Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Holiday Bowl

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The Minnesota Golden Gophers take on the Washington State Cougars on Tuesday, December 27, 2016 in the Holiday Bowl. The opening line for this game has Washington State as 5.5 point favorites. This season the Golden Gophers are 4-5-3 against the spread and their over/under record is 6-6-0. The Cougars have an over/under record of 7-4-1 and they are 6-6-0 against the spread.

Mitch Leidner finished with 158 yards through the air for Minnesota in his last game. He completed 9 passes out of 26 attempts for a 35% completion percentage. The Golden Gophers were led in rushing by Mitch Leidner, who finished with 46 yards on 16 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 3 yards per carry. Drew Wolitarsky was the team leader in receiving with a total of 76 yards and 4 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 19 yards per reception. As a team in that game Minnesota got a total of 18 first downs. Of those first downs, 9 came on the ground while 7 came through the air. They ran 64 total plays for 286 yards for the game. The Golden Gophers ran for 128 yards on 38 attempts.

Luke Falk finished with 269 yards passing for Washington State in his last contest. He went 33 for 50, resulting in a 66% completion percentage. The Cougars were led on the ground by James Williams, who finished with 42 yards on 12 carries. He ended the game with an average of 4 yards per rush. Gabe Marks led the team in receiving with 112 yards and 11 catches. He finished the game with an average of 10 yards per reception. Washington State had 18 first downs total. 3 came from running the ball and 13 came from a pass. They ran 74 total plays for 334 yards for the contest. The Cougars ran for 65 yards on 24 carries as a team.

Minnesota scores 30.3 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 59th in Division 1. In the passing department, they average 14.2 passes on 25.7 attempts for a 55.2 percent completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 177.3 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 108th in college football. The Golden Gophers run for an average of 186.4 yards per game on 43.1 attempts for an average of 4.3 yards per carry. That ranks them 54th in the nation. They also run 68.8 plays per contest and average 5.3 yards per play for an average of 363.8 yards per game, ranking their offense 106th overall this season. The Golden Gophers average 19.4 first downs per game which ranks them 101st in the country. They accumulate 56.5 penalty yards per game via 6.5 penalties, which ranks 56th in the nation.

Minnesota allows 228.2 passing yards per game, ranking 68th in D-1, and they allow 22.9 points per contest on defense, which ranks 32nd. They give up 20.3 completions on 36.3 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 56. The Golden Gophers allow 124.4 rushing yards per game on 35.8 carries for an average of 3.5 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 19th in the country. Minnesota allows 352.6 total yards per game including 4.9 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 23rd in terms of yards per game. They force 2 turnovers per contest and get flagged for 4.5 penalties for 40.9 yards per game, ranking them 16th among D-1 teams.

Washington State averages 40.3 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 14th in the country. In the passing department, they complete 36.4 passes per game on 51.1 attempts for a 71.3 percent completion percentage. They throw for 370.8 yards through the air per game, ranking them 2nd in Division 1. The Cougars run for an average of 128 yards per game on 28.1 attempts for an average of 4.6 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 114th on the ground. They also run 79.2 plays per game and average 6.3 yards per play for a total of 498.8 yards per game, ranking them 15th in the country on offense. The Cougars get an average of 27 first downs per game, which ranks 4th in the nation. They average 70 penalty yards per game via 8 penalties, ranking them 8th in college football.

Washington State allows an average of 283.6 passing yards per game, which ranks 121st in Division 1. Their defense overall allows 27.2 points per contest, which has them ranked 56th in the nation. They give up 22.3 completions on 35.4 attempts for a completion percentage of 62.8 per game. The Cougars allow 133.3 rushing yards per contest on 32.2 carries for a 4.1 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 30th in the country. Washington State allows 416.8 total yards per game for an average of 6.2 yards per play, which ranks 69th in D-1. They force 1.8 turnovers per contest and 7.3 penalties for 73.6 yards in each contest, ranking 127th in the nation.

Minnesota Betting Trends

Minnesota is 6-6-0 against the over/under this season

Minnesota has an ATS record of 4-5-3 this season

Washington State Betting Trends

Washington State is 7-4-1 against the over/under this season

Washington State has an ATS record of 6-6-0 this season

Injuries to Watch

Minnesota

11/19/16 OL Jared Weyler Tricep out for season
11/08/16 LB Cody Poock Shoulder out for season
11/02/16 WR Brian Smith Dismissed dismissed from team
10/25/16 TE Brandon Lingen Foot out for season
10/22/16 DE Tamarion Johnson Legal problems expected to redshirt
09/26/16 S Ace Rogers Knee out for season

Washington State

12/04/16 LB Isaac Dotson Undisclosed "?" Tuesday vs. Minnesota U
11/15/16 WR River Cracraft Knee out for season
10/11/16 LB Logan Tago Legal problems out indefinitely

Tony's Pick: Take Washington State -5.5

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