Illinois Fighting Illini vs Penn State Nittany Lions Prediction, 12/19/2020 College Football Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Illinois Fighting Illini vs Penn State Nittany Lions

Date: Saturday, December 19, 2020

Location: Beaver Stadium

TV: FS1

Odds/Point Spread: Illinois (+14.5)

Total/Over-Under: 52

Sean Clifford and the Penn State Nittany Lions (3-5) host the Illinois Fighting Illini (2-5) at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, December 19, 2020. Illinois opens this matchup as 14.5-point dogs. The O/U opens at 52.

In their last outing, the Illinois Fighting Illini took on the Northwestern Wildcats and left there with a loss by a score of 28-10. Isaiah Williams went 4/8 with 86 yards by way of the pass and tossed 1 touchdown. He finished the game without throwing an interception. Chase Brown led the team in rushing for that contest. He tore off a long run of 16 yards but wasn't able to convert a rushing touchdown. He ran for 70 yards via 14 carries which had him averaging 5.0 yards per carry. Brian Hightower led the team in receiving yardage with a tally of 60 yards on 2 catches. He averaged 30.0 yards per reception for that contest.

Concerning putting the ball in the endzone, the Illinois Fighting Illini are averaging 20.0 PPG. As a team they hold an average of 202.3 yards rushing giving them a rank of 27th in college football. The Fighting Illini have tallied 2,519 total yards over the course of this year. In terms of distribution of touchdowns, Illinois has amassed 8 touchdowns through the air and 8 touchdowns via the ground. When it comes to yards via the pass, the Fighting Illini have conceded 1,570 yards which has them sitting in 63rd in college football. For the season, they are allowing 451.1 yards/contest ranking them 117th in Division 1. The Fighting Illini sit in 95th in college football in terms of team defense, allowing 31.9 PPG. Opposing teams are running for an average of 5.2 yards per rushing attempt and 226.9 yards on the ground per game on the year. In their 7 games played, they have surrendered 224.3 yards per outing through the air and conceding a completion percentage of 69.7%. In total, they have allowed 1,588 yards via the ground game in 7 games.

Brandon Peters has completed 249 of his career 461 tosses for a completion percentage of 54.0%. He is averaging 130.1 yards per contest. For his college career, Peters has thrown for a total of 2,993 yards with 25 TD's and 11 interceptions. He has a QB rating of 121.7 with a TD percentage of 5.4% and an interception percentage of 2.4%. Since his collegiate career started, he has attempted running the football 115 times for a total of 313 yds.

The last time they took the field, the Penn State Nittany Lions took the field against the Michigan State Spartans and earned the win by a score of 39-24. Sean Clifford went 17/27 with 232 yards by way of passing and completed 2 TD's. He ended the game without an interception. Sean Clifford led the team in rushing for that contest. He tore off a long run of 31 yards and he ran for 1 touchdown in this game. He rushed for 48 yards via 9 carries which means he ran for an average of 5.3 yards per tote. Jahan Dotson led the team in receiving yardage with a total of 108 yards on 8 catches. He earned an average of 13.5 yards per catch for that contest.

During this campaign so far, the Nittany Lions have compiled 1,977 passing yards as well as an average of 247.1 passing yards per outing, ranking them 45th in college football. The Penn State Nittany Lions maintain an average of 411.6 yards per outing ranking them 53rd in Division 1. They average 164.5 yards via the ground game and have rushed for 1,316 yards for the year. In terms of how much they score, the Nittany Lions currently sit 79th in college football holding an average of 26.5 points per game. The Nittany Lions are surrendering 28.5 PPG, ranking them 74th in the nation. This year, they have surrendered 228 points. Penn State has conceded a total of 1,014 rushing yards (126.8 yards per contest) and 12 touchdowns by way of the ground game this year. They have given up 13 touchdowns through the air and 208.4 yards/game, which puts them in 50th in the nation.

Clifford has thrown for 39 touchdowns while tossing 16 interceptions in his collegiate career. His TD percentage on pass attempts is 7.0% and his interception rate is 2.9%. He has taken off and run for 723 yds on 211 tries. He is averaging 185.3 yards per game through the air with a 144.2 quarterback rating. During the 24 games in his career, Sean Clifford has been successful on 330 of 555 tries for a total of 4,447 yds.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Fighting Illini +14.5

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