Saturday, October 29, 2016

Ohio Stadium

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The Northwestern Wildcats take on the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, October 29, 2016 at Ohio Stadium. The opening line for this game has Ohio State as 24 point favorites. This season the Wildcats are 4-3-0 against the spread and their over/under record is 2-5-0. The Buckeyes have an over/under record of 3-4-0 and they are 4-3-0 against the spread.

Clayton Thorson finished with 285 yards through the air for Northwestern last week. He completed 24 passes out of 43 attempts for a 56% completion percentage. The Wildcats were led in rushing by Justin Jackson, who finished with 94 yards on 28 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 3 yards per carry. Austin Carr was the team leader in receiving with a total of 125 yards and 7 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 18 yards per reception. As a team in that game Northwestern got a total of 26 first downs. Of those first downs, 8 came on the ground while 16 came through the air. They ran 88 total plays for 408 yards for the game. The Wildcats ran for 123 yards on 44 attempts.

J.T. Barrett finished with 245 yards passing for Ohio State last week. He went 28 for 43, resulting in a 65% completion percentage. The Buckeyes were led on the ground by Mike Weber, who finished with 71 yards on 21 carries. He ended the game with an average of 3 yards per rush. Curtis Samuel led the team in receiving with 68 yards and 8 catches. He finished the game with an average of 9 yards per reception. Ohio State had 19 first downs total. 9 came from running the ball and 9 came from a pass. They ran 83 total plays for 413 yards for the contest. The Buckeyes ran for 168 yards on 40 carries as a team.

Northwestern scores 25.9 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 87th in Division 1. In the passing department, they average 20.6 passes on 35.6 attempts for a 57.8 percent completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 241.1 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 52nd in college football. The Wildcats run for an average of 137.4 yards per game on 39.3 attempts for an average of 3.5 yards per carry. That ranks them 106th in the nation. They also run 74.9 plays per contest and average 5.1 yards per play for an average of 378.6 yards per game, ranking their offense 94th overall this season. The Wildcats average 21.1 first downs per game which ranks them 71st in the country. They accumulate 33.7 penalty yards per game via 4 penalties, which ranks 122nd in the nation.

Northwestern allows 282.4 passing yards per game, ranking 111th in D-1, and they allow 21.9 points per contest on defense, which ranks 34th. They give up 26 completions on 40.4 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 64.3. The Wildcats allow 132 rushing yards per game on 35.7 carries for an average of 3.7 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 33rd in the country. Northwestern allows 414.4 total yards per game including 5.4 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 72nd in terms of yards per game. They force 1.6 turnovers per contest and get flagged for 5.6 penalties for 57.1 yards per game, ranking them 78th among D-1 teams.

Ohio State averages 45.3 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 5th in the country. In the passing department, they complete 19.1 passes per game on 30 attempts for a 63.8 percent completion percentage. They throw for 220.1 yards through the air per game, ranking them 80th in Division 1. The Buckeyes run for an average of 281.6 yards per game on 48.4 attempts for an average of 5.8 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 8th on the ground. They also run 78.4 plays per game and average 6.4 yards per play for a total of 501.7 yards per game, ranking them 13th in the country on offense. The Buckeyes get an average of 25 first downs per game, which ranks 18th in the nation. They average 62.9 penalty yards per game via 8 penalties, ranking them 38th in college football.

Ohio State allows an average of 158.7 passing yards per game, which ranks 5th in Division 1. Their defense overall allows 14.4 points per contest, which has them ranked 5th in the nation. They give up 13.4 completions on 29 attempts for a completion percentage of 46.3 per game. The Buckeyes allow 121.1 rushing yards per contest on 37.3 carries for a 3.2 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 24th in the country. Ohio State allows 279.9 total yards per game for an average of 4.2 yards per play, which ranks 5th in D-1. They force 2.1 turnovers per contest and 4 penalties for 31.4 yards in each contest, ranking 1st in the nation.

Northwestern Betting Trends

Northwestern is 2-5-0 against the over/under this season

Northwestern has an ATS record of 4-3-0 this season

Ohio State Betting Trends

Ohio State is 3-4-0 against the over/under this season

Ohio State has an ATS record of 4-3-0 this season

Injuries to Watch

Northwestern

10/24/16 QB Clayton Thorson Upper Body injured last game, probable Saturday vs. Ohio State
10/24/16 CB Matthew Harris Undisclosed has left team
09/18/16 RB Warren Long Hand expected to miss 3-4 weeks
08/19/16 DB Keith Watkins II Knee out for season

Ohio State

10/23/16 WR Corey Smith Wrist "?" Saturday vs. Northwestern
09/30/16 OL Demetrius Knox Foot expected to miss 6-8 weeks
09/26/16 WR K.J. Hill Ankle expected to miss 3-4 weeks
09/24/16 LB Justin Hilliard Undisclosed out for season
09/05/16 DL Tracy Sprinkle Leg out for season
08/31/16 DB Cam Burrows Foot out for season
08/29/16 QB Torrence Gibson Suspension out for season
08/19/16 DL Darius Slade Achilles out for season

Tony's Pick: Take Ohio State

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