Pittsburgh at Penn State NCAA Football Tips 9/14/2019

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Beaver Stadium

Sean Clifford and the Penn State Nittany Lions play the Pittsburgh Panthers at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, September 14, 2019. Pittsburgh opens this game as 17.5-point underdogs. The O/U has been set at 48.5. The Panthers are 1-1-0 ATS and 0-2-0 when betting on the total. The Nittany Lions are 2-0-0 when wagering on the over/under and 2-0-0 against the spread.

Key Pittsburgh Panthers Injuries

09/04/19 DL Keyshon Camp Knee is out for season
08/11/19 DL Rashad Weaver ACL is out for season

Key Penn State Nittany Lions Injuries

No key injuries to report

The last time they took the field, the Pittsburgh Panthers played the Ohio Bobcats and were on the winning end of this game by a score of 20-10. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Panthers was Kenny Pickett who went 26/37 with 321 yards through the air and completed 1 touchdown. He ended the game with no interceptions. A.J. Davis led the team in rushing for the game. His longest run of the day went for 22 yards but he wasn't able to rush for a TD on the day. He ran for a total of 89 yards via 13 carries which gave him an average of 6.8 yards per carry. Maurice Ffrench was the leader in receiving yardage with a total of 138 yards on 10 receptions. He averaged 13.8 yards per catch for the game. The Pittsburgh Panthers ran the ball a total of 37 times and totaled 160 yards which had them averaging 4.3 yards per attempt. In the game, they finished with a total of 74 plays for 481 yards. For the contest, the Panthers had a total of 22 first downs and they had 10 penalties for 75 yards which shows us that this team didn't have their heads in this game. In terms of defense, Pitt gave up 15 catches on 27 throws totaling 177 yards, and a completion percentage of 55.6%. In the running game, the Panthers gave up 35 yards on 29 carries which means they allowed 1.2 yards per run allowed. On the day, they gave up 212 yards and forced 0 takeaways.

The Panthers head into this game 1-1 this year. For total yards, they rank 13th in the conference and 81st in the country with 744 yards. They are one of lowest scoring teams in the nation averaging 17 points per game, putting them 112th in the country. As a team, they have an average of 119 rushing yards per contest which is 13th in the ACC. The Panthers have one of the best defenses in the nation, allowing 20 points per contest putting them 5th in the Atlantic Coast Conference. In discussing yards rushing, Pittsburgh is allowing 82 yards per contest which has them at 4th in the ACC and 23rd in the nation. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 2.6 yards per rush ranking them 4th in the ACC and 22nd in college football overall. In total, they have allowed 164 yards rushing through 2 games. When it comes to passing yards, the Panthers have allowed 506 yards. Teams are completing 57.4% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 5.9 yards per attempt.

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The last time they took the field, the Penn State Nittany Lions played the Buffalo Bulls and went home with the win by a score of 45-13. Sean Clifford paced the team on the ground for that contest. He had a long run of 58 yards but he never crossed the endzone by way of the rush. He ran for a total of 51 yards via 11 carries which gave him an average of 4.6 yards per carry. Jahan Dotson led the team in receiving yardage by earning 109 yards on 4 catches. He had an average of 27.3 yards per reception for that contest. Leading the way at QB for the Nittany Lions was Sean Clifford who went 16/22 with 279 yards through the air and completed 4 touchdowns. He finished this contest without throwing a pick. The Penn State Nittany Lions ran the football 24 times and totaled 78 yards which earned them an average of 3.3 yards per rush. For the game, they ran 46 plays which gave them a total of 357 yards. For the contest, the Nittany Lions totaled 14 1st downs and they had a total of 3 penalties for 25 yards which is telling in terms of how disciplined they are. When discussing the defense, Penn State gave up 16 catches on 32 attempts totaling 245 yards, and a completion percentage of 50.0%. In the game, they gave up 429 yards and forced 2 takeaways. On the ground, the Nittany Lions gave up 184 yards on 58 tries allowing their opponent an average of 3.2 yards per run allowed.

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The Nittany Lions head into this game 2-0. In terms of offensive proficiency, the Nittany Lions have one of the best offenses in college football. Penn State has shown the nation they have a formidable rushing attack by averaging 204.5 rushing yards per game, ranking them 41st in college football. As a team, they have compiled a total of 409 rushing yards through 2 contests, so they'll look to continue their dominance on the ground to grind out wins. The Nittany Lions average 515 yards per game overall ranking them 26th in Division 1 and 4th in the conference. The Nittany Lions are giving up 10 points per contest which puts them at 4th in the Big Ten and 14th in the country. When it comes to points allowed, they have allowed 20 total points. In regard to yards rushing, they are conceding 94 yards per game which puts them at 31st in Division 1 and 10th in the Big Ten. For this year, they have conceded 188 rushing yards and 0 rushing touchdowns. Their passing defense is one of the most dominate units in D-1. They are conceding 193 passing yards per contest. For yards through the air allowed per game, the Nittany Lions sit in 7th in the Big Ten.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Nittany Lions -17.5

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