Rutgers vs Penn State NCAA Football Game Picks 11/30/2019

Game: Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Penn State Nittany Lions

Date: Saturday, November 30, 2019

Week 14

Location: Beaver Stadium in University Park, PA

TV: Big Ten Network

Odds/Point Spread: Penn State -41

Total/Over-Under: 51.5

Sean Clifford and the Penn State Nittany Lions host the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, November 30, 2019. The odds on this contest have Penn State as 41-point favorites. The Scarlet Knights are 3-8-0 ATS and 5-6-0 when betting on the total. The Nittany Lions are 5-6-0 when wagering on the over/under and 6-5-0 against the spread.

In their last game, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights faced the Michigan State Spartans and took the defeat by a score of 27-0. Leading the way at QB for the Scarlet Knights was Johnny Langan who went 8/20 with 57 yards passing but wasn't able to throw a ball for a TD. He walked away with 1 interception during the game. Johnny Langan led the team on the ground for the game. He had a long run of 13 yards but he never crossed the endzone by way of the rush. He rushed for a total of 49 yards by way of 14 carries which had him averaging 3.5 yards per run. Isaih Pacheco was the leader in receiving yardage with a total of 25 yards on 2 catches. He had an average of 12.5 yards per catch for the game. The Scarlet Knights ran the football 27 times and racked up a total of 83 yards giving them an average of 3.1 yards per attempt. In the game, the Scarlet Knights totaled 7 1st downs and they had 7 penalties for 84 yards which is telling of how their week of practice went. On the day, they finished with a total of 47 plays which gave them a total of 140 yards. In terms of defense, Rutgers allowed 21 completions on 30 throws totaling 239 yards, and a completion percentage of 70.0%. On the day, they conceded 395 yards and earned 1 turnover. In the running game, the Scarlet Knights allowed 156 yards on 47 tries which gave them an average of 3.3 yards per attempt allowed.

The Scarlet Knights head into this matchup 2-9 this season. For total yardage, they sit in 14th in the Big Ten Conference and 130th in D-1 with 2,896 yards. In terms of scoring, they are one of the worst in the country averaging 13.9 points per contest, putting them 130th in D-1. As a unit, they have an average of 129.9 yards on the ground per contest which is 12th in the Big Ten Conference. The Scarlet Knights have one of the worst defenses in the nation, allowing 37.5 points per contest which has them at 14th in the conference. When talking about rushing yards, Rutgers is allowing 196.4 yards per game putting them 14th in the Big Ten Conference and 105th in D-1. Opposing teams are running for an average of 4.8 yards per carry ranking them 13th in the conference and 100th in D-1 overall. Overall, they have conceded 2,160 yards rushing through 11 games. When it comes to passing yards, the Scarlet Knights have conceded 1,467 yards. Opponents are completing 61.3% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 8.3 yards per try.

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In their last game, the Penn State Nittany Lions took on the Ohio State Buckeyes and lost 28-17. Journey Brown paced the team in rushing in the game. He broke a long run for 18 yards and he notched 1 touchdown for the game. He rushed for 64 yards on 11 carries which gave him an average of 5.8 yards per run. KJ Hamler led the team in receiving yardage by earning 45 yards on 3 catches. He had an average of 15.0 yards per catch in the game. Leading the way at QB for the Nittany Lions was Sean Clifford who went 10/17 with 71 yards through the air but didn't get a passing TD in the game. He finished this contest without throwing a pick. The Nittany Lions rushed the ball a total of 37 times and totaled 99 yards which gave them an average of 2.7 yards per attempt. In the game, they totaled 65 plays which gave them a total of 227 yards. In the game, the Nittany Lions totaled 15 1st downs and they had a total of 5 penalties for 32 yards which tells us their heads weren't always in the game. When discussing the defense, Penn State allowed 16 catches on 22 tries totaling 188 yards, and a completion percentage of 72.7%. On the ground, the Nittany Lions allowed 229 yards on 61 carries which means they had an average of 3.8 yards per run allowed. For the game, they allowed 417 yards and earned 3 turnovers.

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The Nittany Lions come into this matchup with a record of 9-2. In terms of offensive proficiency, the Nittany Lions have one of the top tier offenses in Division 1. Penn State is making teams consider moving more up into the box by averaging 168 rushing yards per contest, which has them at 57th in the nation. As a team, they have compiled a total of 1,848 rushing yards through 11 games, so they'll look to the run game to try to keep the opponents off balance so they'll have open receivers. The Nittany Lions average 410.1 yards per game overall which has them at 64th in college football and 6th in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions are allowing 14.8 points per game ranking them 4th in the conference and 9th in the nation. When it comes to points given up, they have given up 163 points in total. In discussing yards on the ground, they are conceding 90.2 yards per game ranking them 4th in Division 1 and 1st in the Big Ten Conference. In 2019, they have allowed 992 yards on the ground and 9.9 rushing touchdowns. Their pass defense is one of the middle of the road groups in college football. They are conceding 235.5 passing yards per contest. For passing yards allowed per game, the Nittany Lions are ranked 12th in the conference.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Nittany Lions -41

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