Penn State Nittany Lions vs Northwestern Wildcats Prediction, 9/30/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Penn State Nittany Lions vs Northwestern Wildcats

Date: Saturday, September 30, 2023

Location: Ryan Field in Evanston, IL

TV: BTN

Odds/Point Spread: Wildcats (+21)

Total/Over-Under: 45.5

Ryan Field is where the Northwestern Wildcats (2-2) will attempt to defeat the Penn State Nittany Lions (4-0) on Saturday, September 30, 2023. Penn State is 21-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The total is set at 45.5.

The Penn State Nittany Lions head into this matchup 4-0 this season. In their last matchup, the Nittany Lions faced off with the Iowa Hawkeyes and took home the win by a score of 31-0. Drew Allar went 25/37 with 166 yards through the air and 4 TDs. He had a quarterback rate of 140.9 and finished the game without throwing an interception. Kaytron Allen was the leader on the ground for the Nittany Lions with 21 totes for 72 yds (3.4 yds per carry). Once the final whistle blew, they ran 97 plays which totaled 397 yards. The Penn State Nittany Lions rushed the ball a total of 57 times and had 215 yds, which had them averaging 3.8 yards per carry. Against the run, the Nittany Lions gave up 20 yds on 17 tries, which averages out to 1.2 yards per run surrendered. Penn State relinquished 6 completions on 16 tries for a total of 56 yards, and a completion percentage of 37.5%.

When talking about putting points on the board, the Penn State Nittany Lions have an average of 40.5 PPG. As a team they're holding an average of 210.0 yards on the ground which is 18th in the nation. The Nittany Lions currently have 1,799 total yards this season. When it comes to distribution of touchdowns, Penn State has earned 10 touchdowns through the air and 10 rushing touchdowns. Penn State has a total of 109 1st downs as an offense, and they have committed 19 infractions for 175 yds. They have yet to turn the ball over this season.

The Nittany Lions sit in 5th in D-1 in terms of team defense, conceding 8.8 points per game. They are allowing an average of 3.0 yards per running attempt and 81.5 rushing yards per contest so far this year. During this campaign, they have given up 326 rushing yards through 4 games. When talking about passing yards, the Nittany Lions are giving up 552 yds which has them sitting in 3rd in the nation. They have yielded 138.0 yards per outing via the pass as well as conceding a completion percentage of 50.6%. Overall, they are granting 219.5 yards/game putting them at 1st in D-1. They have surrendered 1 touchdown via the pass as well as 4 touchdowns via the ground game.

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The Wildcats come into this matchup with a record of 2-2 for this season. In their last game, the Wildcats walked away with a victory by a final of 37-34 against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Cam Porter carried the football 16 times for 56 yds, finishing the game with 3.5 yards per attempt for Northwestern. Ben Bryant (4 TDs) finished the contest with 396 yards on 33/49 passing while his quarterback rate was 162.2. He kept the ball away from the defense with no interceptions and his Y/A was 8.1. Northwestern gave up 42 running attempts for 244 yds (5.8 yards per rush). The Wildcats passing defense gave up a completion rate of 73.7%, relinquishing 153 yards on 14 out of 19 passing. The Wildcats finished with 492 yds on 80 plays (6.2 yards per play). Northwestern rushed for 3.2 yds per attempt, finishing the contest with 92 yards on 29 attempts.

When discussing this team's ability to score points, the Wildcats currently rank 90th in the country by scoring 24.0 points per contest. The Northwestern Wildcats average 337.8 yards per game, ranking them 102nd in the country. The Northwestern offense has compiled 158 yards of penalties on 16 infractions, which ranks 118th in D-1 in terms of helping out the opposition. They have given away 3 interceptions while surrendering 1 fumble and they have been able to obtain 75 first downs. For the year thus far, the Wildcats have a total of 959 yards via the pass together with an average of 239.8 throwing yards per game, which ranks 68th in college football. They have an average of 98.0 yards per game via the rush and have run for 392 yards for the year.

The Wildcats are surrendering 25.8 points per game, which has them sitting 79th in the nation. Northwestern has yielded a total of 738 rushing yards (184.5 yards per game) in addition to 9 touchdowns rushing on the season. Overall, they have surrendered 103 pts. They have surrendered 4 touchdowns from the passing game in addition to 187.5 yards per game, which has them ranked 35th in the nation. The Wildcats defense has participated in 259 plays, which is good for 57th in college football. They have tallied 1 fumble recovered and 3 picks this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Nittany Lions -21

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