A couple of schools that prefer to run the football, Coach James Franklin and the No. 15 Penn State Nittany Lions (-14) are ready to welcome their Big 10 nemesis Maryland Terrapins at Beaver Stadium. This afternoon game is scheduled to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET and fans can catch it live by tuning in to ABC.
Maryland Terrapins vs. Penn State Nittany Lions Betting Preview
In this Saturday Big Ten game, Penn State has been tabbed as the heavy favorite and is currently giving up 14 points. If they are wanting to play the moneyline, bettors would currently have to wager $600 in order to win $100 back on the Nittany Lions (-600). The Terrapins are getting +425 moneyline odds. Vegas has determined the over/under (O/U) to be 55.5 points, and if one team can create a bunch of points in the early stages, it will probably lead to a reasonable in-game betting opportunity.
This game’s opening line was -14. The over/under has not moved after it was set initially at 55.5.
The underwhelming Terrapins are 6-5 against the spread (ATS) and are down 8.5 units so far in 2018. The team has posted an O/U record of 6-5. The Nittany Lions have lost 4.0 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 6-5 ATS and the over’s hit in six of their games.
The Terrapins are 5-6 straight up (SU), including 3-5 SU against Big 10 opponents. The Nittany Lions are 8-3 SU overall and 5-3 SU in conference play.
Maryland comes into this one on a two-game winning streak while Penn State has come up short in each of its last three. The Terrapins dropped one to Ohio State 52-51 in a nailbiter where their D allowed the Buckeyes to pass for 405 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 283 yards and four scores. J.K. Dobbins was on a different level for the Buckeyes in that one with 203 rushing yards and a score on 37 attempts. On the offensive side of the ball, Tyrrell Pigrome completed only six-of-13 passes for 181 yards and one touchdown. Anthony McFarland (298 rushing yards on 21 attempts, two TDs) and the signal-caller Pigrome (-20 yards on 11 carries) led the ground attack in the loss. Jeshaun Jones (two receptions, 27 yards, one TD) and Darryl Jones (two catches, 68 yards) handled the receiving duties.
Penn State is coming off of a 20-7 win over Rutgers. The Nittany Lions defense allowed the Scarlet Knights to run for 188 yards on 55 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. Raheem Blackshear had a productive outing in the defeat, recording 102 rushing yards and a score on 22 attempts for Rutgers. For Penn State, Trace McSorley completed 17-of-37 passes for 183 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Miles Sanders (88 rushing yards on 27 attempts) mounted the ground attack in the win while KJ Hamler (five receptions, 71 yards) led the pass-catching attack.
Maryland has run the ball on 67.4 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Penn State has an overall rush percentage of 57.7 percent. The Terrapins have rushed for 244 yards per game (including 246 per game versus Big Ten opponents) and have 26 scores via handoffs this year. The Nittany Lions are totaling 199 rush yards per game (185 in conference) and have 29 total rushing TDs.
If the numbers so far this season can translate to this game, then it appears the Nittany Lions may have the more disruptive lines up front, as their offensive line has allowed just 24 sacks while the D-line has logged 38 sacks. The Terrapins O-line has allowed 25 sacks and their defense has sacked opposing signal-callerss on just 16 occasions.
The Terps offensive scheme has logged 137 yards/contest through the air overall (133 per game versus conference opposition) and has 12 passing scores so far. The Nittany Lions have recorded 212 pass yards per game (197.5 against Big 10 foes) and have 18 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Maryland has allowed 172 rush yards and 202 pass yards per game. The Penn State defense has allowed 186.6 yards per game to opposing passers and 177.0 yards per game to opposing runners. The Nittany Lions are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 3.57 to opponents, while the Terrapins have given up a 5.02 ANY/A.
Offensively, Pigrome is up to 230 passing yards on the year, and has connected on 42 percent of his 31 attempts with one scores through the air and one interception. He’s got a 3.60 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 10.65 over the past two outings.
Anthony McFarland, Dontay Demus and Jeshaun Jones have collectively accounted for 779 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns as a trio over the last couple of outings.
Trace McSorley has completed 144-of-281 passes for 1,894 yards, 14 TDs and six INTs for Penn State. His ANY/A sits at 5.98 for the season and 5.33 across his last two outings.
Miles Sanders (936 rushing yards, eight rush TDs this season), KJ Hamler (588 receiving yards, five receiving TDs) and Jahan Dotson (118 receiving yards) have combined for 462 total yards over the last two games.
These two squads met a year ago with the final outcome being a 66-3 victory for Penn State.
RELATED: Week 13 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Free Pick: Maryland Terrapins vs. Penn State Nittany Lions
SU Winner – Penn State, ATS Winner – Penn State, O/U – Under
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Notes
Betting Notes
The O/U for Maryland’s last game was set at 61.5. The over cashed in the team’s 52-51 defeat to Ohio State.
As a team, Maryland has produced 5.3 yards per carry over its last three games and 6.5 over its last two.
Penn State has averaged 3.4 yards per carry over its last three outings and 3.7 over its past two.
Penn State has lost 11 fumbles this season while Maryland has lost nine.
Over its last three games, Maryland is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
Maryland has lost five of its last six games SU, with a 30-point victory over Illinois on October 27th accounting for the only win over that span.
The O/U for Penn State’s last match was set at 53. The under cashed in the 20-7 victory over Rutgers.
Over its last three contests, Penn State is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
Penn State has won five of its last six games SU, with a -35-point defeat to Michigan on November 3rd accounting for its only loss over that stretch.
The Terrapins offense has produced nine pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Nittany Lions have accounted for seven such plays.
The Maryland defense has allowed eight pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Penn State has given up three such plays.
The Maryland offense has created 33 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Penn State has created 19 such runs.
The Terrapins defense has allowed 14 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Nittany Lions have given up 18 such runs.
The Penn State D has recorded 38 sacks on the year while Maryland has just 16.
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