Michigan State Spartans vs Penn State Nittany Lions Prediction, 12/12/2020 College Football Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Michigan State Spartans vs Penn State Nittany Lions

Date: Saturday, December 12, 2020

Location: Beaver Stadium

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Michigan State (+13)

Total/Over-Under: 49.5

Sean Clifford and the Penn State Nittany Lions (2-5) play the Michigan State Spartans (2-4) at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, December 12, 2020. Penn State opens this matchup as 13-point favorites. The over/under has been set at 49.5.

In their last game, the Michigan State Spartans played the Ohio State Buckeyes and left there with a loss by a score of 52-12. Payton Thorne paced the team in rushing in this outing. He had a long run of 31 yards and he tallied 1 touchdown in this game. He rushed for a total of 42 yards via 9 carries which means he ran for an average of 4.7 yards per tote. Jayden Reed was the receiving yardage leader with a total of 79 yards on 5 receptions. He averaged 15.8 yards per catch in this outing. Payton Thorne went 16/25 with 147 yards by way of the pass but wasn't able to get any balls in the endzone via the pass. He gave away 1 interception for the contest.

The Spartans have tallied 1,918 yards in total this year. As a unit they're maintaining an average of 95.2 yards in the run game which has them sitting 121st in college football. In terms of distribution of touchdowns, Michigan State has earned 8 touchdowns via the pass and 2 rushing touchdowns. When it comes to scoring points, the Michigan State Spartans are sitting at 17.0 points per game. The Spartans are sitting in 111th in Division 1 when it comes to the opposition scoring, allowing 34.5 points per contest. The opposition is running for 4.1 yards per rushing attempt and 163.7 yards on the ground per game on the year. Overall, they have allowed 982 rushing yards through 6 games. In terms of passing yards, the Spartans are giving up 1,390 yds which ranks them 57th in the country. In their 6 games, they have conceded 231.7 yards per contest through the air and allowed a completion percentage of 60.2%. During this campaign, they are granting 395.3 yards per contest which has them sitting 70th in Division 1.

Payton Thorne has completed 26 of his career 46 throws for a completion percentage of 56.5%. He is throwing for 85.7 yards per contest. For his college career, Thorne has passed for a total of 257 yards with 0 TD's and 2 picks. He has a quarterback rating of 94.8 and an interception rate of 4.3%. Over the course of his collegiate career, he has attempted running the ball 17 different times for a total of 67 yards.

In their last game, the Penn State Nittany Lions took the field against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and were on the winning end of this game by a score of 23-7. Sean Clifford went 15/22 with 133 yards through the air and tossed 1 TD. He gave away 1 pick for the contest. Keyvone Lee led the team on the ground in this game. He broke a long run for 31 yards but he wasn't able to run one in for a touchdown. He ran for a total of 95 yards by way of 17 carries which means he ran for an average of 5.6 yards per carry. Jahan Dotson led the team in receiving yardage with a total of 30 yards on 4 catches. He earned an average of 7.5 yards per reception in this game.

Regarding their scoring prowess, the Nittany Lions are ranked 89th in D-1 holding an average of 24.7 points per contest. Over the course of the season so far, the Nittany Lions have thrown for 1,691 yards via the pass in addition to an average of 241.6 passing yards per game, which has them sitting 52nd in Division 1. They hold an average of 171.0 yards per game on the ground and have run for 1,197 yards in total. The Penn State Nittany Lions hold an average of 412.6 yards per game ranking them 53rd in the country. Penn State has conceded a total of 950 yards rushing (135.7 yards per contest) in addition to 12 touchdowns rushing this season. The Nittany Lions are conceding 29.1 PPG, which puts them 78th in D-1. Over the course of the season, they have surrendered 204 points in total. They have conceded 10 touchdowns via the pass as well as 191.7 yards per outing, which puts them in 34th in the country.

During the 23 contests in his collegiate career, Sean Clifford has completed 313 of 528 attempts for a total of 4,215 yards. He averages 183.3 passing yards per game with a 143.4 QB rating. Clifford has thrown for 37 touchdowns compared to 16 picks in his career. He has run for 675 yards on 202 tries. His TD percentage is 7.0% and his interception percentage is 3.0%.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Spartans +13

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