Saturday, October 1, 2016

Beaver Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The Minnesota Golden Gophers take on the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday, October 1, 2016 at Beaver Stadium. The opening line for this game has Penn State as 4 point favorites. This season the Golden Gophers are 1-2-0 against the spread and their over/under record is 1-2-0. The Nittany Lions have an over/under record of 4-0-0 and they are 1-3-0 against the spread.

Mitch Leidner finished with 174 yards through the air for Minnesota last week. He completed 16 passes out of 20 attempts for a 80% completion percentage. The Golden Gophers were led in rushing by Rodney Smith, who finished with 99 yards on 17 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 6 yards per carry. Drew Wolitarsky was the team leader in receiving with a total of 74 yards and 5 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 15 yards per reception. As a team in that game Minnesota got a total of 21 first downs. Of those first downs, 10 came on the ground while 10 came through the air. They ran 65 total plays for 417 yards for the game. The Golden Gophers ran for 243 yards on 45 attempts.

Trace McSorley finished with 121 yards passing for Penn State last week. He went 16 for 27, resulting in a 59% completion percentage. The Nittany Lions were led on the ground by Saquon Barkley, who finished with 59 yards on 15 carries. He ended the game with an average of 4 yards per rush. Saquon Barkley led the team in receiving with 77 yards and 5 catches. He finished the game with an average of 15 yards per reception. Penn State had 12 first downs total. 3 came from running the ball and 6 came from a pass. They ran 55 total plays for 199 yards for the contest. The Nittany Lions ran for 78 yards on 28 carries as a team.

Minnesota scores 39.7 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 33rd in Division 1. In the passing department, they average 16.7 passes on 26.3 attempts for a 63.3 percent completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 201.7 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 95th in college football. The Golden Gophers run for an average of 228.3 yards per game on 45.3 attempts for an average of 5 yards per carry. That ranks them 31st in the nation. They also run 71.7 plays per contest and average 6 yards per play for an average of 430 yards per game, ranking their offense 64th overall this season. The Golden Gophers average 24.3 first downs per game which ranks them 33rd in the country. They accumulate 73.3 penalty yards per game via 9 penalties, which ranks 22nd in the nation.

Minnesota allows 228.7 passing yards per game, ranking 68th in D-1, and they allow 25 points per contest on defense, which ranks 57th. They give up 20.7 completions on 36 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 57.4. The Golden Gophers allow 118.7 rushing yards per game on 38.3 carries for an average of 3.1 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 34th in the country. Minnesota allows 347.3 total yards per game including 4.7 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 36th in terms of yards per game. They force 1.7 turnovers per contest and get flagged for 3.7 penalties for 36.7 yards per game, ranking them 10th among D-1 teams.

Penn State averages 29 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 73rd in the country. In the passing department, they complete 18.5 passes per game on 29.3 attempts for a 63.2 percent completion percentage. They throw for 237.3 yards through the air per game, ranking them 67th in Division 1. The Nittany Lions run for an average of 103.3 yards per game on 33.5 attempts for an average of 3.1 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 122nd on the ground. They also run 62.8 plays per game and average 5.4 yards per play for a total of 340.5 yards per game, ranking them 111th in the country on offense. The Nittany Lions get an average of 18.3 first downs per game, which ranks 105th in the nation. They average 41.3 penalty yards per game via 4.5 penalties, ranking them 114th in college football.

Penn State allows an average of 173.8 passing yards yards per game, which ranks 20th in Division 1. Their defense overall allows 32.8 points per contest, which has them ranked 99th in the nation. They give up 17.8 completions on 28 attempts for a completion percentage of 63.4 per game. The Nittany Lions allow 213.8 rushing yards per contest on 43.5 carries for a 4.9 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 104th in the country. Penn State allows 387.5 total yards per game for an average of 5.4 yards per play, which ranks 68th in D-1. They force 1.5 turnovers per contest and 9 penalties for 81 yards in each contest, ranking 123rd in the nation.

Minnesota Betting Trends

Minnesota is 1-2-0 against the over/under this season

Minnesota has an ATS record of 1-2-0 this season

Penn State Betting Trends

Penn State is 4-0-0 against the over/under this season

Penn State has an ATS record of 1-3-0 this season

Injuries to Watch

Minnesota

09/25/16 DB Ace Rogers Knee "?" Saturday vs. Penn State
09/25/16 LB Carter Coughlin Undisclosed "?" Saturday vs. Penn State
09/25/16 OL Chad Fahning Undisclosed "?" Saturday vs. Penn State
09/25/16 DB Dior Johnson Suspension "?" Saturday vs. Penn State
09/25/16 DB KiAnte Hardin Suspension "?" Saturday vs. Penn State
09/25/16 LB Nick Rallis Elbow "?" Saturday vs. Penn State
09/25/16 DB Ray Buford Suspension "?" Saturday vs. Penn State
09/25/16 DL Tamarion Johnson Suspension "?" Saturday vs. Penn State
09/25/16 OL Vincent Calhoun Toe "?" Saturday vs. Penn State
09/05/16 WR Rashad Still Shoulder expected to miss 3-4 weeks

Penn State

09/25/16 LB Brandon Bell Knee "?" Saturday vs. Minnesota U
09/25/16 DE Evan Schwan Leg "?" Saturday vs. Minnesota U
09/25/16 CB Grant Haley Undisclosed "?" Saturday vs. Minnesota U
09/25/16 LB Jason Cabinda Wrist "?" Saturday vs. Minnesota U
09/25/16 WR Saeed Blacknall Undisclosed "?" Saturday vs. Minnesota U
09/24/16 TE Nick Bowers Undisclosed out for season
09/20/16 LB Nyeem Wartman-White Knee out for season

Guy's Pick: Take Penn State

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