Penn State vs Maryland Picks & Odds – Maryland Getting 6.5 Points at Home
- Maryland was upset by Temple, 20-17, in Philadelphia in Week 3 and had a bye in Week 4
- Penn State beat Pittsburgh, 17-10, at Beaver Stadium in Week 3 and is also coming off a bye
- First game this season that Penn State is not a double-digit favourite (-6.5 at Maryland)
The #12 Penn State Nittany Lions will play their first away game of the season in College Park as they take on Maryland this Friday night.
Maryland got a much needed week off after a tough loss to unranked Temple 20-17 on the road. Penn State also had last week off, but they went into their bye week after a close victory over Pittsburgh 17-10
In the College Football odds, the Nittany Lions are favored by just under a touchdown. Since the odds have opened, the public has been hammering the over making it jump almost two full points.
#12 Penn State vs Maryland Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State | -6.5 (-110) | -225 | O 62.0 (-105) |
| Maryland | +6.5 (-110) | +185 | U 62.0 (-115) |
Odds collected 09/26/2019.
Trusting Maryland’s Offense
Maryland has not had success against Penn State in the past few years. In their last two meetings, Penn State has outscored Maryland 104-6. With Mike Locksley at the helm now for Maryland, their offense has done a complete 180.
They scored a whopping 142 points in their first two games of the season and followed that by putting up just 17 against Temple.
The most staggering stat in the loss against Temple was their 24% conversion rate on third down (5-for-21). They also put up just 340 yards of total offense after exceeding 600 yards in their first two games of the season.
Quarterback Josh Jackson is going to have be exceptional in this game to compete with Penn State. Against Temple, Jackson completed just 15-for-38 passes and threw for 183 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Don’t expect Jackson to put up video game numbers as he did in the first two games of the season against Penn State’s defense this week, but do expect some resiliency and fight from the junior.
Nuts and bolts from Maryland coach Mike Locksley today …
* RB Jake Funk suffered a torn left ACL against Temple and will miss the rest of the season
* K Joseph Petrino didn't kick last week but is on track to play Friday vs. Penn State
— Patrick Stevens (@D1scourse) September 23, 2019
Maryland’s running attack has been consistent this season, as running back Anthony McFarland Jr. still rushed for 126 yards and one score in the loss to Temple. However, his counterpart, Jake Funk, tore his ACL against Temple and will miss the rest of the season. The Terps still have junior running back Javon Leake to help McFarland, and he holds an impressive 10.4 yards per carry this season.
Penn State’s Defense
Penn State’s defense has been nothing but superb this season. They possess the fourth-best scoring defense in the NCAA, allowing just 10.0 points per game thus far. Junior defensive end, Yetur Gross-Matos, is one of the reasons this defense has been so stingy. Gross-Matos had 20 tackles for loss last season and already has 3.5 sacks this year.
Not only has Penn State’s defense been impressive, but their offense has been on par with Maryland’s. They have averaged 473.0 yards of offense per game and 47.0 points per game this season. Their offensive star has been sophomore quarterback Sean Clifford from Cincinnati, Ohio.
Clifford has been flawless, throwing for 781 yards, six touchdowns, and zero interceptions in three games.
Line & Total Talk
According to VegasInsider.com, Locksley is 2-0 ATS at home since joining Maryland. The former Alabama offensive coordinator has coached in many big games before, but this will be his first as a head coach. The Terps are also 7-2 ATS in their last nine home games.
Being at home will favor the Terps big time. The game sold out so quickly that they decided to add bleachers to hold more fans. Clifford has yet to experience a big stage and loud crowd like this on the road.
The extra bleachers at Maryland Stadium are locked and loaded ahead of Friday’s game vs. Penn State. pic.twitter.com/fkkHeXiDmL
— Thomas Kendziora (@TKendziora37) September 23, 2019
Both teams have seen the over hit early and often recently. Maryland is 6-0 O/U and Penn State is 7-1 O/U after scoring less than 20 points in their last game. Maryland has hit the over in four of their last five home games, meanwhile, Penn State has hit the over in 7 out of their last away 8 games. Everything is pointing towards the over, but be cautious. As of right now, 84% of the public are on the over.
The best play in this game would be to make a teaser with Maryland +6.5 and Over 62.0. With a seven-point teaser, Maryland would jump to +13.5 and the over would go down to 55.0. There is going to be a lot of offense in College Park and Maryland is a much more complete team than years past.
With 5+ years of sports journalism under his belt, Ryan Sura may be young, but he's already making his mark. Ryan is the lead NHL editor at SBD, along with managing content for MMA, Boxing, and Racing. He is also the commercial manager, highlighting the best promos at online sportsbooks across US.
