This game looks like a low-scoring affair as the Penn State Nittany Lions square off with the Georgia Bulldogs with an opportunity to close out the season strong in the Taxslayer Bowl. Georgia (9-3) goes into this game on a four-game winning streak, while Penn State (7-5) has fallen short in three of its last five. Players will take the field Saturday, Jan 2 at 12:00 p.m. ET and the game will air on ESPN.
Georgia beat Georgia Tech 13-7 in its last game. Terry Godwin had a good game in the win, registering eight catches for 78 yards. Greyson Lambert put up 224 yards through the air. Penn State is hoping for a different outcome after had an ugly loss against Michigan State 55-16. Chris Godwin had a huge game for the Nittany Lions, hauling in 11 passes for 109 yards and two TDs. Saquon Barkley had a great game as well, adding 103 rushing yards on 17 carries.
Georgia is a seven-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 43 points.
Sitting at 9-3 Straight Up (SU) and 5-7 Against The Spread (ATS), the Bulldogs will look to improve heading into this bowl game. Over their last five games, the Bulldogs have records of 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS. The Nittany Lions could struggle against the top-ranked Bulldogs. The Bulldogs give up 146.1 yards per game through the air. A pivotal part of the game will be whether the Bulldogs can attack Penn State’s ball security, which currently is one of the worst in the nation with one fumbles lost per game. The Bulldogs make it hard on their opponents in the third quarter. Georgia averages 9.3 points during that period, one of the best in the country.
On the other side, the Nittany Lions have a record of 4-8 ATS and 7-5 SU. Over their last five games, the Nittany Lions have a SU record of 2-3 and a 1-4 record ATS for those betting with them. Averaging 253.0 yards receiving over its last five games, Penn State’s receivers have turned it on lately. For the season, they’ve only averaged 208.9 yards per game. Switching gears to the Penn State defense, it has some favorable matchups that it may be able to take advantage of as well. Opponents have had difficulty with Penn State’s 11th-ranked pass defense, which gives up just 174.5 passing yards per game. If the Bulldogs aren’t careful with ball security against Penn State’s defense, they are going to be in some trouble. That defense has recovered the eighth-most fumbles on the season with one per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Georgia, ATS Winner – Georgia, O/U – Over
Notes
Georgia is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games.
Georgia is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Georgia’s last 5 games.
Each team is 6-0 SU when leading after three quarters.
Georgia is an even 2-2 SU in games where it comes out ahead in the turnover battle, yet 5-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
The Georgia offensive passing attack is ranked only 102nd in the nation, while the Penn State pass defense is ranked 11th. The Nittany Lions passing game is ranked just 83rd, compared to the first-ranked pass defense of the Bulldogs.
