Midweek MACtion kicks off with a three-game slate on Tuesday, and we have our Eastern Michigan vs. Akron pick and prediction. While one team thrives off carnage, the other has allowed the nation’s most sacks. How will that impact each team when college football kicks off on Tuesday night?
Eastern Michigan vs. Akron Betting Preview
- Spread
Eastern Michigan (-7.5) - Moneyline
Eastern Michigan (-285); Akron (+240) - Over/Under
56 points - Game time
7 p.m. ET - Location
InfoCision Stadium, Akron, OH - Predicted weather at kickoff
53 degrees, clear, 6-7 mph winds - How to watch
fuboTV
Top DFS Picks and Fantasy Plays
- QB DJ Irons, Akron ($9,500)
- QB Taylor Powell, Eastern Michigan ($8,000)
- QB Austin Smith, Eastern Michigan ($8,000)
- RB Samson Evans, Eastern Michigan ($9,500)
- RB Clyde Price III, Akron ($6,700)
- RB Cam Wiley, Akron ($5,500)
- RB Jaylon Jackson, Eastern Michigan ($5,400)
- RB Darius Boone Jr., Eastern Michigan ($5,000)
- WR Alex Adams, Akron ($8,500)
- WR Shocky Jacques-Louis, Akron ($7,800)
- WR Tanner Knue, Eastern Michigan ($7,700)
- WR Hassan Beydoun, Eastern Michigan ($6,400)
- WR Darius Lassiter, Eastern Michigan ($5,800)
- WR Daniel George, Akron ($5,700)
- WR Dylan Drummond, Eastern Michigan ($5,400)
- TE Tristian Bank, Akron ($5,400)
- TE Gunnar Oakes, Eastern Michigan ($5,100)
- TE TJ Banks, Akron ($5,000)
Given the fact that Akron has scored just 20 offensive touchdowns through nine games this year, the chances of you finding success with loading your DFS lineups with Zips are slim to none. QB DJ Irons is always an intriguing option with his dual-threat ability, but there are better quarterbacks in play on Tuesday night.
The same could be said for EMU QB Taylor Powell. When Powell gets rolling, he’s hard to stop. However, he hasn’t really gotten rolling since a dominant outing against Western Michigan in Week 6.
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The real play here is EMU RB Samson Evans and his 10 total touchdowns this year. Evans is averaging just five yards per carry and should be gifted plenty of scoring opportunities in this game with how bad Akron’s offense has been this year.
Evans is in line for the goal-line touches against Akron, and that’s imperative because Akron allows a rushing touchdown on 51.16% of red-zone attempts this year. That’s a staggeringly high figure when the national average of rushing touchdowns allowed in red-zone scoring percentage is just 33%.
Buy Evans at his high price tag, it’ll be worth it.
Prediction for Eastern Michigan vs. Akron
Somehow, the Akron Zips are still averaging 363.1 yards per game on offense. That is while allowing the most sacks of any team in the country, by far. Akron’s pass protection has been abhorrent this year, and DJ Irons hasn’t made their lives any easier with some questionable pocket work.
On the flip side, EMU’s pass rush has been nearly as bad as Akron’s pass protection. Well, at least as a team. The Eagles have accumulated just 14 total sacks, the second-lowest total in the MAC and the 103rd-ranked figure nationwide.
However, Jose Ramirez has been a revelation. Of those 14 sacks, Ramirez has eight sacks. While we can expect the EMU pass rush to get home with a few more plays in the backfield than normal, Ramirez is set up for one of the more favorable matchups in college football this weekend.
What sets this matchup apart is the fact that Ramirez is a dominant athlete. Not only can he get after the quarterback, but he has the athleticism to continue chasing down Irons if he breaks contain. Given the fact that Irons has seen the majority of his success when he’s kept clean, the recipe to keep the Zips off the scoreboard is simple: pressure Irons and force turnovers.
Ramirez has a Team of the Week-worthy performance, and the EMU defense does enough to set Taylor Powell and Co. up for success with short fields and easy scoring opportunities.
Prediction: Eastern Michigan 27, Akron 17