Pittsburgh Panthers vs West Virginia Mountaineers Prediction, 9/16/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Panthers vs West Virginia Mountaineers

Date: Saturday, September 16, 2023

Location: Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, WV

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Mountaineers (+1)

Total/Over-Under: 50

Milan Puskar Stadium is the location where the West Virginia Mountaineers (1-1) will attempt to defeat the Pittsburgh Panthers (1-1) on Saturday, September 16, 2023. West Virginia opens this contest as 1-point underdogs. The total is set at 50.

The Pittsburgh Panthers head into this matchup 1-1 this season. In their last game, the Panthers faced off with the Cincinnati Bearcats and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 27-21. C'Bo Flemister was the leader on the ground for the Panthers with 6 totes for 38 yards (6.3 yards per carry). Phil Jurkovec finished 10/32 with 179 yards through the air and 3 touchdowns. He had a QB rate of 109.2 and ended the game without throwing an interception. When it came to stopping the run, the Panthers conceded 216 yards on 42 tries, which is an average of 5.1 yds per run allowed. Pittsburgh conceded 19 completions on 27 tries for 155 yards, and a completion rate of 70.4%. In all, they had 61 plays for 262 yds. The Pittsburgh Panthers ended up running the ball 29 times and had 83 yds, earning them an average of 2.9 yards per carry.

Regarding putting the ball in the endzone, the Pittsburgh Panthers are averaging 33.0 points per contest. As a unit they average 150.0 yards on the ground which has them sitting 76th in college football. The Panthers have earned 753 total yards over the course of this year. When it comes to scoring touchdowns, Pittsburgh has amassed 5 touchdowns via the pass and 4 rushing touchdowns. Pittsburgh has earned 48 first downs as an offense, and they have been called for 12 infractions for 97 yards. They have surrendered the ball 1 time.

When talking about passing yards, the Panthers have given up 282 yards which puts them in 14th in the nation. They have yielded 141.0 yards per game via the pass and allowed a completion percentage of 70.5%. Over the course of this year, they have yielded 248.5 yards per contest which ranks them 19th in college football. They have relinquished 3 touchdowns by air in addition to 1 touchdown pounding the rock. They are giving up 3.5 yards per rush and 107.5 yards on the ground per game for the season. In total, they have given up 215 rushing yards through 2 games. The Panthers rank 46th in the nation when it comes to team defense, giving up 17.0 PPG.

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The Mountaineers head into this game 1-1 this season. When they last stepped on the field, the Mountaineers got the victory with a final of 56-17 against the Duquesne Dukes. Garrett Greene (4 touchdowns) ended the contest with 240 yards on 10/18 through the air while his quarterback rating was 240.9. He didn't toss any interceptions and his average yards per pass attempt was 13.3. Jahiem White carried the rock 12 times for 110 yards, finishing the contest with 9.2 yards per carry for West Virginia. The Mountaineers finished with a total of 619 yards and they ran 81 plays (7.6 yds per play). West Virginia rushed for 6.2 yards per attempt, finishing the game with 304 yds on 49 attempts. West Virginia conceded 28 rushing attempts for 3 yards (0.1 yds per rush). The Mountaineers passing defense conceded a completion rate of 46.9%, surrendering 231 yards on 15 for 32 through the air.

In terms of their scoring prowess, the Mountaineers currently rank 45th in D-1 averaging 35.5 points per outing. The West Virginia Mountaineers are averaging 463.5 yards per outing, ranking them 32nd in D-1. The West Virginia offense has 85 yards of penalties on 9 infractions, which ranks them 92nd in D-1 in terms of helping out the opposition. They have given away 0 picks while conceding 2 fumbles and they have been able to earn 47 1st downs. For the year so far, the Mountaineers have racked up 477 passing yards in addition to holding an average of 238.5 passing yards per game, putting them at 67th in Division 1. They are averaging 225.0 yards per game via the ground game and have run for 450 yards for the season.

The Mountaineers are surrendering 27.5 points per game, which has them sitting 96th in college football. West Virginia has given up a total of 149 rushing yards (74.5 yards per game) as well as 2 touchdowns on the ground so far this season. Overall, they have relinquished 55 total points. They have conceded 5 touchdowns from the passing game as well as 281.5 yards per game, which puts them in 111th in D-1. The Mountaineers defense has taken part in 125 plays, which has them sitting 44th in the nation. Their defense has tallied 0 fumbles recovered and 2 interceptions on the season.

Who will win tonight's Panthers/Mountaineers college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Panthers -1

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