Memphis Tigers vs Penn State Nittany Lions Picks, Odds, Cotton Bowl Prediction 12/28/2019

Game: Memphis Tigers vs Penn State Nittany Lions

Date: Saturday, December 28, 2019

Cotton Bowl

Location: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Penn State -7

Total/Over-Under: 59

Brady White and the Memphis Tigers are headed to AT&T Stadium on Saturday, January 28 where they'll take on the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Cotton Bowl. Penn State opens this game as 7-point favorites. The Tigers are 8-5-0 ATS and 8-5-0 when betting on the total. The Nittany Lions are 5-7-0 when wagering on the over/under and 6-6-0 against the spread.

In their last game, the Memphis Tigers played the Cincinnati Bearcats and ended up getting the win by a score of 29-24. Leading the way at QB for the Tigers was Brady White who went 18/40 with 253 yards passing and tossed 1 TD. He tossed 1 interception on the day. Antonio Gibson paced the team in rushing in the game. He broke a long run for 65 yards and he added 1 touchdown for the game. He ran for a total of 130 yards on 11 carries which meant he was running for 11.8 yards per tote. Damonte Coxie led the team in receiving yardage with a total of 165 yards on 9 receptions. He averaged 18.3 yards per catch in the game. The Tigers ended up running the ball 44 times and generated 196 yards giving them an average of 4.5 yards per rushing attempt. For the contest, the Tigers had a total of 25 1st downs and they totaled 4 penalties for 40 yards which tells us that they had an average outing in terms of discipline. In all, they totaled 84 plays which gave them a total of 449 yards. When discussing the defense, Memphis conceded 16 completions on 36 throws totaling 233 yards, and a completion percentage of 44.4%. For the game, they gave up a total of 454 yards and earned 2 takeaways. Against the run, the Tigers conceded 221 yards on 39 runs which is an average of 5.7 yards per carry allowed.

The Tigers head into this game 12-1 for the 2019 season. They are one of the most potent offenses in the country averaging 40.5 points per game, which has them at 8th in D-1. As a team, they have an average of 196.4 rushing yards per contest which is 5th in the conference. For total yardage, they currently sit at 2nd in the American Athletic Conference and 8th in D-1 with 6,250 yards. The Tigers have one of the average defenses in the nation, allowing 24.4 points per game putting them 5th in the conference. When it comes to passing yards, the Tigers have allowed 3,699 yards. Opponents are completing 53.1% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 6.6 yards per attempt. In terms of yards on the ground, Memphis is giving up 171.6 yards per contest putting them 7th in the conference and 79th in college football. Opposing teams are running for an average of 4.2 yards per rush putting them 6th in the American Athletic Conference and 61st in the nation overall. In total, they have allowed 2,231 yards rushing through 13 contests.

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In their last outing, the Penn State Nittany Lions played the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and ended up getting the win by a score of 27-6. Will Levis paced the team in rushing for the game. His longest run of the day went for 49 yards but he never crossed the endzone by way of the rush. He rushed for 108 yards by way of 17 carries which gave him an average of 6.4 yards per run. Jahan Dotson was the receiving yardage leader with a tally of 44 yards on 2 catches. He notched an average of 22.0 yards per reception for the game. Running the show from under center for the Nittany Lions was Will Levis who went 8/14 with 81 yards passing and completed 1 TD. He threw 1 interception during the game. The Nittany Lions ended up running the ball 46 times and generated 252 yards earning them an average of 5.5 yards per rushing attempt. In all, they finished with a total of 61 plays for 333 yards. In the game, the Nittany Lions got 17 first downs and they totaled 3 infractions for 30 yards which means they were extremely disciplined in this game. On the defensive side of the ball, Penn State gave up 15 catches on 27 attempts totaling 199 yards, and a completion percentage of 55.6%. In the running game, the Nittany Lions gave up 184 yards on 44 runs which gave them an average of 4.2 yards per rushing attempt allowed. Overall, they gave up a total of 383 yards but weren't able to add any takeaways.

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The Nittany Lions head into this game 10-2. Penn State has made teams respect their running game by averaging 175 rushing yards per contest, putting them 49th in the country. As a team, they have a total of 2,100 yards rushing through 12 contests, so they'll look to the run game to try to keep the opponents off balance so they'll have open receivers. The Nittany Lions average 403.7 yards per contest overall which has them at 64th in D-1 and 6th in the conference. The Nittany Lions are conceding 14.1 points per contest which puts them at 3rd in the conference and 7th in Division 1. Their passing defense is one of the middle of the road units in Division 1. They are allowing 232.5 passing yards per game. For yards through the air allowed per game, the Nittany Lions sit in 11th in the Big Ten. When it comes to points given up, they have allowed 169 total points. In regard to rushing yards, they are giving up 98 yards per game ranking them 5th in the country and 1st in the Big Ten Conference. For 2019, they have conceded a total of 1,176 yards rushing and 9.6 rushing touchdowns.

Who will win tonight's Tigers/Nittany Lions college football game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Tigers +7

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