Ohio State Buckeyes vs Minnesota Golden Gophers Prediction, 9/2/2021 College Football Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Ohio State Buckeyes vs Minnesota Golden Gophers

Date: Thursday, September 2, 2021

Location: TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN

TV: FOX

Odds/Point Spread: Golden Gophers (+13.5)

Total/Over-Under: 64

The Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-4 last season) are welcoming the Ohio State Buckeyes (7-0 last year) at TCF Bank Stadium on Thursday. Ohio State opens this contest as 13.5-point favorites. The over/under is set at 64.

The Ohio State Buckeyes wrapped up their year with a 7-0 record. The last time they stepped onto the field, the Buckeyes faced off with the Alabama Crimson Tide and went home with a loss by a final score of 52-24. Justin Fields connected on 17/33 with 194 yards through the air and 1 TD. He had a QB rating of 110.9 and finished the contest with no interceptions. Master Teague was the best rusher for the Buckeyes with 15 carries for 65 yards (4.3 yds per attempt). The Ohio State Buckeyes ended up rushing 29 different times and accrued 147 yds, earning them an average of 5.1 yds per attempt. When all was said and done, they ran 62 plays for 341 yards. Ohio State conceded 36 pass completions on 45 tries for a total of 464 yds, and a completion rate of 80.0%. In the running game, the Buckeyes conceded 157 yards on 38 attempts, which is 4.1 yds per rush surrendered.

The Buckeyes earned 3,814 total yards for last season. They surrendered the football 9 different times. Ohio State amassed 21 touchdowns via the pass and 17 touchdowns via the ground. Ohio State totaled 180 1st downs as a unit, and they were hurt by 45 penalties for 406 yds. As a unit they maintained an average of 272.6 yards rushing, which was 5th in the country. Concerning putting points on the board, the Ohio State Buckeyes had an average of 43.4 PPG.

In terms of passing yards, the Buckeyes allowed 1,965 yards which ranked them 74th in college football. During their 7 games, they conceded 280.7 yards per contest through the air and relinquishing a completion percentage of 63.7%. They gave up 369.9 yards per outing which had them ranked 54th in the nation. They allowed 11 passing touchdowns in addition to 8 running touchdowns. They allowed teams to run for an average of 3.2 yards per rushing attempt and 89.1 rushing yards per contest last year. Overall, they gave up 624 running yards through 7 games. The Buckeyes ranked 44th in college football regarding the opposition scoring, allowing 22.0 points per game.

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The Golden Gophers wrapped up their year having a 3-4 record. The last time they took the field, the Golden Gophers took a defeat with a final score of 20-17 against the Wisconsin Badgers. Tanner Morgan (2 touchdowns) finished the game with 160 yards on 13/25 through the air while his quarterback rate was 124.2. He tossed 1 pick and his average yards per attempt was 6.4. Mohamed Ibrahim carried the ball 26 times for 151 yards, finishing the contest with 5.8 yds per carry for Minnesota. Minnesota rushed for 4.1 yds per attempt, finishing the contest with 146 yds on 36 carries. The Golden Gophers finished the game with 326 yds while they ran 62 plays (5.3 yds per play). The Golden Gophers secondary allowed a completion percentage of 64.0%, relinquishing 147 yards on 16 for 25 passing. Minnesota allowed 36 attempts on the ground for 175 yds (4.9 yards per rush).

The Minnesota Golden Gophers averaged 391.0 yards/game which had them sitting 70th in Division 1. They gave away 5 picks while conceding 2 fumbles and they obtained 151 first downs. They held an average of 191.9 run yards per game and ran for 1,343 yards in total. The Minnesota offense had 293 penalty yds on 32 infractions, which was good for 112th in the nation in terms of hurting your team. For the previous season, the Golden Gophers compiled 1,394 yards through the air as well as an average of 199.1 passing yards per game, which had them ranked 95th in D-1. Regarding their scoring prowess, the Golden Gophers were 71st in the nation with 27.3 PPG.

The Golden Gophers allowed 30.1 PPG, which had them ranked 83rd in the nation. Last year, they gave up 211 points in total. Minnesota conceded a total of 1,447 yards rushing (206.7 yards/game) and 16 touchdowns via the rush last season. They allowed 11 touchdowns through the air and 208.7 yards per outing, which had them sitting 47th in the nation. The Golden Gophers defense took part in 422 plays, which ranked them 40th in the country. They had 2 fumbles recovered and 5 interceptions in the previous season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Golden Gophers +13.5

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