Penn St. vs. Maryland Total Pick
Can No. 12 Penn State put up enough offense to carry the over when the Nittany Lions go on the road to face Maryland this Saturday at 3:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Penn State is favored on the road, as the Nittany Lions are getting odds of -22 points against Maryland. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 58 points. Penn State has won six of the last seven meetings in this series and the two have hit the under in two of their last three encounters. The public is currently putting 83 percent of the wagers on Penn State on the road. Saturday’s game takes place from Maryland Stadium in College Park, Maryland and will air live on BTN.
Penn State is coming off a 56-44 win over Nebraska last week to improve to 9-2 on the season and 6-2 in the Big Ten. Penn State is 6-5 with the under this season, hitting the over in four of their last five games. Penn State is putting up 39.4 points and 445.9 yards per game this season behind the duo of Saquon Barkley and Trace McSorley. Barkley has run for 1,057 yards and 14 touchdowns while catching 46 passes for 590 yards and three scores. McSorley has thrown for 2,991 yards and 24 touchdowns while also rushing for 395 yards and 10 touchdowns. Defensively, Penn State is allowing just 16.6 points and 331.7 yards per game.
Maryland is coming off a 17-7 loss at Michigan State for its third straight defeat. The Terps are now 4-7 on the season and 2-6 in the Big Ten. Maryland is 8-3 with the over this year, but has hit the under in its last two. This will be a season Maryland would like to soon forget as QB injuries plagued them early. The offense averages just 26 points and 325.2 yards per game. Max Bortenschlager has thrown for 1,128 yards and 10 touchdowns on a 51 percent completion rate. Ty Johnson has run for 805 yards and five touchdowns while D.J. Moore has caught 72 passes for 933 yards and eight touchdowns. Defensively, Maryland is giving up 34.5 points and 409 yards per game. Their run defense is allowing 182.2 yards per game.
Bet on Penn State vs. Maryland
Maryland has managed a number of overs this year because its defense is somewhat of a mess. The Terps have hit the over in six of their eight Big Ten games this year. Penn State has hit the over in 10 of its last 14, as its offense carries to the road, but its defense lightens up somewhat. I expect Barkley and company to roll over the Maryland defense while the Terps find some success against the Nittany Lions road defense.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTION: PENN STATE/MARYLAND OVER 58