Saturday, October 15, 2016

Spartan Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The Northwestern Wildcats take on the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday, October 15, 2016 at Spartan Stadium. The opening line for this game has Michigan State as 6.5 point favorites. This season the Wildcats are 2-3-0 against the spread and their over/under record is 1-4-0. The Spartans have an over/under record of 1-4-0 and they are 1-4-0 against the spread.

Clayton Thorson finished with 164 yards through the air for Northwestern last week. He completed 18 passes out of 30 attempts for a 60% completion percentage. The Wildcats were led in rushing by Justin Jackson, who finished with 171 yards on 26 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 7 yards per carry. Austin Carr was the team leader in receiving with a total of 73 yards and 6 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 12 yards per reception. As a team in that game Northwestern got a total of 20 first downs. Of those first downs, 8 came on the ground while 9 came through the air. They ran 72 total plays for 362 yards for the game. The Wildcats ran for 198 yards on 42 attempts.

Damion Terry finished with 63 yards passing for Michigan State last week. He went 6 for 10, resulting in a 60% completion percentage. The Spartans were led on the ground by Gerald Holmes, who finished with 57 yards on 15 carries. He ended the game with an average of 4 yards per rush. Josiah Price led the team in receiving with 29 yards and 2 catches. He finished the game with an average of 15 yards per reception. Michigan State had 13 first downs total. 5 came from running the ball and 7 came from a pass. They ran 53 total plays for 206 yards for the contest. The Spartans ran for 85 yards on 32 carries as a team.

Northwestern scores 20.6 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 113th in Division 1. In the passing department, they average 18.6 passes on 34 attempts for a 54.7 percent completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 224.4 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 73rd in college football. The Wildcats run for an average of 126 yards per game on 36 attempts for an average of 3.5 yards per carry. That ranks them 115th in the nation. They also run 70 plays per contest and average 5 yards per play for an average of 350.4 yards per game, ranking their offense 108th overall this season. The Wildcats average 19.2 first downs per game which ranks them 100th in the country. They accumulate 33.6 penalty yards per game via 3.6 penalties, which ranks 122nd in the nation.

Northwestern allows 246.8 passing yards per game, ranking 89th in D-1, and they allow 19.8 points per contest on defense, which ranks 25th. They give up 24 completions on 36.4 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 65.9. The Wildcats allow 157.8 rushing yards per game on 40 carries for an average of 3.9 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 65th in the country. Northwestern allows 404.6 total yards per game including 5.3 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 70th in terms of yards per game. They force 1.4 turnovers per contest and get flagged for 5.8 penalties for 62.2 yards per game, ranking them 93rd among D-1 teams.

Michigan State averages 21 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 112th in the country. In the passing department, they complete 17.2 passes per game on 28.6 attempts for a 60.1 percent completion percentage. They throw for 213 yards through the air per game, ranking them 86th in Division 1. The Spartans run for an average of 153.2 yards per game on 38.4 attempts for an average of 4 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 88th on the ground. They also run 67 plays per game and average 5.5 yards per play for a total of 366.2 yards per game, ranking them 102nd in the country on offense. The Spartans get an average of 19.2 first downs per game, which ranks 99th in the nation. They average 67.4 penalty yards per game via 6.6 penalties, ranking them 25th in college football.

Michigan State allows an average of 219.4 passing yards per game, which ranks 57th in Division 1. Their defense overall allows 25.2 points per contest, which has them ranked 53rd in the nation. They give up 17.4 completions on 30.2 attempts for a completion percentage of 57.6 per game. The Spartans allow 136.4 rushing yards per contest on 37.4 carries for a 3.6 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 41st in the country. Michigan State allows 355.8 total yards per game for an average of 5.3 yards per play, which ranks 38th in D-1. They force 1.4 turnovers per contest and 5 penalties for 47.2 yards in each contest, ranking 34th in the nation.

Northwestern Betting Trends

Northwestern is 1-4-0 against the over/under this season

Northwestern has an ATS record of 2-3-0 this season

Michigan State Betting Trends

Michigan State is 1-4-0 against the over/under this season

Michigan State has an ATS record of 1-4-0 this season

Injuries to Watch

Northwestern

10/09/16 DB Alonzo Mayo Undisclosed "?" Saturday vs. Michigan State
10/09/16 S Kyle Queiro Undisclosed "?" Saturday vs. Michigan State
10/09/16 CB Matthew Harris Concussion "?" Saturday vs. Michigan State
09/18/16 RB Warren Long Hand expected to miss 3-4 weeks
08/19/16 DB Keith Watkins II Knee out for season

Michigan State

10/09/16 G Collin Caflisch Leg "?" Saturday vs. Northwestern
10/09/16 LB Riley Bullough Shoulder "?" Saturday vs. Northwestern
10/07/16 DE Mufi Hunt Knee out indefinitely
10/04/16 DT Raequan Williams Shoulder out indefinitely
09/27/16 LB Jon Reschke Ankle out indefinitely
09/01/16 DT Enoch Smith Jr. Personal left the team

Josh's Pick: Take Michigan State

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