Penn State vs Minnesota Prediction, Game Preview, and Betting Lines

Penn State vs Minnesota: How to Watch and Game Preview

Date: Saturday, November 23, 2024
Game Time: 3:30 pm ET
How To Watch: CBS
Venue: Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
Teams: Minnesota (6-4), Penn State (9-1)
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Why Penn State Will Win

The Penn State lines continue to be fantastic.

The offensive line isn’t allowing a lick of pressure in the backfield, the running game is hammering, and the defensive front has been a brick wall against the run. Best of all, the ground game is getting better. 

Everyone is hitting Purdue hard, but still, Penn State did its part rolling for close to seven yards per carry in last week’s layup.

It beat up Washington for 266 rushing yards and 6.7 yards per carry, and that’s all combined with a passing game that’s not screwing up.

Minnesota is 4-0 when holding teams under 105 rushing yards, 2-4 when allowing more, and …

Why Minnesota Will Win

Let it rip.

The offense doesn’t turn it over, the defense forces a ton of mistakes, and the pass defense is doing a nice job of keeping big downfield plays to a minimum.

It’ll probably come down to the ground game - more on that in a moment - but this should be on Max Brosmer to throw and keep throwing to test the Nittany Lion secondary.

He might not hit the 70% mark like he does when the O is really rolling, but he’s been careful with the ball, making good decisions, and he has to open it up a little bit to give the ground game room to move because …

Penn State vs Minnesota: Who Will Win?

This isn’t the Minnesota running game of the last several years under PJ Fleck, but when it gets past 80 yards the team is 5-0 - and 1-4 when it doesn’t. But in those five wins the Gophers cranked up 116 yards, and Penn State has allowed that many or more just three times.

The Nittany Lions will be in a war. The Gopher defense will rise up and be great against the run, Nittany Lion QB Drew Allar won’t take too many shots down the field, and it’ll be tough getting points.

Penn State will pull it out late on a defensive stop, but it’ll do a whole lot of sweating.

Penn State vs Minnesota Prediction, Betting Lines

Prediction: Penn State 27, Minnesota 16
Line: Penn State -11.5, o/u: 45.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Must See Rating: 4