One unbeaten streak will reach five games as Head Coach James Franklin and the No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lions square off against Coach Urban Meyer and the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes. The matchup will get underway at 7:30 p.m. ET and ABC is scheduled to have the TV rights.
Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Penn State Nittany Lions Betting Preview
In this Saturday Big Ten game, Ohio State is projected as the favorite and is currently giving up 3.5 points. The Buckeyes are also receiving -175 moneyline odds while the Nittany Lions are +155. There will probably be multiple good live betting opportunities for this match.
Odds have shifted, as the line opened at 4.
The Buckeyes have gained 1.0 unit so far in 2018 and are 3-0-1 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U record of 2-2. The Nittany Lions have gained 1.0 unit this season. The team is 3-1 ATS and has an O/U record of 4-0.
The Buckeyes are 4-0 straight up (SU), including 1-0 SU against conference opponents. The Nittany Lions are 4-0 SU overall and 1-0 SU in conference play.
The Buckeyes are hoping to remain unbeaten following a 49-6 victory over Tulane last week. The passing attack was sharp as the Buckeyes completed 31-of-38 passes for 419 yards and five touchdowns. Dwayne Haskins went 21-for-24 for 304 yards and five touchdowns while Tate Martell completed 10-of-14 for 115 yards. J.K. Dobbins (55 rushing yards on 11 attempts, one TD) led the ground attack while Parris Campbell (eight receptions, 147 yards, two TDs) and K.J. Hill (four catches, 57 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Penn State just picked up a 63-24 win over Illinois. The defense allowed the Fighting Illini to run for 245 yards on 45 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. Reggie Corbin was a bright spot in the loss, posting 87 rushing yards and a score on 11 attempts for Illinois. For Penn State, Trace McSorley completed 12-of-19 passes for 160 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Miles Sanders (200 yards on 22 rush attempts, three TDs) and the signal-caller McSorley (92 yards on 15 carries) led the running game as Juwan Johnson (four receptions, 51 yards, one TD) and Jonathan Holland (three catches, 53 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the win.
Ohio State has run the ball on 54.7 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Penn State has an overall rush percentage of 60.9 percent. The Buckeyes have run for 233 yards per game and have 10 scores on the ground this year. The Nittany Lions are averaging 275 rush yards per game and have 20 total rushing TDs.
The Buckeyes offense has logged a superb 366 yards/game through the air overall and has 17 passing TDs so far. The Nittany Lions have produced 240 pass yards per contest and have 10 total pass scores.
Ohio State has let opponents run for an average of 142 yards and throw for 181 yards per game. The Penn State defense has allowed 173.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 172.5 yards per game to opposing runners. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to the opposition, as the Buckeyes have given up an ANY/A of 3.89 to opposing QBs, while the Nittany Lions are yielding an ANY/A of 3.64.
Offensively, Haskins is up to 850 passing yards this year, and has connected on 82 percent of his 77 attempts with 14 scores through the air and only one interception. He has a sparkling 13.62 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 12.28 over the last two outings.
Parris Campbell (233 receiving yards, four receiving touchdowns on the year), J.K. Dobbins (202 rush yards, two rush TDs) and K.J. Hill (164 receiving yards) have each played significant roles lately.
Trace McSorley has completed 46-of-84 passes for 534 yards, six TDs and one INT for Penn State. His ANY/A sits at 6.90 for the year and 9.36 over his past two games.
Similar to the Buckeyes, expect a balanced approach offensively from Penn State this Saturday. Miles Sanders, Trace McSorley and DeAndre Thompkins have combined to account for 573 total yards and seven touchdowns over the last two outings.
These two squads faced off last year with the final result being a 39-38 win for Ohio State.
Betting Pick: Ohio State Buckeyes at Penn State Nittany Lions
SU Winner – Ohio State, ATS Winner – Ohio State
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Notes
Team Betting Notes
The Ohio State defense has sacked opposing quarterbacks 15 times this season. Penn State has produced 14 sacks.
The Penn State offense has lost three fumbles in 2018 while the Ohio State offense has let one get away.
Each team has produced five pass plays of 40+ yards. The Buckeyes have have made 10 pass plays of 30+ yards while the Nittany Lions have created eight such plays.
The Ohio State defense has allowed three pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Penn State has given up one such play.
The Ohio State offense has created seven rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Penn State has created nine such runs.
The Buckeyes defense has allowed five rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Nittany Lions have given up four such runs.
Penn State was getting 28 points in its last outing and the Over/Under was 59.5. The over cashed and Penn State covered in that 63-24 win over Illinois.
In its last three matches, Penn State is 3-0 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
In its last three matches, Ohio State is 2-0-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
Ohio State was favored by 38 points in its last game and the Over/Under was set at 66. The under cashed and Ohio State covered in the 49-6 win over Tulane.
Ohio State has rushed for 4.65 yards per attempt across its past three contests and 4.2 over its last two.
Penn State has averaged 6.9 yards per carry over its last three matchups and 7.1 over its past two.
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