College Football Odds, Picks, Predictions for Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion: Betting Guide To Zappe Hour!

Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion Odds

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers own one of the most electric offenses in college football, but it hasn’t resulted in wins. The Hilltoppers average over 40 points and 550 yards of total offense, yet own a record of 1-4.

WKU has had some brutal beats that include a two-point loss to Indiana, a three-point loss to Army and a six-point defeat to UTSA last week.

WKU travels to Virginia to battle an Old Dominion program that is looking for its first win against an FBS opponent in over 1,000 days, since Nov. 10, 2018 against North Texas.

Old Dominion has been inching closer to a victory after suffering back-to-back seven-point defeats against UTEP and Marshall.

The Monarchs will need to find some offensive firepower to keep up with the high-flying Western Kentucky offense.

Saturday, Oct. 16

3:30 p.m. ET

ESPN3

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Western Kentucky Offense

The 2020 Houston Baptist air-raid attack has found a new home in Western Kentucky.

Offensive Coordinator Zach Kittley joined the Hilltoppers in the offseason and brought along quarterback Bailey Zappe, who has been a game-changer for this program.

Zappe leads the nation in passing yards per game (447) and has thrown 21 touchdowns to three interceptions. He’s completed 70% of his 243 passes while averaging 9.2 yards per attempt. Zappe is on pace to throw for over 5,000 yards if he continues to light up defenses at this rate.

Wide receiver Jerreth Sterns has been scorching defenses all season. He leads the FBS in receiving yards per game with 148 and has continued to improve his resume as one of the top receivers in the country.

The offense ranks second in the nation in passing Success Rate and Havoc created. It is also third in Pass Blocking and Explosive Plays.

Western Kentucky Defense

The defense is largely to blame for the lackluster start to Western Kentucky’s season. The Hilltoppers have allowed 38 points and 480 yards of total offense per game

The front seven has been unable to stop the run, ranking 127th in rushing Success Rate. WKU has allowed 4.8 yards per attempt and over 210 rushing yards per game. The backend hasn’t been much better, giving up 7.9 yards per pass attempt.

The Western Kentucky defense was on the field for 12 drives against UTSA. Eight of them resulted in scoring drives, seven of which were touchdowns through the air. The Hilltoppers allowed 32 first downs and 564 yards of total offense in that game.

WKU owns the 130th ranked third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert on 54% of attempts.

This is a defense that can’t be saved, but it will need the offense to outscore opponents in a shootout if it wants to find more wins.

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Old Dominion Monarchs

Old Dominion Offense

Junior quarterback D.J. Mack Jr. has been anything but efficient for the Monarchs this season, completing just 52% of his pass attempts while averaging only 5.1 yards per attempt. Mack has thrown for five touchdowns to seven interceptions this season.

Old Dominion ranks 111th in Passing Success Rate and 104th in Pass Blocking.

The Monarchs have found better success running the ball at 4.2 yards per carry.

The Monarchs have a slew of ball carriers, including Mack, who have over 50 rushing attempts this season. The group ranks 60th in Rushing Success Rate and has found the end zone 10 times on the ground.

The offense averages nearly 100 yards more rushing per game than it does through the air. The Monarchs haven’t found much explosive plays to date, but that should change against the putrid Western Kentucky defense.

Old Dominion Defense

Old Dominion has allowed 30 points per game despite only letting up an average of 330 yards of total offense.

The Monarchs have been strong against the run, allowing 3.4 yards per carry. That won’t be too helpful in this matchup, though, since Western Kentucky throws the ball nearly 50 times per game. The Old Dominion pass defense has been mediocre, allowing 7.9 yards per attempts and ranking 43rd in Success Rate.

ODU ranks 107th in the country in allowing teams to convert on third downs. It has shown an inability to get after the quarterback, ranking 124th in Pass Rush. They’ve totaled only 2.0 sacks per game and will be in trouble if they allow Zappe to get into a groove.

Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion Matchup Analysis

Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Western Kentucky and Old Dominion match up statistically:

Western Kentucky Offense vs. Old Dominion Defense

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Rush Success	92	38
Line Yards	18	66
Pass Success	2	63
Pass Blocking**	3	124
Big Play	3	28
Havoc	2	—
Finishing Drives	24	101
** Pass Blocking (Off.) vs. Pass Rush (Def.)

Old Dominion Offense vs. Western Kentucky Defense

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Rush Success	60	127
Line Yards	82	113
Pass Success	111	99
Pass Blocking**	104	87
Big Play	129	103
Havoc	—	119
Finishing Drives	72	124
** Pass Blocking (Off.) vs. Pass Rush (Def.)

Pace of Play / Other

PFF Tackling	88	88
Coverage	102	93
Middle 8	57	114
SP+ Special Teams	29	97
Plays per Minute	5	27
Rush Rate	32.7% (129)	57.1% (53)

Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion Betting Pick

These two offenses both want to play at a fast pace. Western Kentucky ranks fifth in the nation in Plays per Minute while Old Dominion sits at 27th.

The Hilltoppers rank 129th in the nation in Rush Rate as they throw the ball on 67% of plays. They constantly are pressuring defenses and pushing the ball downfield.

Zappe and the electric WKU passing attack forces teams into a shootout. The No. 1 passing unit will continue to thrive in this matchup as Old Dominion will have no answer for slowing down Sterns.

Old Dominion’s offense hasn’t been great to this point, but it will find success against the Western Kentucky defense. The Hilltoppers rank 111th in passing yards and 120th in rushing yards allowed per game. Mack will be able to create plays both with his arm and legs in this matchup.

Both teams rank outside the top-100 in defensive third-down percentage and the chains will consistently be moving.

I’m playing the over at 66 in a game, where punting will not be a common occurrence.

Pick: Over 66 (Play up to 67)

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