Kicking off the New Year on January 1, we have a number of bowl games set to take place all across the country. But here, we’re going to focus on the Citrus Bowl. The matchup includes #14 Kentucky Wildcats taking on the #12 Penn State Nittany Lions, who both finished the regular season with a 9-3 record.
Trace McSorley has had a solid season, but how will he cap it off? Will he throw for 195 yards? Let’s see.
Related: College Football Betting Guide | College Football Bowl Betting
On the year, McSorley has completed just 53 percent of his passes (175-328) for 2284 yards, 16 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He also topped 195 passing yards in a game just five times: Week 1, 3, 5, 8 and 13 — the final game of the year.
The Wildcats, have been an underdog story all year long, and have only allowed just over 181 passing yards per game to opposing offenses. McSorley comes with a fairly mediocre Nittany Lions offensive line, which will prove to be trouble for them as they face potential top-10 2019 NFL draft pick, defensive end Josh Allen.
Additionally, the Wildcats rely heavily on their running back, Benny Snell Jr., to carry their offense, which could limit McSorley’s time on the field.
As six-point favorites, the Nittany Lions should be in control of this game throughout, meaning they won’t require a ton of passing from McSorley. Even if this Vegas prediction goes south and the Wildcats pull off an upset, McSorley just doesn’t appear to be the same guy we saw in 2017 with Saquon Barkley helping him out.
We’ve seen in the past that McSorley can get the ball downfield, but something is missing — perhaps Barkley?
At just 6.9 yards per attempt, a more mobile version of McSorley and a pass rush from Kentucky that could give McSorley issues all afternoon, go with the under here.
Projection: 180 passing yards, 1 TD, 2 INT; 55 rushing yards 1 TD
Score: Wildcats 20, Nittany Lions 18
