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Coastal Carolina vs NIU Cure Bowl Odds, Picks and Predictions

John Perrotto

by John Perrotto in College Football

Updated Dec 15, 2021 · 6:50 AM PST

Coastal RB Shemari Jones
Coastal Carolina running back Shermari Jones (5) walks into the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown against Georgia State during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, in Conway, S.C. (AP Photo/Artie Walker, Jr.)
  • Coastal Carolina is a 10.5-point favorite over Northern Illinois in the Cure Bowl
  • Northern Illinois defeated Kent State in the Mid-American Conference Championship Game
  • A look at the odds and matchups can be found below with a prediction

Coastal Carolina will get a shot at redemption when it plays Northern Illinois in the Cure Bowl at 6:00 p.m. ET Friday at Exploria Stadium in Orlando. Coastal Carolina’s bid for an undefeated season in 2020 ended in the Cure Bowl with an overtime loss to Liberty. It was the Chanticleers’ first bowl game at the FBS level.

Coastal Carolina (10-2) enters this year’s game coming off back-to-back wins. Northern Illinois (9-4) has won three of its last four games, including beating Kent State 41-23 in the Mid-American Conference championship game.

Coastal Carolina is a double-digit favorite in a game that will be televised by ESPN2.

Coastal Carolina vs Northern Illinois Odds

Team Moneyline Spread Total
Coastal Carolina -430 -10.5 (-110) Over 63.5 (-110)
Northern Illinois +320 +10.5 (-110) Under 63.5 (-110)

Odds as of December 15th at FanDuel.

Coastal Carolina opened as a 9.5-point favorite and the line has gone up. The weather forecast calls for a low of 66 degrees and wind from the east at 5 mph.

Coastal Carolina Outlook

Coastal Carolina was ranked for 11 consecutive weeks to start the season, reaching as high as #14, before falling out of the polls after losing to Georgia State 42-40 on Nov. 13th. The Chanticleers bounced back to finish the regular season with wins over Texas State (35-21) and South Alabama (27-21).

Coastal Carolina beat South Alabama in overtime as quarterback Grayson McCall ran untouched 25 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the extra session. Linebacker Silas Kelly sacked South Alabama’s Jake Bentley to seal the victory.

McCall has had an outstanding season, though he missed two games with an upper body injury. The sophomore has completed 73% of his passes for 2,558 yards and 23 touchdowns while being intercepted three times in 211 attempts.

As evidenced by his winning score against South Alabama, McCall is a threat to run. He has 250 yards and four TDs on the ground.

Down 21-14, Coastal Carolina drove 82 yards in 10 plays to score the tying touchdown with 39 seconds left in regulation. Backup quarterback Bryce Carpenter ran 2 yards for the TD. Carpenter gives the Chanticleers a second threat at QB. He has passed for 483 yards and four scores and rushed for 217 yards and three touchdowns.

In addition to his game-sealing sack, Kelly finished with eight tackles and had an interception at the Coastal Carolina 5-yard line.

Shermari Jones scored on a 75-yard run and finished with 211 yards on 23 carries. He is 12 yards away from 1,000 for the season.

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Northern Illinois Outlook

Winning the MAC title has made for a stunning turnaround for Northern Illinois after going 0-6 in the pandemic-shorted 2020 season.

Quarterback Rocky Lombardi, a transfer from Michigan State, has helped steady a young roster. He has passed for 2,388 yards and 13 touchdowns and added 407 yards and eight scores on the ground.

Lombardi had three TD runs against Kent State in the MAC title game. Jay Ducker rushed for 146 yards on 29 carries to push his season yardage total to 1,038.

The Huskies have a roster that includes 75 players who finished high school in 2020 or 2021.

According to the Northern Illinois sports information department, the Huskies have the second-youngest roster among the 130 FBS teams. Only Navy’s roster is younger with 99 players from classes of ’20 and ’21.

Northern Illinois’ defense also came up big against Kent State, holding quarterback Dustin Crum to 128 yards passing as he completed 11 of 21 attempts and was intercepted twice. Crum was the MAC MVP in the regular season.

Safety C.J. Brown returned one of the picks 26 yards and won defensive player of the game honors.

Northern Illinois also has a touchdown maker in running back Clint Ratkovich who has 14 total, including 12 rushing and two receiving, despite just 561 scrimmage yards.

The Huskies are 4-9 all-time in bowl games.

Coastal Carolina vs Northern Illinois Prediction

The presence of a veteran quarterback in McCall makes Coastal Carolina a substantial favorite in this matchup. However, Northern Illinois did a good job of shutting down a veteran signal caller in Kent State’s Crum and the young and talented Huskies should keep things relatively close.

  • The Pick: Northern Illinois +10.5 (-110)
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