Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Pinstripe Bowl

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The Pittsburgh Panthers take on the Northwestern Wildcats on Wednesday, December 28, 2016 in the Pinstripe Bowl. The opening line for this game has Pittsburgh as 3 point favorites. This season the Panthers are 5-7-0 against the spread and their over/under record is 11-1-0. The Wildcats have an over/under record of 4-8-0 and they are 7-5-0 against the spread.

Nathan Peterman finished with 251 yards through the air for Pittsburgh in his last game. He completed 9 passes out of 18 attempts for a 50% completion percentage. The Panthers were led in rushing by James Conner, who finished with 115 yards on 19 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 6 yards per carry. Jester Weah was the team leader in receiving with a total of 99 yards and 4 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 25 yards per reception. As a team in that game Pittsburgh got a total of 20 first downs. Of those first downs, 12 came on the ground while 7 came through the air. They ran 59 total plays for 644 yards for the game. The Panthers ran for 393 yards on 40 attempts.

Clayton Thorson finished with 121 yards passing for Northwestern in his last contest. He went 13 for 20, resulting in a 65% completion percentage. The Wildcats were led on the ground by Justin Jackson, who finished with 173 yards on 21 carries. He ended the game with an average of 8 yards per rush. Flynn Nagel led the team in receiving with 37 yards and 3 catches. He finished the game with an average of 12 yards per reception. Northwestern had 22 first downs total. 10 came from running the ball and 9 came from a pass. They ran 69 total plays for 399 yards for the contest. The Wildcats ran for 278 yards on 49 carries as a team.

Pittsburgh scores 42.3 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 10th in Division 1. In the passing department, they average 14.4 passes on 24.6 attempts for a 58.6 percent completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 217.8 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 80th in college football. The Panthers run for an average of 229.8 yards per game on 42.5 attempts for an average of 5.4 yards per carry. That ranks them 26th in the nation. They also run 67.1 plays per contest and average 6.7 yards per play for an average of 447.5 yards per game, ranking their offense 43rd overall this season. The Panthers average 20.7 first downs per game which ranks them 73rd in the country. They accumulate 49.8 penalty yards per game via 5.8 penalties, which ranks 81st in the nation.

Pittsburgh allows 343.1 passing yards per game, ranking 127th in D-1, and they allow 35.6 points per contest on defense, which ranks 109th. They give up 27.3 completions on 42.8 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 63.7. The Panthers allow 108.9 rushing yards per game on 32.2 carries for an average of 3.4 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 9th in the country. Pittsburgh allows 452 total yards per game including 6 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 98th in terms of yards per game. They force 1.4 turnovers per contest and get flagged for 6.5 penalties for 55.7 yards per game, ranking them 79th among D-1 teams.

Northwestern averages 25.6 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 91st in the country. In the passing department, they complete 21.6 passes per game on 37.3 attempts for a 57.9 percent completion percentage. They throw for 247.7 yards through the air per game, ranking them 51st in Division 1. The Wildcats run for an average of 145.3 yards per game on 37.6 attempts for an average of 3.9 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 103rd on the ground. They also run 74.8 plays per game and average 5.3 yards per play for a total of 392.9 yards per game, ranking them 77th in the country on offense. The Wildcats get an average of 21.2 first downs per game, which ranks 66th in the nation. They average 29.5 penalty yards per game via 3.6 penalties, ranking them 126th in college football.

Northwestern allows an average of 264.9 passing yards per game, which ranks 108th in Division 1. Their defense overall allows 22.1 points per contest, which has them ranked 23rd in the nation. They give up 23.9 completions on 38.9 attempts for a completion percentage of 61.5 per game. The Wildcats allow 136.7 rushing yards per contest on 37.2 carries for a 3.7 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 32nd in the country. Northwestern allows 401.6 total yards per game for an average of 5.3 yards per play, which ranks 59th in D-1. They force 1.8 turnovers per contest and 4.7 penalties for 45.3 yards in each contest, ranking 29th in the nation.

Pittsburgh Betting Trends

Pittsburgh is 11-1-0 against the over/under this season

Pittsburgh has an ATS record of 5-7-0 this season

Northwestern Betting Trends

Northwestern is 4-8-0 against the over/under this season

Northwestern has an ATS record of 7-5-0 this season

Injuries to Watch

Pittsburgh

12/04/16 DL Amir Watts Undisclosed "?" Wednesday vs. Northwestern
12/04/16 RB Chawntez Moss Undisclosed "?" Wednesday vs. Northwestern
12/04/16 DB Phillipie Motley Knee "?" Wednesday vs. Northwestern
12/04/16 WR Tre Tripton Upper Body "?" Wednesday vs. Northwestern
12/04/16 DL Tyrique Jarrett Leg "?" Wednesday vs. Northwestern
12/04/16 WR Zach Challingsworth Upper Body "?" Wednesday vs. Northwestern
11/14/16 DB Jordan Whitehead Arm out for season
10/14/16 TE Chris Clark Knee out for season
10/14/16 OL Mike Grimm Hip out for season
10/14/16 DL Zack Gilbert Heart out for season
09/16/16 LB Elijah Zeise Ankle out for season
09/16/16 DE Dewayne Hendrix Foot out for season
08/31/16 WR Chris Wuestner Personal has left team

Northwestern

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

Josh's Pick: Take Northwestern +3

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