Dave's Free College Football Pick ATS: 9/19/09 Iowa St. at Kent St.

Kent State (1-1) vs Iowa State (1-1)

Line: Kent State +3

Kent State comes off a difficult game against Boston College in which they lost 34-7 and looked bad doing it. The Golden Flashes looked lost on offense and racked up just 179 total yards.

The passing game has been bad and the run game, while averaging over 100 yards per game, is limping along at 2.9 yards per carry. Giorgio Morgan and Spencer Keith have both spent time under center with no real positive results obtained.

After shutting out Coastal Carolina in their week one win, Kent State gave up 34 points and 349 total yards to the Eagles in week two.

Iowa State hits the road for the first time this weekend and that is usually not a good thing for the Cyclones who have lost 17 straight as the visiting team. After defeating North Dakota State in the opener, Iowa State looked lost last week against rival Iowa. 

Iowa came into the game struggling to run the ball but left with 191 rushing yards in the game which was won by Iowa 35-3. Austen Amaud completed just 10 out of 22 passes for a miserable 79 yards.  The ball wasn't always hitting the ground as the Hawkeyes managed to intercept four of those passes.

Both teams are 0-1 against the spread. Both teams have offenses that have been less than stellar and we know quarterback play has been an issue for both teams so far this season. 

The big issue for me though is Iowa State's inability to stop the run.  Kent State is not a great run team (2.9 yards per carry) but they keep at it.  They will still run the ball 35 times a game, and against ISU, that may be effective.

There is no reason right now to believe ISU will be able to tighten up enough that the run game will be ineffective for KSU. This pick is more about what ISU can't do, verses what Kent State can to, but it thankfully leads me to a home dog.

Dave's Pick: Kent State +3

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