Illinois vs Michigan State Expert College Football Picks Against the Spread 11/9/2019

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Spartan Stadium

Brandon Peters and the Illinois Fighting Illini are headed to Spartan Stadium on Saturday where they'll meet the Michigan State Spartans. Illinois opens this contest as 13-point dogs. The Fighting Illini are 6-3-0 ATS and 3-6-0 when betting on the total. The Spartans are 3-5-0 when wagering on the over/under and 2-6-0 against the spread.

In their last game, the Illinois Fighting Illini went up against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and ended up getting the win by a score of 38-10. Reggie Corbin led the team on the ground for the game. He broke a long run for 15 yards but he wasn't able to rush for a TD on the day. He rushed for a total of 51 yards by way of 13 carries which meant he was running for 3.9 yards per carry. Donny Navarro was the leader in receiving yardage by racking up 57 yards on 2 catches. He averaged 28.5 yards per catch for the game. Leading the way at QB for the Fighting Illini was Brandon Peters who went 6/11 with 120 yards passing and threw 1 touchdown. He ended the game without an interception. The Fighting Illini ran the ball 44 times and earned 204 yards earning them an average of 4.6 yards per carry. Overall, the Fighting Illini earned a total of 14 1st downs and they totaled 3 penalties for 35 yards which tells us that we had a very focused team on our hands. In all, they finished with a total of 55 plays which gave them a total of 324 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, Illinois gave up 5 completions on 10 throws totaling 86 yards, and a completion percentage of 50.0%. In the running game, the Fighting Illini gave up 185 yards on 51 tries which gave them an average of 3.6 yards per run allowed. On the day, they allowed a total of 271 yards and forced 3 turnovers.

The Fighting Illini come into this game with a record of 5-4 in 2019. They are in the middle of the pack in regard to scoring in the nation with an average of 30 points per contest, ranking them 61st in Division 1. As a team, they have an average of 163.3 yards on the ground per game which is 8th in the Big Ten. For total yardage, they rank 11th in the Big Ten Conference and 101st in Division 1 with 2,935 yards. The Fighting Illini have one of the middle tier defenses in Division 1, giving up 24.8 points per contest which has them at 9th in the Big Ten Conference. When it comes to passing yards, the Fighting Illini have conceded 1,465 yards. Opponents are completing 58.4% of the throws they are attempting against them and averaging 7.7 yards per try. In regard to yards rushing, Illinois is giving up 189.6 yards per game putting them 13th in the Big Ten Conference and 97th in D-1. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 4.2 yards per rush which has them at 11th in the Big Ten and 67th in Division 1 overall. Overall, they have conceded 1,706 rushing yards through 9 games.

Related: Gambling 101 Series on How Odds are Calculated - Watch Tony George Explain

The last time they took the field, the Michigan State Spartans took on the Penn State Nittany Lions and took the defeat by a score of 28-7. Running the show from under center for the Spartans was Brian Lewerke who went 16/34 with 165 yards through the air but didn't get a passing TD in the game. He gave away 1 pick during the game. Elijah Collins paced the team in rushing for that contest. His longest run of the day went for 9 yards but he never crossed the endzone by way of the rush. He racked up a total of 53 yards on 17 carries which meant he averaged 3.1 yards per carry. Cody White led the team in receiving yardage with a total of 66 yards on 3 receptions. He earned an average of 22.0 yards per reception for that contest. The Spartans ran the football 30 times and earned a total of 87 yards earning them an average of 2.9 yards per carry. For the game, the Spartans earned a total of 18 1st downs and they had a total of 4 infractions for 31 yards which tells us their heads weren't always in the game. In the game, they totaled 73 plays which gave them a total of 269 yards. In terms of defense, Michigan State gave up 18 catches on 32 throws for a total of 189 yards, and a completion percentage of 56.3%. In the running game, the Spartans gave up 118 yards on 36 attempts which gave them an average of 3.3 yards per run allowed. For the game, they gave up a total of 307 yards and earned 1 turnover.

Related: Get college football tips & picks on all of today's games

The Spartans come into this game with a record of 4-4. Michigan State hasn't done much to make teams fear their rushing game by averaging 114.4 yards on the ground per game, which has them at 117th in D-1. As a team, they have a total of 915 rushing yards through 8 contests, so they are going to want to make some changes to the ground game if they want to make teams respect them. The Spartans average 347.4 yards per contest overall ranking them 106th in college football and 11th in the conference. The Spartans are giving up 21.9 points per contest which puts them at 8th in the conference and 34th in Division 1. In regard to points given up, they have allowed 175 points in total. In discussing rushing yards, they are giving up 118.1 yards per contest ranking them 25th in Division 1 and 7th in the Big Ten. This season, they have allowed a total of 945 yards rushing and 8 rushing TDs. Their pass defense is one of the top units in Division 1. They are allowing 195.6 passing yards per game. For passing yards allowed per game, the Spartans currently sit at 8th in the Big Ten Conference.

Who will win tonight's Fighting Illini/Spartans college football game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Fighting Illini +13

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here