Minnesota vs Rutgers Expert College Football Picks Against the Spread 10/19/2019

Saturday, October 19, 2019

HighPoint.com Stadium

HighPoint.com Stadium is the venue where Johnny Langan and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights will play the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday. The odds on this matchup have Minnesota as 29.5-point favorites. The Golden Gophers are 3-2-1 ATS and 3-3-0 when betting on the total. The Scarlet Knights are 2-4-0 when wagering on the over/under and 1-5-0 against the spread.

The last time they took the field, the Minnesota Golden Gophers played the Nebraska Cornhuskers and earned the victory by a score of 34-7. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Golden Gophers was Tanner Morgan who went 8/13 with 128 yards passing and threw 1 touchdown. He ended the game without an interception. Rodney Smith paced the team in rushing for that contest. His longest run of the day went for 35 yards and he ran for 1 touchdown in the game. He ran for 139 yards via 18 carries which meant he averaged 7.7 yards per run. Tyler Johnson was the receiving yardage leader with a tally of 109 yards on 5 receptions. He had an average of 21.8 yards per reception for that contest. The Golden Gophers ended up running the ball 49 times and racked up a total of 322 yards giving them an average of 6.6 yards per rushing attempt. In the game, the Golden Gophers totaled 20 first downs and they totaled 4 penalties for 42 yards which tells us that they had an average outing in terms of discipline. In all, they totaled 62 plays which added up to 450 yards. In terms of defense, Minnesota conceded 15 catches on 29 tries for a total of 148 yards, and a completion percentage of 51.7%. On the ground, the Golden Gophers conceded 151 yards on 43 attempts which means they had an average of 3.5 yards per attempt allowed. On the day, they gave up 299 yards but weren't able to foce a turnover.

The Golden Gophers come into this game with a record of 6-0 for this season. For total yardage, they rank 8th in the Big Ten and 63rd in Division 1 with 2,495 yards. They are one of the most potent offenses in the country averaging 35.5 points per contest, ranking them 31st in Division 1. As a unit, they are averaging 186.2 rushing yards per game which is 6th in the Big Ten. The Golden Gophers have one of the average defenses in college football, allowing 23.8 points per contest which has them at 9th in the Big Ten. When it comes to yards through the air, the Golden Gophers have conceded 1,378 yards. Teams are completing 55.6% of the throws they are attempting against them and averaging 6.2 yards per attempt. In terms of yards rushing, Minnesota is allowing 119.8 yards per game which has them at 7th in the Big Ten and 35th in college football. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 3.6 yards per carry putting them 9th in the Big Ten Conference and 38th in D-1 overall. Overall, they have allowed 719 rushing yards through 6 games.

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In their last game, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights went up against the Indiana Hoosiers and lost 35-0. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Scarlet Knights was Johnny Langan who went 5/13 but didn't get a passing TD in the game and actually finished with only 1 yard after calculating sacks. Isaih Pacheco paced the team in rushing for that contest. His longest run of the day went for 28 yards but he never crossed the endzone by way of the rush. He scurried for 44 yards on 14 carries which gave him an average of 3.1 yards per run. Aaron Young led the team in receiving yardage by earning 4 yards on 3 catches. He averaged 1.3 yards per catch for that contest. The Scarlet Knights ran the ball 33 times and earned a total of 74 yards earning them an average of 2.2 yards per rush. On the day, the Scarlet Knights racked up a total of 6 1st downs and they totaled 4 penalties for 45 yards which tells us that they had an average outing in terms of discipline. In the game, they ran 46 plays for a total of 75 yards. In terms of defense, Rutgers gave up 24 catches on 35 throws totaling 297 yards, and a completion percentage of 68.6%. Against the run, the Scarlet Knights gave up 260 yards on 38 carries which is an average of 6.8 yards per attempt allowed. For this contest, they gave up 557 yards and earned 2 takeaways.

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The Scarlet Knights step onto the field holding a record of 1-5. In discussing the offensive production, the Scarlet Knights leave a lot to be desired in terms of scoring in the nation. Rutgers hasn't done much to make teams fear their rushing game by averaging 106.5 rushing yards per contest, ranking them 118th in Division 1. As a team, they have a total of 639 yards rushing through 6 games, so they are going to want to make some changes to the ground game if they want to make teams respect them. The Scarlet Knights average 267 yards per contest overall putting them 129th in the country and 14th in the Big Ten Conference. The Scarlet Knights are giving up 36 points per contest ranking them 14th in the Big Ten and 118th in D-1. Their passing defense is one of the middling units in the country. They are conceding 241 passing yards per contest. For passing yards allowed per game, the Scarlet Knights are ranked 12th in the Big Ten. In terms of points given up, they have given up 216 points in total. When talking about yards rushing, they are allowing 208.3 yards per contest ranking them 112th in Division 1 and 14th in the conference. This season, they have allowed a total of 1,250 yards on the ground and 16.2 rushing touchdowns.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Golden Gophers -29.5

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