by Rod Pearson
Tuesday, Oct 18, 2022
Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, October 22, 2022
Venue: Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA
Where to Watch: ABC
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Minnesota +5, PSU -5; Over/Under: 44.5 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Minnesota +5, PSU -5; Over/Under: 44.5 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Minnesota +4.5, PSU -4.5; Over/Under: 44.5 points
Season Record
Minnesota Golden Gophers: 4-2 (1-2) (4th place, Big Ten West)
Penn State Nittany Lions: 5-1 (2-1) (3rd place, Big Ten East)
Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Kyle Hunter is on a RUN of 23-8 last 31 NCAAF Plays! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.
Recent Form
Minnesota Golden Gophers: lost their last game on the road against the Illinois Fighting Illini 26-14.
Penn State Nittany Lions: lost their last game on the road against the Michigan Wolverines 41-17.
Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Penn State Nittany Lions Preview and Analysis
Minnesota is entering this game with a 4-2 record overall to start their college football season and they will be playing their 3rd road game of the season here as they are 1-1 in their road games this year. This will also be their 4th conference game of the college football season this year as they are 1-2. They lost against the Illinois Fighting Illini in their last game on the road 26-14. Tanner Morgan started that game at QB and he completed 4/12 passes for 21 yards and 1 interception before leaving the game injured and was replaced by Athan Kaliakmanis who completed 2/6 passes for 17 yards and 2 interceptions. Mohamed Ibrahim led the team in rushing with 127 yards and 1 TD on 15 rushing attempts. Brevyn Spann-Ford led the team in receiving with 32 yards on 4 receptions. Tyler Nubin led the defense in that game with 9 solo tackles and 4 assisted tackles. No one on the defense recorded a sack for them and no one on the defense came away with an interception in that one.
PSU is entering this game with a 5-1 record overall to start their college football season and they will be playing their 4th home game of the season as they are 3-0 in their home games this year. This will also be the 4th conference matchup on their conference schedule this season as they are 2-1. They lost against the Michigan Wolverines in their last game on the road 41-17. Sean Clifford started that game at QB and he completed 7/19 passes for 120 yards. Sean Clifford also led the team in rushing with 74 yards on 6 carries. Mitchell Tinsley led the team in receiving with 57 yards on 5 receptions. Ji'Ayir Brown led the defense in that game with 4 solo tackles and 5 assisted tackles. Coziah Izzard led the defense in sacks with 1 while Curtis Jacobs came away with the only interception for them in that one.
Minnesota vs Penn State Prediction
The current betting odds have PSU listed as a 5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. PSU just took a bad loss to Michigan in a road game but they played well in the 1st half of that game, letting it get away from them as the game went on. Michigan has shown that they are one of the best teams in the country though while PSU is very good but still not there at that level yet. They are coming back home with a bad taste in their mouth now and they are going to be looking to blow out this Minnesota team that hasn't been great in their last few games. Minnesota has been starting to falter in their last few games like the frauds that they are but it doesn't help that they lost their starting QB to an injury last week either. Minnesota wasn't able to do much after Morgan went out of the game and Illinois was able to hold them to almost nothing with their good defense. This is going to be a similar game as PSU has a very good defense and they will shut down the Minnesota offense here. PSU will also be looking to have a better offensive performance after their last 2 games and Minnesota is a team they will be able to move the ball against here at home. The best way to place a bet here is on PSU to cover the spread in this game.
Minnesota Penn State Prediction: Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 22, 2022 (7:30 pm ET start time) is PSU 28 Minnesota 13.
Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Minnesota Golden Gophers Penn State Nittany Lions prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAF predictions and previews.
NCAAF Betting Trends
Minnesota Golden Gophers: 7-18 ATS as a road underdog of 3.5 to 7 points. 2-9 ATS after a terrible performance - <26 minutes TOP, <13 First downs. 10-6 UNDER when playing with 6 or less days rest.
Penn State Nittany Lions: 18-10 ATS after 3 or more consecutive losses against the spread. 20-11 UNDER in a home game where the total is between 42.5 and 45. 8-1 UNDER off a loss against a conference rival.
Key Injuries
Minnesota Golden Gophers: N. Jones (TE) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed. S. Pickerign (TE) Out indefinitely - Foot. C. Autman-Bell (WR) out for season - Lower Body.
Penn State Nittany Lions: J. Dottin (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. L. Clifford (WR) Ques Sat - Upper Body. J. Cross (TE) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed. Z. Fisher (DE) Out indefinitely - Knee.
Notable Quotes
"We all kind of saw that. Everybody ran on the field. When you kind of get your hands pinned down and then you get driven into the turf, that's hard." - P.J. Fleck on the injury to starting QB Tanner Morgan in their loss against Illinois last week.
"Everyone thinks they're Aaron Donald now and they're not." - James Franklin on his team’s defensive issues in their loss against Michigan in their last game.
Starting Lineups
Minnesota Golden Gophers
WR Wright, Dylan
WR Autman-Bell, Chris
WR Brown-Stephens, Michael
TE Spann-Ford, Brevyn
QB Morgan, Tanner
RB Ibrahim, Mohamed
Penn State Nittany Lions
WR Lambert-Smith, KeAndre
WR Tinsley, Mitchell
WR Washington, Parker
TE Strange, Brenton
QB Clifford, Sean
RB Singleton, Nicholas
Statistical Leaders
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Passing: T. Morgan (1164)
Rushing: M. Ibrahim (694)
Receiving: B. Spann-Ford (252)
Touchdowns: M. Ibrahim (9)
Penn State Nittany Lions
Passing: S. Clifford (1150)
Rushing: N. Singleton (473)
Receiving: P. Washington (318)
Touchdowns: N. Singleton (5)
Coaches:
Minnesota Golden Gophers: P.J. Fleck (6th season)
Penn State Nittany Lions: James Franklin (9th season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
