Penn State vs Minnesota NCAA Football Picks 11/9/2019

Saturday, November 9, 2019

TCF Bank Stadium

TCF Bank Stadium is the venue where Tanner Morgan and the Minnesota Golden Gophers will play the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday. Minnesota opens this contest as 6.5-point underdogs. The Nittany Lions are 5-3-0 ATS and 3-5-0 when betting on the total. The Golden Gophers are 5-3-0 when wagering on the over/under and 5-2-1 against the spread.

In their last game, the Penn State Nittany Lions faced the Michigan State Spartans and won by a score of 28-7. Running the show from under center for the Nittany Lions was Sean Clifford who went 18/32 with 189 yards passing and completed 4 TD's. He tossed 1 interception on the day. Journey Brown led the team in rushing for that contest. He broke a long run for 11 yards but he wasn't able to run one in for a touchdown. He ran for a total of 45 yards via 12 carries which means he ran for an average of 3.8 yards per tote. Pat Freiermuth was the receiving yardage leader by earning 60 yards on 5 receptions. He earned an average of 12.0 yards per catch for that contest. The Nittany Lions ran the football 36 times and totaled 118 yards which earned them an average of 3.3 yards per run. In all, they totaled 68 plays which gave them a total of 307 yards. Overall, the Nittany Lions got 18 1st downs and they had a total of 9 penalties for 104 yards telling us that this team was extremely undisciplined. When it comes to their defensive performance, Penn State allowed 19 completions on 43 throws totaling 182 yards, and a completion percentage of 44.2%. In the running game, the Nittany Lions allowed 87 yards on 30 carries which is an average of 2.9 yards per rushing attempt allowed. For this contest, they conceded a total of 269 yards and earned 4 turnovers.

The Nittany Lions head into this game 8-0 for the 2019 season. For total yards, they sit in 8th in the Big Ten Conference and 75th in Division 1 with 3,395 yards. They are one of top scoring teams in the nation averaging 38.5 points per game, which has them at 12th in Division 1. As a team, they are averaging 172.4 yards on the ground per contest which is 6th in the conference. The Nittany Lions have one of the best defenses in Division 1, allowing 9.6 points per contest putting them 2nd in the Big Ten Conference. When it comes to yards through the air, the Nittany Lions have conceded 2,016 yards. Opponents are completing 55.6% of the throws they are attempting against them and averaging 5.9 yards per try. In regard to rushing yards, Penn State is allowing 68.9 yards per game which has them at 1st in the Big Ten Conference and 2nd in Division 1. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 2 yards per rush which has them at 1st in the Big Ten Conference and 1st in Division 1 overall. Overall, they have conceded 551 yards rushing through 8 contests.

In their last contest, the Minnesota Golden Gophers played the Maryland Terrapins and won by a score of 52-10. Running the show from under center for the Golden Gophers was Tanner Morgan who went 12/21 with 138 yards through the air and tossed 2 touchdowns. He tossed 1 interception during the game. Rodney Smith paced the team on the ground for that game. He broke a long run for 19 yards and he notched 1 touchdown for the contest. He ran for 103 yards on 17 carries which gave him an average of 6.1 yards per carry. Chris Autman-Bell was the leader in receiving yardage with a total of 56 yards on 4 receptions. He had an average of 14.0 yards per reception for that game. The Golden Gophers ran the ball a total of 54 times and racked up 321 yards which had them averaging 5.9 yards per run. In all, they ran 76 plays which added up to 498 yards. For the contest, the Golden Gophers totaled 30 first downs and they had 2 penalties for 15 yards telling us that this team was extremely focused in this game. When discussing the defense, Minnesota gave up 10 completions on 23 throws for a total of 131 yards, and a completion percentage of 43.5%. For the game, they conceded 210 yards and forced 2 takeaways. On the ground, the Golden Gophers gave up 79 yards on 23 carries which gave them an average of 3.4 yards per rushing attempt allowed.

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The Golden Gophers come into this matchup with a record of 8-0. Minnesota has made teams game plan around their running game by averaging 204.5 yards on the ground per game, ranking them 31st in Division 1. As a unit, they have compiled a total of 1,636 yards rushing through 8 contests, and if they want to continue their dominance, they'll want to keep running the ball. The Golden Gophers average 429.5 yards per game overall putting them 46th in D-1 and 3rd in the conference. The Golden Gophers are allowing 20 points per game ranking them 7th in the Big Ten Conference and 23rd in D-1. Their passing defense is one of the elite groups in the nation. They are giving up 166.4 passing yards per game. For yards through the air allowed per game, the Golden Gophers sit in 4th in the Big Ten. When talking about points allowed, they have allowed 160 points in total. When talking about yards on the ground, they are giving up 117.4 yards per contest ranking them 24th in Division 1 and 6th in the conference. For this year, they have conceded a total of 939 rushing yards and 8.8 rushing TDs.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Nittany Lions -6.5

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