Northern Illinois Huskies vs Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 2021 Cure Bowl Pick

In our second of 41 bowl games, we offer our Northern Illinois vs Coastal Carolina prediction for the 2021 Cure Bowl. Remember, Sports Betting Smarts is picking every college football bowl of 2021-22.. The Northern Illinois Huskies (9-4) finished first in the MAC West with a 6-2 conference record. The Huskies beat Kent State 41-23 for the MAC title. The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (10-2) were 6-2 in the Sun Belt Conference, finishing tied for second in the West. The Chanticleers are favored at -10.5 (-112), while the underdog Huskies can be found at +10.5 (-108). The over/under is a hefty 63.0. The over can be bet at -102 and the under is at -119.

The Cure Bowl will be played at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, FL. The game, which will be broadcast on ESPN2, will kick off at 6:00 pm ET on Friday, December 17, 2021. The weather at game time will be mostly clear with temperatures in the high 70s. Winds will be from the E at 7 mph with gusts up to 14 mph. After reading this pick, please see our 2021 Bahamas Bowl prediction for Friday, December 17. That game kicks off the bowl season at 12:00 pm ET.

Huskies vs Chanticleers Pick - Stats

The Chanticleers top the Huskies in some important statistical categories. Our Northern Illinois vs Coastal Carolina prediction observes that the Chanticleers are averaging 40.4 PPG while the Huskies are scoring 31.5 PPG. In terms of offensive yards, Coastal Carolina tops NIU 493.1-to-422.2 with the specific discrepancy being in passing yards (261.8-187.8). On the other hand, both teams are averaging about 230 ground yards per game.

On defense, Coastal Carolina is stingier, allowing 20.0 PPG to Northern Illinois’ 32.7 PPG. Plus, the Chanticleer defense is allowing opponents 125 fewer yards per game (325.0-447.8). Specifically, Coastal Carolina is better versus the run (133.9-215.7) and pass (191.1-232.1). Two important plusses for the Chanticleers are offensive third-down conversions (54.1%-37.6%) and average yards per pass attempt (10.6-7.6).

Northern Illinois vs Coastal Carolina Prediction - Key Players

An important factor in this Cure Bowl matchup is the fact that NIU’s offernse is primarily run-based, while the Chanticleer offense is much more balanced. Northern Illinois QB Rocky Lombardi has completed 58.1 percent of his passes for 13 TDs and 2,416 yards. He’s tossed eight picks and been sacked eight times. Wideout Trayvon Rudolph (49 REC, 877 YDs, 7 TDs) is his primary target. The rush attack is deep and includes Jay Ducker (194 ATT, 1,038 YDs, 3 TDs), Harrison Waylee (101 ATT, 574 YDs, 4 TDs), and Clint Ratkovich (12 TDs)

For the Chanticleers, QB Grayson McCall (73.0 COMP%, 2,558 YDs, 23 TDs, 3 INTs, 14 SCKs) is a powerful pocket passer. His receiving corps is deep and includes wideouts Jaivon Heiligh (33 REC, 567 YDs, 5 TDs) and Kameron Brown (59 REC, 1,034 YDs, 7 TDs) and tight end Isaiah Likely (52 REC, 816 YDs, 10 TDs). The rush attack includes three players who have totaled 25 scores. Shermari Jones leads the contingent with 151 carries, 988 YDs, and 13 TDs.

Defense

For NIU, safety C.J. Brown leads the club with 103 tackles and corner Jordan Gandy tops the defense with 10 PD. On defense for Coastal Carolina, tackle Josaiah Stewart (12.5 SCKs 3 FF), LB Silas Kelly, (95 TCKLs, 2.5 SCKs, 2 PD, 1 INT) and safety Alex Spillum (5 PD, 2 INTs) anchor their respective units.

Our Northern Illinois vs Coastal Carolina Prediction

We find that the Chanticleers are better on both sides of the ball and in virtually all aspects of offense and defense. When we weigh everything, our Northern Illinois vs Coastal Carolina prediction is the Chanticleers at -10.5. In addition, we envision Coastal Carolina scoring about 42 points and the Huskies putting up around 17. With that, we like the under at 63.0.

2021 Cure Bowl - Northern Illinois vs Coastal Carolina Summary

Spread - Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at -10.5 (-110)

Over/Under - Under 63.0 (-119)