like a gossipy wife, they just cant seem to hang on to a Head
Coach! Brian Kelly split to Cincy then jumped ship for ND. Ty Willinghamummm,
ended up at NDthen was unceremoniously dumped. Butch Jones hightailed it
to Tennessee, Jeff Quinn went 1-0 and was gonehas to be something in the
water; doesnt it? But current Head Coach Dan Enos wants to stay! Enos is
16-29 as Head Coach of Central Michigan. The bad ones always want to stay
The Ball State Cardinals are a pretty good football team sporting an 8-1 record
with their only loss coming to the Mean Green of North Texas.
According to many statistical modeling formulas, Ball State and
Northern Illinois are neck-and-neck for Top Dawg honors in the MAC.
The Cardinals have a steam-roller offense led by RB Jahwan Edwards who
is 8th in the nation in scoring with 12 TDs. Senior QB Keith Wenning
is 6th in the nation in total passing yards, tied for 5th in the
nation in passing TDs with 23, and 23rd in the nation in passing
efficiency. In case you might think Wenning is a dip-and-dunker,
Wenning is 29th in the nation in yards per completion with an average
13.39 yards per toss. Overall, Ball State is 17th in the nation in
scoring and 42nd in the country in scoring defense! Lets take a
closer look at Central Michigan to see if pleasantries are coming out
of Mt. Pleasant!
Central Michigan is a team borne on crutches. QB Cody Kater broke
his collarbone in the 59-9 Michigan put on the Chippewas in the season
opener and a litany of possible replacements has eventually landed
redshirt freshman Cooper Rush as the next piece of meat behind a
gaping-hole offensive line. RB Zurlon Tipton is finished for the
season leaving a couple of backup special teamers to run the rock as
the 102nd rushing team in the nation attests! The Chippewa defense
isnt much better securing the 92nd position in the nation in total
defense and a catatonic 106th place in the country against the run.
Chippewa Punter Richie Hogan would appear to be a beast with all the
practice hes getting caused by a horrible offense. Richie and the
rest of the broken down Punt Team are 93rd in the country in Net
Punting. Of course, applying salt into this Chippewa wound (2013
Season) may have been a torture technique used by the Dakota Plains
Indians to avert after-life vengeance, Northern Illinois QB Jordan
Lynch broke the single game rushing record against the Chippewas by
luging through the porous Central Mich. Defense for 316 yards on 32
carries and 3 TDs!
Central Michigan is bad. Head Coach Dan Enos needs to find
something hes good at earning a respectable living for himself and
his family. Central Michigan plays a very poor 4-2-5 defense and Ball
State plays a very good spread offense. Central Michigan Defense
Coordinator Rupert Pupkin (Joe Tumpkin) and his defense are in DEEP
TROUBLE this Wednesday versus Ball State. Pupkin (Tumpkin) is playing
a—more or less—Prevent Defense putting TONS of pressure on the
Linebackers (ALL 2 of them!) to make plays sideline-to-sideline. I
doubt Pupkin (Tumpkin) could use Lawrence Taylor and Ray Lewis as
stoppers with Centrals lack of pressure on the defensive line and
non-playmakers in the Chippewa secondary. Ball State is 17th in the
country in turnover margin and Central Michigan is 93rd.
Bad offense, bad defense, bad punting, numerous injuries, and bad
coaching equals a deep and unbridgeable chasm for the Chippewas. Ball
State is going to put up HUGE numbers this Wednesday—at home, on the
road, in the parking lot, or at a fish fry! Red Zone? The Cardinals
are going to visit the Red Zone more than psychiatrist for a neurotic!
Central Michigan is 87th in Red Zone defensemostly because teams
score on them from OUTSIDE the Red Zone.
Tims Pick to Cover the Point Spread: Ball State -19.5
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