Two of the best defenses in the country will get together in this game as the Penn State Nittany Lions (7-2) take on the Northwestern Wildcats (6-2). The Big 10’s third-leading rusher, Justin Jackson (731 yards, 1 TD), will be featured in this game. Northwestern has had its share of highlights this season, but has struggled in recent weeks, having lost two of its last three. The game starts at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov 7 and will be available on ESPU.
In its last game before the bye, Northwestern won a tight one against Nebraska 30-28. Dan Vitale had a solid performance in the victory, grabbing five receptions for 55 yards and one TD. Clayton Thorson put up 177 yards and a TD through the air. Penn State also won last week’s performance, easily getting past Illinois 39-0. Chris Godwin had a quality performance for the Nittany Lions, pulling in seven receptions for 76 yards and one TD. Christian Hackenberg also had a great game with 266 yards and two TDs through the air.
As a slender two-point underdog, the Nittany Lions look to upend the Wildcats. The Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available.
Sitting at 6-2 Straight Up (SU) and 5-3 Against The Spread (ATS), the Wildcats will look to improve heading into Week 10. In their five most recent matchups, the Wildcats went 3-2 SU and 2-3 ATS. Northwestern has made opposing defenses pay lately, averaging 167.6 passing yards per game over the last five weeks, higher than its season average of 145.6 yards. As for the Northwestern defense, a few key matchups could decide this game. Expect the Wildcats defense to restrict Penn State’s passing attack. The Wildcats have the seventh-ranked pass defense in the nation and give up only 164.8 passing yards per game.
As for their opponent, the Nittany Lions head into Week 10 with records of 4-5 ATS and 7-2 SU. Over their last five games, the Nittany Lions have a SU record of 4-1 and a 2-3 record ATS for those betting with them. Penn State’s pass defense ranks fourth in the nation. This frightening unit gives up just 157.9 yards per game through the air. The Nittany Lions have been embarrassing their opponents’ offensive lines this year. Penn State’s defense leads the country with an average of 3.8 sacks per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Penn State, ATS Winner – Penn State
Notes
Northwestern is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games.
Northwestern is 5-13 ATS in its last 18 games at home.
Northwestern is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Northwestern’s last 5 games at home.
Northwestern is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Penn State.
Northwestern is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Penn State.
Penn State is 7-1 SU when leading at the half this season. Northwestern is 4-0 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Remarkably, Northwestern is only 1-2 SU in games where it comes out ahead in the turnover battle, yet undefeated (5-0 SU) when losing the turnover battle.
The Northwestern offensive passing attack is ranked only 120th in the nation, while the Penn State pass defense is ranked fourth. The Nittany Lions passing game is ranked just 88th, compared to the seventh-ranked pass defense of the Wildcats.
