Penn State Huge Favorites Over Minnesota

NFL News - October 16th, 2009 - Written by Scott

A huge Big 10 game is set to take place as No. 14 Penn State hosts Minnesota on Saturday. A win for both teams is a must if they are to keep their conference title hopes alive. Both teams have one conference loss and a second would most likely put them out of contention. Penn State routed eastern Illinois last weekend 52-3 and it is still uncertain how good they really are after facing just one ranked team (a 21-10 loss to Iowa). The Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-2, 2-1) beat Purdue last week 35-20. The Nittany Lions barely got by Minnesota last year 28-27.

The Lion's offense has stepped up the past two weeks after a slow start and has averaged 533 yards per game. Their offense is led by quarterback Daryll Clark, who has passed for 1,367 yards and 12 touchdowns. Their rushing attack has been the key to their offensive surge and is averaging 311 yards over their past two games. Evan Royster leads their group of running backs with 504 yards and 4 touchdowns. Clark has found his go-to guys at receiver in Derek Moye and Chaz Powell. They have combined for 644 yards and 6 touchdowns. They will need to do a better job of not turning the ball over as they have already fumbled the ball 10 times and Clark has thrown 7 interceptions this year.

The Penn State Nittany Lions' have been strong in all aspects of their defense and is allowing just 255 yards per game. They will need to continue their strong pass rush against Minnesota and pressure quarterback Adam Weber, who has shown he is capable of making bad decisions. They are only allowing 81 yards per game on the ground and if they can stop Minnesota's ground game, it could be a tough game for Weber.

The Golden Gophers have been struggling this year with their offensive line play. They have given up 14 sacks and will now face a tough defensive front by Penn State. Protecting Weber, who has thrown for 1,224 yards and six touchdowns, will be key for Minnesota. Their running game has come alive lately and is led by Duane Bennett and DeLeon Eskridge. They have combined for 492 yards and 8 touchdowns. Eric Decker is their leader at wide receiver and has caught for 689 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Defensively for the Golden Gophers, they will need to put pressure on Clark early. Containing Royster will also be key if they are to escape with an upset win. They did a good job of forcing turnovers last week and must find a way to follow up with this against Penn State.

Penn State will be favored at home by 17 1/2 over unranked Minnesota according to BetUS sportsbook. The over/under is set at 46.

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