San Diego State football: 3 bold predictions for Northern Illinois game

2. Christian Chapman will have a big game passing

Instead, it will be up to San Diego State quarterback Christian Chapman to beat the Huskies on Saturday night. The veteran quarterback has been efficient this season when called upon to pass the ball. He simply hasn’t been required to throw much thanks to Penny’s prolific performances. This week could be different if the NIU defense manages to bottle up Penny.

Through four games, Chapman is averaging just 165 passing yards per game. But he is completing two-thirds of his passes so far for the Aztecs, and he will finally crack a Northern Illinois defense that is ranked among the top 10 nationally in opponent passing efficiency. They are giving up over 200 yards per game through the air, and this time around that number could be even higher.

Chapman will be forced to win the game with his arm, and he will deliver in a late-night thriller. For the first time this season, Chapman will end the game with more than 30 attempts. He will complete at least 20 of those throws for nearly 300 yards and a trio of touchdown passes. Even though he is likely to be sacked a few times, it won’t matter as he finds Mikah Holder and his other receivers for the biggest statistical game of his career.