The Minnesota Gophers (4-2) travel to Happy Valley to take on the #16 Penn State Nittany Lions (5-1) in their annual White Out game at 7:30 (EST) at Beaver Stadium. No. 16 Penn State is a 4.0-point favorite and given a 62.5% chance of winning according to ESPN’s FPI. Penn State is 7-6 in White Out games all time. With that let’s see what to expect in Minnesota vs. Penn State.
Minnesota
The Gophers come into this game on a two-game losing streak. Minnesota has lost back-to-back games to Purdue and #18 Illinois. The Gophers have struggled greatly offensively, not being able to move the ball much at all in their losses. Last week Mohamed Ibrahim had 127 of their 180 total yards of offense. With the struggles of the offense, the defense has been getting worn down quickly. Last week Illinois put up the most points the Gophers have allowed this season in 26. Minnesota will need their offense to step up, especially in one of the most hostile environments in college football this week.
What To Watch
What I will be watching in this game is the Gophers’ defense, specifically their run defense. Penn State’s biggest offensive strength is its running game. The Nittany Lions average 179 yards rushing a game and are led by their duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. The two have combined for 801 yards and nine touchdowns. The Gophers will have their hands full with this two-headed monster.
The Gopher’s defense has been great against the run allowing 104.5 yards per game. Unfortunately, they gave up the most yards they have all season to the Fighting Illini at 220 yards. Minnesota must learn from its mistakes and shore up its weak points because if not, Penn State will run all over them and the game will be over before it begins.
Biggest Question
My biggest question for the Gophers is can the offense find success outside of Mohamed Ibrahim? As I said earlier, Ibrahim carried the offense last week. It was a good sign to see him do so well against a very good Illini defense. The Gophers last week outside of Ibrahim only had 53 yards of total offense. This was a very bad showing from Minnesota and Penn State is a better opponent than the Illini. Minnesota must not play like that again if they hope to have a chance at beating the Nittany Lions.
Tanner Morgan and/or Athan Kaliakmanis will have to play better (since Morgan’s status is still in question) while Fleck and Ciarrocca will need to have a much better offensive play-calling scheme than they’ve had in their past few games. Morgan last week before he was injured, went 4-of-12 for 21 yards and one interception. Whoever plays at quarterback will need to help the Gophers find balance on offense, otherwise, they may see their skid extend to three games.
Penn State
The Nittany Lions are coming off their first loss of the season and it wasn’t even close. Michigan dominated Penn State 41-17. The Wolverines had 563 yards of total offense, 28 first downs, and held the ball for almost 42 minutes. Penn State has a great opportunity to bounce back against the Gophers in their annual White Out game.
A win for Penn State is big as the #2 Buckeyes (6-0) loom ahead. The Nittany Lions cannot afford to be caught looking ahead. Even though the Gophers have struggled as of late you cannot sleep on this team. They are good enough to beat you if you underestimate them. If the Nittany Lions lose it would end any shot of winning the East, but a win keeps them in the running for another week.
Minnesota vs. Penn State – What To Watch
What I’ll be watching is Penn State’s running attack. The Nittany Lions have been led by true freshman running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Singleton this season has rushed for 482 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 7.0 yards per carry. Allen has 319 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Also, senior quarterback Sean Clifford has racked up 141 yards and four touchdowns on the year. In fact, Clifford was the team’s leading rusher last week with 74 yards in their loss to Michigan.
Penn State will look to their rushing trio to lead the way against a stout Gopher defense that holds teams to just 104.5 yards per game. If Penn State can establish the run, it should help them open up their passing game which averages 235.3 yards per game. Penn State should also have a good blueprint on how to beat the Gophers’ defense. The Illini torched Minnesota for 472 yards and a season-high 26 points. If the Gophers don’t fix its defense issues this week the Nittany Lions should see similar success to the Illini.
Biggest Question
The biggest question I have is how Penn State will bounce back from not only their first loss but one in which they were completely dominated. Penn State’s loss to Michigan wasn’t one where you were walking away going, well at least we were competitive, and we played hard, and we lost close. No, they were lucky that the score wasn’t worse than 41-17. The Nittany Lions only had 268 yards of total offense (157 passing and 111 rushing) and 10 first downs, possessing the ball for 18 minutes.
This is a loss that can be hard to shake, and now teams have a solid blueprint on how to beat them. The Gophers are good with a strong running game and defense (both of which Michigan had). While neither is anywhere near the level of the Wolverines, Minnesota is still a talented team. If Penn State doesn’t solve the issues that they had last week, the Gophers could put up a tough fight.
Bold Prediction
My bold prediction for the White Out will be that both teams combine for 300 yards of rushing and four touchdowns. Singleton, Allen, and Ibrahim all are great running backs. No one has found a way to stop Ibrahim this season who has at least 100 yards rushing in each game this season (and his last 14 for that matter). Singleton and Allen both have combined for 800 yards and nine touchdowns. While both teams have great defenses, the Gophers just allowed 220 rushing yards while the Nittany Lions gave up 418 yards. Expect big games on the ground Saturday night.
Betting
The following betting lines are according to ESPN’s Pick Center.
Spread:
- Minnesota: +4.0
- #16 Penn State: -4.0
Money Line:
- Minnesota: +160
- #16 Penn State: -190
Over/Under: 44.5
Where To Watch
Minnesota at 16 Penn State will air at 7:30 (EST) on Saturday on ABC. Commentating on the game will be Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), and Holly Rowe (sideline). Streaming Services that have ABC are fubo TV, Hulu (with live TV), and Youtube TV.
Prediction
Minnesota at 16 Penn State will see the continuation of the Gophers’ struggles. Minnesota has yet to beat a good team and that will continue Saturday. Penn State will be back with a vengeance, not being able to afford to lose this game, especially with #2 Ohio State looming ahead the following week. The Nittany Lions will see their two-headed rushing beast explode, allowing Penn State to control the time of possession. The Gophers will score led by Ibrahim, but they won’t be able to keep it close. In the end, Penn State and the White Out crowd will be too much for Minnesota. Penn State wins 31-20.