Minnesota vs Northwestern NCAA Football Picks Against the Spread 11/23/2019

Game: Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Northwestern Wildcats

Date: Saturday, November 23, 2019

Week 13

Location: Ryan Field in Evanston, IL

TV: ABC

Odds/Point Spread: Northwestern +10

Total/Over-Under: 38

Ryan Field is the venue where Aidan Smith and the Northwestern Wildcats will play the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday. Minnesota opens this contest as 10-point favorites. The Golden Gophers are 6-3-1 ATS and 6-4-0 when betting on the total. The Wildcats are 3-7-0 when wagering on the over/under and 2-8-0 against the spread.

In their last game, the Minnesota Golden Gophers took on the Iowa Hawkeyes and lost 23-19. Rodney Smith paced the team on the ground for the game. His longest run of the day went for 18 yards and he tallied 1 touchdown for the game. He ran for a total of 46 yards by way of 14 carries which means he ran for an average of 3.3 yards per carry. Tyler Johnson was the leader in receiving yardage by earning 170 yards on 9 catches. He averaged 18.9 yards per catch for the game. Leading the way at QB for the Golden Gophers was Tanner Morgan who went 25/36 with 368 yards through the air and threw 1 TD. He walked away from this game with no interceptions. The Golden Gophers ended up rushing 30 times and racked up 63 yards which had them averaging 2.1 yards per carry. Overall, they ran 69 plays for a total of 431 yards. Overall, the Golden Gophers earned 23 1st downs and they had 5 penalties for 52 yards which tells us that they had an average outing in terms of discipline. In terms of defense, Minnesota allowed 14 catches on 23 attempts for a total of 173 yards, and a completion percentage of 60.9%. In the running game, the Golden Gophers allowed 117 yards on 31 carries which gave them an average of 3.8 yards per attempt allowed. Overall, they allowed 290 yards but weren't able to force a turnover.

The Golden Gophers come into this game with a record of 9-1 for the 2019 season. They are one of the most potent offenses in the country averaging 35.7 points per contest, which has them at 22nd in the country. As a team, they have an average of 182 rushing yards per game which is 4th in the Big Ten Conference. For total yards, they sit in 3rd in the Big Ten Conference and 46th in the country with 4,327 yards. The Golden Gophers have one of the best defenses in the nation, giving up 20.9 points per game which has them at 6th in the Big Ten Conference. When talking about yards on the ground, Minnesota is giving up 123.4 yards per contest putting them 7th in the Big Ten Conference and 26th in the country. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 3.9 yards per carry putting them 8th in the conference and 43rd in the nation overall. In total, they have allowed 1,234 rushing yards through 10 games. When it comes to passing yards, the Golden Gophers have conceded 2,507 yards. Teams are completing 54.1% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 6.2 yards per attempt.

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The last time they took the field, the Northwestern Wildcats faced the UMass Minutemen and earned the win by a score of 45-6. Running the show from under center for the Wildcats was Aidan Smith who went 7/13 with 76 yards passing but wasn't able to get any balls in the endzone via the pass. He gave away 2 interceptions in the game. Evan Hull led the team in rushing for that contest. He had a long run of 48 yards and he added 4 TD's in the game. He ran for 220 yards on 24 carries which meant he averaged 9.2 yards per carry. Riley Lees led the team in receiving yardage by racking up 76 yards on 7 catches. He notched an average of 10.9 yards per reception for that contest. The Wildcats ran the ball 52 times and added 334 yards giving them an average of 6.4 yards per rush. On the day, they totaled 65 plays which added up to 410 yards. Overall, the Wildcats earned a total of 16 1st downs and they had 0 penalties for 0 yards which means they were extremely disciplined in this game. When it comes to their defensive performance, Northwestern allowed 25 catches on 46 tries totaling 227 yards, and a completion percentage of 54.3%. For this contest, they gave up 310 yards and earned 1 takeaway. Against the run, the Wildcats allowed 83 yards on 31 runs which is an average of 2.7 yards per run allowed.

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The Wildcats head into this game 2-8. In terms of offensive proficiency, the Wildcats have one of the worst offenses in the country. Northwestern is making teams consider moving more up into the box by averaging 165.6 yards on the ground per game, which has them at 61st in the country. As a unit, they have a total of 1,656 rushing yards through 10 games, 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 Wildcats average 291 yards per contest overall putting them 125th in the country and 13th in the Big Ten. The Wildcats are giving up 23.5 points per contest which puts them at 8th in the conference and 40th in the nation. In terms of points allowed, they have allowed 235 total points. In terms of yards on the ground, they are allowing 142.3 yards per game which puts them at 47th in the country and 9th in the conference. For this year, they have allowed 1,423 yards rushing and 12 rushing touchdowns. Their passing defense is one of the middling units in the nation. They are allowing 202.8 passing yards per contest. For yards through the air allowed per game, the Wildcats are currently ranked 7th in the Big Ten Conference.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Wildcats +10

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