Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Auburn Tigers Picks, Odds, Outback Bowl Prediction 1/1/2020

Game: Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Auburn Tigers

Date: Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Outback Bowl

Location: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Auburn -10

Total/Over-Under: 51.5

Raymond James Stadium is the site where Bo Nix and the Auburn Tigers will take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Wednesday, January 1 in the Outback Bowl. Auburn opens this game as 10-point favorites. The Golden Gophers are 7-4-1 ATS and 8-4-0 when betting on the total. The Tigers are 4-8-0 when wagering on the over/under and 9-3-0 against the spread.

In their last game, the Minnesota Golden Gophers faced the Wisconsin Badgers and were defeated 38-17. Mohamed Ibrahim led the team in rushing in the game. He broke a long run for 36 yards but wasn't able to convert a rushing touchdown. He ran for a total of 39 yards on 5 carries which gave him an average of 7.8 yards per tote. Rashod Bateman led the team in receiving yardage with a total of 147 yards on 6 receptions. He averaged 24.5 yards per catch in the game. Running the show from under center for the Golden Gophers was Tanner Morgan who went 20/37 with 296 yards passing and threw 2 touchdowns. He gave away 1 interception during the game. The Golden Gophers ran the ball 30 times and racked up 76 yards which gave them an average of 2.5 yards per rushing attempt. In the game, they finished with a total of 67 plays which gave them a total of 372 yards. For the game, the Golden Gophers racked up 22 1st downs and they had 2 infractions for 14 yards telling us that they had a strong outing in terms of discipline. On the defensive side of the ball, Minnesota gave up 15 catches on 22 throws totaling 280 yards, and a completion percentage of 68.2%. On the ground, the Golden Gophers gave up 173 yards on 35 runs which gave them an average of 4.9 yards per rushing attempt allowed. For this contest, they gave up 453 yards and forced 1 turnover.

The Golden Gophers head into this matchup 10-2 this year. They are one of top scoring teams in the nation with an average of 34.3 points per game, putting them 23rd in Division 1. As a unit, they have an average of 175.7 rushing yards per game which is 5th in the Big Ten Conference. For total yards, they currently sit at 4th in the Big Ten and 50th in Division 1 with 5,122 yards. The Golden Gophers have one of the middle tier defenses in Division 1, giving up 22.4 points per game putting them 6th in the conference. When it comes to yards through the air, the Golden Gophers have allowed 3,014 yards. Teams are completing 55.5% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 6.7 yards per attempt. In discussing yards on the ground, Minnesota is giving up 127.9 yards per game which has them at 7th in the Big Ten and 28th in the country. Opposing teams are running for an average of 3.8 yards per rush which has them at 7th in the Big Ten Conference and 37th in D-1 overall. Overall, they have allowed 1,535 rushing yards through 12 contests.

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In their last contest, the Auburn Tigers went up against the Alabama Crimson Tide and won by a score of 48-45. JaTarvious Whitlow led the team in rushing for that contest. He tore off a long run of 36 yards but he never crossed the endzone by way of the rush. He ran for 114 yards on 16 carries which means he ran for an average of 7.1 yards per run. Seth Williams was the receiving yardage leader with a tally of 66 yards on 3 catches. He averaged 22.0 yards per catch for that contest. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Tigers was Bo Nix who went 15/30 with 173 yards through the air and added 1 touchdown. He finished the game without throwing an interception. The Tigers rushed the ball a total of 34 times and racked up 181 yards which had them averaging 5.3 yards per attempt. Overall, the Tigers got 23 1st downs and they had a total of 9 penalties for 60 yards which shows us that this team didn't have their heads in this game. In the game, they ran 65 plays which added up to 354 yards. In terms of defense, Auburn gave up 26 completions on 39 attempts totaling 335 yards, and a completion percentage of 66.7%. In the running game, the Tigers gave up 180 yards on 38 attempts which means they had an average of 4.7 yards per attempt allowed. For this contest, they conceded a total of 515 yards and forced 2 takeaways.

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The Tigers come into this game with a record of 9-3. Auburn has made teams game plan around their running game by averaging 211.3 rushing yards per contest, which has them at 26th in the nation. As a team, they have compiled a total of 2,536 yards rushing through 12 contests, so they'll look to continue their dominance on the ground to grind out wins. The Tigers average 421.4 yards per game overall putting them 53rd in D-1 and 4th in the SEC. The Tigers are conceding 18.6 points per game ranking them 4th in the Southeastern Conference and 13th in college football. Their passing defense is one of the middle of the road groups in Division 1. They are conceding 208.4 passing yards per game. For passing yards allowed per game, the Tigers sit in 7th in the SEC. In regard to points given up, they have allowed 223 points in total. When it comes to yards on the ground, they are conceding 115.5 yards per game ranking them 20th in Division 1 and 3rd in the conference. This season, they have conceded 1,386 rushing yards and 9.6 rushing TDs.

Who will win tonight's Golden Gophers/Tigers college football game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Tigers -10

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