by Amedeus Mastrangelo
Thursday, Nov 18, 2021
Game Time: 12:00 pm ET, Saturday, November 20, 2021
Venue: Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA
Where to Watch: Big Ten Network
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Rutgers +17, PSU -17; Over/Under: 47 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Rutgers +17, PSU -17; Over/Under: 47 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Rutgers +17, PSU -17; Over/Under: 47 points
Season Record
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: 5-5 (6th place, Big Ten East)
Penn State Nittany Lions: 6-4 (4th place, Big Ten East)
Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Larry Ness is 12-2, 86% with weekday CFB games / CFB: 43-28-2, +$11,127 YTD! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Penn State Nittany Lions Preview and Analysis
Recent Form
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: won on the road on Nov. 13 against the Indiana Hoosiers 38-3.
Penn State Nittany Lions: lost at home on Nov. 13 against the Michigan Wolverines 21-17.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights Analysis
Rutgers is coming into this game with a 5-5 record overall and they are 3-2 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 8th conference matchup of the year and they are currently 2-5 in their conference games this season. They have won 2 of their last 3 games and are coming into this one off of a win in their last game. Noah Vedral did not play that great in that game as he completed 9/17 passes for 97 yards. Isaih Pacheco led the team in rushing with 79 yards and 2 touchdowns on 21 carries while Vedral, Aaron Young, and Raiqwon O'Neal all ran in 1 TD each in that one. Bo Melton led the receivers with 50 yards on 5 receptions in what was a very quiet day for the receiving corps. Drew Singleton led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 4 assisted ones. Mohamed Toure recorded the only sack in that game for them while Tyreem Powell and Max Melton both came up with 1 interception each in that one. They have scored 230 points in their 10 games this season averaging 23 PPG and they have been allowing their opponents to score 227 points against them allowing 22.7 PPG. Their offense is averaging 326.5 YPG while their defense is allowing 374.1 YPG.
Penn State Nittany Lions Analysis
PSU is coming into this game with a 6-4 record overall and they are 4-2 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be the 8th conference matchup on their schedule this year and they are currently 3-4 in their conference games this season. They have lost 4 of their last 5 games and they are coming into this off of another loss in their last game. Sean Clifford was alright but he could have played much better in that game as he completed 23/43 passes for 205 yards and 1 touchdown and no interceptions. Keyvone Lee led the team in rushing with 88 yards on 20 carries. Parker Washington led the receivers with 92 yards on 4 receptions while Jahan Dotson had 61 yards on 9 receptions. Tyler Warren caught the touchdown pass in that one. Ellis Brooks led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 10 assisted ones. Arnold Ebiketie led the defense in sacks in that game with 2 while no one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one. They have scored 260 points in their 10 games this season averaging 26 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 171 points against them allowing 17.1 PPG. The Penn State offense is averaging 378.8 YPG while their defense is allowing 351.6 YPG.
Rutgers vs Penn State Prediction
Rutgers is coming into this game as a 17 point underdog with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Rutgers played very well in their win against Indiana last week as they scored 38 points and only allowed 3 in that game. PSU has not been playing well ever since hitting the tougher part of their conference schedule and they have been losing to a lot of good teams that are just a lot better than they are. They have dropped down the rankings and their hopes of making the college football playoff have basically gone out the window this season. They are a very defensive team and will try to win low scoring games with their defense. Rutgers is playing much better and they have a good coach, they will be prepared well for this game. The best bet to place in this game is on Rutgers to cover the spread here because even if PSU is the one controlling the pace of the game, they will keep the game low scoring which will be tougher for them to clear that number.
Rutgers Penn State Prediction: Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, November 20, 2021 (12:00 pm ET start time) is PSU 24 Rutgers 10.
Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks, best bets, and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Rutgers Scarlet Knights Penn State Nittany Lions prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAF predictions and previews.
NCAAF Betting Trends
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: 15-20 O/U as an underdog of 10.5 to 21 points. 91-114 O/U in all games. 54-70 O/U as an underdog. 27-38 O/U as a road underdog. 37-51 O/U in road games. 65-72 O/U against conference opponents.
Penn State Nittany Lions: 45-25 ATS as a favorite of 10.5 to 21 points. 182-172 ATS in all games. 140-123 ATS as a favorite. 87-76 ATS as a home favorite. 101-90 ATS in home games.
Key Injuries
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: A. Cruickshank (WR) out for season - Leg injury.
Penn State Nittany Lions: T. Roberson (QB) Ques Sat - Undisclosed injury. P. Mustipher (DT) out for season - Knee injury. S. Wormley (OL) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed injury. H. Beamon (DT) out for season - Undisclosed injury.
Notable Quotes
"I'm excited, our guys are fighting. We want to write that story at the end of the year and now we have a chance. We'll see what we can do." - Greg Schiano on his team’s win against Indiana in their last game.
"We were able to move the ball, but too many situations where we had to settle for field goals in the red zone. We have to find a way to score more touchdowns." - James Franklin on his team’s loss against Michigan in their last game.
Starting Lineups
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
WR Aron Cruickshank
WR Bo Melton
WR Jones, Shameen
TE Haskins, Jovani
QB Vedral, Noah
RB Pacheco, Isaih
Penn State Nittany Lions
WR Dotson, Jahan
WR Parker Washington
WR Lambert-Smith, KeAndre
TE Strange, Brenton
QB Clifford, Sean
RB Noah Cain
Statistical Leaders (Stats)
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Passing: N. Vedral (1590)
Rushing: I. Pacheco (567)
Receiving: B. Melton (523)
Touchdowns: I. Pacheco (5)
Penn State Nittany Lions
Passing: S. Clifford (2576)
Rushing: K. Lee (375)
Receiving: J. Dotson (993)
Touchdowns: J. Dotson (9)
Coaches:
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Greg Schiano (13th season)
Penn State Nittany Lions: James Franklin (8th season)
Amedeus Mastrangelo
About the Author:
Amedeus Mastrangelo has been heavily wagering on all sports for years and plays just about everything, including sides, totals, favorites, underdogs, against the spread, alternative spreads, first half, second half, player props, and futures. The bottom line is, if Mastrangelo can see an edge in any way shape or form, then he's going to take advantage.
