Iowa Hawkeyes vs Penn State Nittany Lions Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 09/23/2023

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, September 23, 2023

Venue:  Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA

Where to Watch:  CBS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Iowa +14.5, PSU -14.5; Over/Under:  40 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Iowa +14.5, PSU -14.5; Over/Under:  40 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Iowa +14.5, PSU -14.5; Over/Under:  40 points

Iowa Hawkeyes:  3-0 (0-0) (2nd place, Big Ten West)

Penn State Nittany Lions:  3-0 (1-0) (1st place, Big Ten East)

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Iowa Hawkeyes:  won their last game at home against the Western Michigan Broncos 41-10.

Penn State Nittany Lions:  won their last game on the road against the Illinois Fighting Illini 30-13.

Iowa is entering this game with a 3-0 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 2-0 in their home games, 1-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against WMU 41-10. Cade McNamara was the starting QB and he completed 9/19 passes for 103 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Leshon Williams led the team in rushing yards with 145. Erick All led the receivers with 34 receiving yards on 1 reception. Quinn Schulte led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles and 1 assisted tackle while Nick Jackson and Joe Evans each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that game.

 

 

 

Penn State is entering this game with a 3-0 record overall and they have a 1-0 record in their conference games too. They are 2-0 in their home games, 1-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against Illinois 30-13. Drew Allar was the starting QB and he completed 16/33 passes for 208 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Kaytron Allen led the team in rushing yards with 54 and 1 TD. Nick Singleton led the receivers with 49 receiving yards on 3 receptions. Kobe King led the defense in that game with 4 solo tackles and 0 assisted tackles while Coziah Izzard led the defense in sacks with 2. Cam Miller, Abdul Carter, Johnny Dixon, and Daequan Hardy each came away with 1 interception for them in that game.

The current betting odds have Iowa listed as a 14.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Iowa is 3-0 this season and they haven't really played any good teams yet but their defense still looks as good as they were last year. Their defense is going to keep them in a lot of close games this year and even though their offense hasn't been humming with McNamara, it is still a big upgrade from what they had and he is only going to get better as he plays in this offense more. Penn State is also off to a really good 3-0 start with a conference win under their belt already as they went on the road and beat Illinois in their last game. Illinois has been struggling a lot this season though and their defense has been giving up a lot of points in their games. Penn State may have put up 30 points but their offense struggled at times and even though they are at home here, they are still going to struggle against a much better Iowa defense. Iowa's defense will keep them in this game with a chance to win it and the offense will McNamara will do enough to keep this game within striking distance. The best way to place a bet here is on Iowa to cover the spread in this game.

Iowa Penn State Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, September 23, 2023 (7:30 pm ET start time) is PSU 24 Iowa 17.

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Iowa Hawkeyes: 12-20 ATS after 2 consecutive covers as a favorite. 16-8 UNDER in a road game where the total is 42 or less. 52-27 UNDER after playing a non-conference game. 27-10 UNDER off a home blowout win by 28 points or more.

Penn State Nittany Lions: 19-9 ATS in all games. 16-5 ATS as a favorite. 10-5 ATS in home games. 9-5 UNDER as a home favorite. 8-2 UNDER after playing their last game on the road. 10-3 UNDER after a game where they forced 5 or more turnovers. 

Iowa Hawkeyes:  J. Patterson (RB) Out Sat - Undisclosed. L. Lachey (TE) out for season - Ankle. J. Labas (QB) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. J. Bostick (WR) Ques Sat - Foot. R. Osgood (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. C. Reames (DL) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. A. Fahey (OL) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. K. Johnson (RB) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed.

Penn State Nittany Lions:  H. Wallace III (WR) Prob Sat - Undisclosed. D. Kency (RB) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. M. Robinson (DE) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. I. Harvie (OL) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. J. Green (S) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. K. Kiesewetter (QB) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. T. Johnson (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. M. Meiga (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. A. Ford Jr. (DT) out for season - Undisclosed.

“Most likely. It’s unfortunate. He’s going to be fine, but tough development.” - Kirk Ferentz on the injury to Luke Lachey after his team’s win against WMU in their last game.

“This was a beautiful win. Anytime you can win on the road in the Big Ten, especially in an 11 o’clock game in front of big crowd, it’s pretty. We grinded it out, especially in the first half. We didn’t take control then, but we didn’t lose control.” - James Franklin after his team’s win against Illinois in their last game. 

WR Vines, Diante

WR Anderson, Seth 

TE Lachey, Luke 

QB McNamara, Cade 

RB Johnson, Kaleb 

FB Large, Hayden

WR Wallace III, Harrison 

WR Lambert-Smith, KeAndre 

WR Clifford, Liam 

TE Johnson, Theo 

QB Allar, Drew 

RB Singleton, Nicholas 

Passing: C. McNamara (417)

Rushing: L. Williams (164)

Receiving: L. Lachey (131)

Touchdowns: K. Moulton (2)

Passing: D. Allar (737)

Rushing: K. Allen (208)

Receiving: K. Lambert-Smith (220)

Touchdowns: N. Singleton (5)

Coaches:

Iowa Hawkeyes: Kirk Ferentz (25th season)

Penn State Nittany Lions: James Franklin (10th season)