Michigan State vs Michigan NCAA Football Picks & Predictions 11/16/2019

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Michigan Stadium

Shea Patterson and the Michigan Wolverines play the Michigan State Spartans at Michigan Stadium on Saturday, November 16, 2019. Michigan opens this game as 10-point favorites. The Spartans are 2-7-0 ATS and 4-5-0 when betting on the total. The Wolverines are 6-3-0 when wagering on the over/under and 5-4-0 against the spread.

In their last outing, the Michigan State Spartans played the Illinois Fighting Illini and lost 37-34. Running the show from under center for the Spartans was Brian Lewerke who went 19/36 with 251 yards passing and threw 1 TD. He walked away with 3 interceptions on the day. Elijah Collins paced the team on the ground for the game. He broke a long run for 40 yards and he tallied 2 touchdowns for the game. He rushed for 170 yards by way of 28 carries which meant he was running for 6.1 yards per tote. Cody White led the team in receiving yardage by racking up 128 yards on 7 catches. He had an average of 18.3 yards per reception for the game. The Spartans ran the ball a total of 51 times and earned 275 yards which had them averaging 5.4 yards per run. For the contest, the Spartans earned 27 first downs and they had 3 penalties for 30 yards which is telling of the great week of practice this squad had. On the day, they ran 87 plays for a total of 526 yards. In terms of defense, Michigan State gave up 22 completions on 42 tries for a total of 369 yards, and a completion percentage of 52.4%. In the running game, the Spartans gave up 36 yards on 27 runs which is an average of 1.3 yards per attempt allowed. In the game, they conceded 405 yards and forced 2 turnovers.

The Spartans come into this game with a record of 4-5 this year. For total yards, they are currently ranked 12th in the Big Ten Conference and 100th in the nation with 3,305 yards. In terms of scoring, they are one of the marginal teams in the country with an average of 23.1 points per contest, which has them at 106th in the nation. As a unit, they have an average of 132.2 yards on the ground per contest which is 13th in the Big Ten. The Spartans have one of the middle tier defenses in Division 1, allowing 23.6 points per contest which has them at 8th in the Big Ten. In regard to yards on the ground, Michigan State is giving up 109 yards per game ranking them 4th in the conference and 17th in Division 1. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 3.2 yards per carry ranking them 5th in the Big Ten and 15th in Division 1 overall. In total, they have conceded 981 rushing yards through 9 contests. When it comes to passing yards, the Spartans have allowed 2,115 yards. Teams are completing 63.1% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 6.6 yards per attempt.

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The last time they took the field, the Michigan Wolverines took on the Maryland Terrapins and ended up getting the win by a score of 38-7. Running the show from under center for the Wolverines was Shea Patterson who went 13/22 with 151 yards passing and added 1 TD. He finished this contest without throwing a pick. Hassan Haskins led the team in rushing in the game. His longest run of the day went for 14 yards and he added 1 TD during the game. He scurried for 60 yards on 13 carries which had him averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Nico Collins was the leader in receiving yardage with a total of 65 yards on 2 receptions. He had an average of 32.5 yards per catch in the game. The Wolverines ended up running the ball 34 times and racked up 155 yards which gave them an average of 4.6 yards per rush. For the game, the Wolverines racked up 16 1st downs and they had 4 penalties for 30 yards which tells us their heads weren't always in the game. On the day, they totaled 63 plays for a total of 331 yards. When discussing the defense, Michigan allowed 10 catches on 22 throws for a total of 104 yards, and a completion percentage of 45.5%. In the running game, the Wolverines allowed 129 yards on 46 runs which gave them an average of 2.8 yards per attempt allowed. For this contest, they conceded a total of 233 yards and earned 1 takeaway.

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The Wolverines come into this game with a record of 7-2. Michigan is making teams consider moving more up into the box by averaging 171.1 yards on the ground per game, which has them at 57th in the nation. As a team, they have compiled a total of 1,540 yards rushing through 9 contests, so they will want to continue to try to improve on the run game so opponents will have to respect all facets of the game. The Wolverines average 390.3 yards per game overall putting them 77th in Division 1 and 7th in the Big Ten. The Wolverines are allowing 17.1 points per contest ranking them 5th in the conference and 11th in college football. Their passing defense is one of the most dominate groups in D-1. They are giving up 153.6 passing yards per game. For yards through the air allowed per game, the Wolverines sit in 3rd in the Big Ten Conference. When it comes to points given up, they have given up 154 points in total. In regard to rushing yards, they are conceding 114 yards per game ranking them 23rd in Division 1 and 6th in the Big Ten Conference. In 2019, they have allowed 1,026 yards on the ground and 11.7 rushing TDs.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Spartans +10

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