It will be interesting to see which team shows up for No. 19 Louisville on Saturday. The Cardinals should slaughter MAC school Kent State in the NCAAF lines but could be very flat off being crushed at home last week by Clemson to end any national title hopes. With Louisville at -42 in the College Football odds for Week 4, this is pretty much a no brainer.
How To Bet Kent State at Louisville NCAA Football Odds & TV Info
When: Saturday, Noon ET Where: Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium TV: ACC Extra Stream: WatchESPN Radio: Golden Flashes Radio (Kent State) / WHAS 840 AM (Louisville) Opening NCAAF Lines: Cards -42 (57).@KentStFootball at Marshall 9.16.17 https://t.co/R9M9RwZegV
— Kent State Athletics (@KentStAthletics) September 17, 2017
Why Bet on Kent State?
Obviously the Flashes aren’t winning this game. But, again, Louisville might not care much about this cupcake and be looking ahead to returning to ACC play and trying to save its season. KSU (1-2) comes off a 21-0 loss to Marshall. Marshall’s defense shut down Kent State’s triple-option offense, limiting the Golden Flashes to 259 total yards. The Flashes’ offense made three trips inside Marshall’s 25, but could not find the end zone. A 72-yard drive to the Herd’s nine ended on a fourth-and-one stop at the line of scrimmage. The Flashes also missed a field goal and had a pass intercepted in the end zone. The Thundering Herd led 7-0 at halftime and added two late touchdowns to pull away.How’s the Offense for the Golden Flashes?
Kent State’s offensive momentum slowed down in the first half when quarterback Nick Holley went down with an injury. It’s not clear if he will play here, but it’s unlikely after he had an MRI on Monday. Holley, who has played multiple offensive positions at Kent State, became the QB starter last season in the fourth game. Mylik Mitchell, who missed most of last season after being injured in the second game, was to be Holley’s backup this year but suffered a knee injury during preseason that has him sidelined indefinitely. George Bollas is next in line for the Golden Flashes. Bollas has played in 20 games at KSU, passing for 1,213 yards with touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has also been sacked 17 times, including three last week at Marshall.Best College Football Week 4 ATS Betting Picks
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 13.67
- Total Yards: 259.33
- Rush Yards: 185
- Passing Yards: 74.33
- Average Score Against: 36
- Total Yards: 499.34
- Rush Yards: 245.67
- Passing Yards: 253.67
Why Bet on Louisville?
The Cards are so much more talented that it might not matter if they are into this game. But they were dominated last week, 47-21 on their own field by Clemson. Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson completed 21 of his 42 pass attempts. He threw a bad interception in the third quarter and he almost had one or two other passes intercepted. And there were several throws that were just plain off. But he also accounted for 381 yards and three touchdowns and had another 48-yard run wiped out by a penalty. Without the 24 yards lost on four sacks, Jackson ran for 88 yards. He climbed to the top of the ACC record book for career rushing yards by a quarterback, boosting his career total to 2,834. He passed Georgia Tech’s Joshua Nesbitt, who previously held the mark with 2,806 yards. Jackson is third on the school’s career list for rushing yards, moving past Lenny Lyles (2,786 yards, 1954-57). Jackson is responsible for 85 career touchdowns, putting him in second and only trailing Chris Redman’s total of 87 from 1996-99.What Does Coach Say About Louisville’s Performance Against Clemson?
The most notable thing coach Bobby Petrino said in the post-game press conference was that he thought U of L was lacking confidence and verve playing against Clemson. That’s surprising considering the Cards almost beat Clemson the previous three meetings and crushed Florida State last season. “I’m not sure we have the confidence we need to win a game like that,” Petrino said. “In my history, I’ve found that if you don’t truly believe you’re going to win (and) you don’t truly believe you’re going to beat them, then things that normally don”t happen – happen. … Plays you normally make, you don’t normally believe it if you’re playing a good team, you don’t make those plays.” Kent State is one of the worst teams in the FBS, ranking 125th in total offense and 119th in total defense out of 129 teams through three games. They’re scoring 13.7 points per game and giving up 36 on average, and they have also committed the most penalties per game in the country. The Golden Flashes had the task of opening the season against Clemson. They lost, 56-3, and trailed in first downs, 34-5, and total yardage, 665-120.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 34.33
- Total Yards: 554
- Rush Yards: 191.33
- Passing Yards: 362.67
- Average Score Against: 36.67
- Total Yards: 452.67
- Rush Yards: 121.67
- Passing Yards: 331
Series History
- Total Meetings: 17
- First Meeting: September 29th, 1956. Louisville, Kentucky
- Last Meeting: September 15th, 1973. Kent, Ohio
- All-Time Series: Kent State 9-8-0
- Largest Margin of Victory: Louisville 34-0 (1972)
- Longest Win Streak: Tied at 3
- Current Win Streak: Kent State 1 (1973)
NCAAF Lines Trends for Week 4
- Kent State is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games
- Kent State is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Kent State’s last 17 games on the road
- Louisville is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
- Louisville is 17-6 SU in its last 23 games
- The total has gone OVER in 14 of Louisville’s last 21 games
