College Football Week 8 continues on Saturday night and we will see the Penn State Nitany Lions travel to Iowa to take on the Iowa Hawkeys. The game is scheduled for an 8:00 PM (Eastern) start time and it will be televised live on the Big 10 Network. Currently the odds for the game have Iowa favored by 2.5 points, while the total sits at 42. Currently 70% of the Public is on Penn State, while 87% is on the Under. Find out what side the Public is taking on all the games by clicking HERE.
Free Analysis: Penn State opened the year 0-2 thanks to a pair of late meltdowns against Ohio University and Virginia. However, the Nittany Lions have since reeled off four straight wins and could move to 3-0 in league play with a win here. The team is coming off a bye after posting a 39-28 win over then 24th-ranked Northwestern a week earlier. Now a senior, PSU quarterback Matt McGloin has really come into his own after a mostly pedestrian junior season. McGloin currently leads the Big Ten in passing yards, averaging 249.8 per game. He is also tied for the league lead with 12 passing touchdowns and is second in completions, with 139. Perhaps more importantly, he has thrown only two interceptions in 221 attempts. Of course, a big reason for McGloin's success has been the emergence of dynamic sophomore wideout Allen Robinson, who leads the Big Ten in receptions (41, 6.8 per game) and touchdown receptions (7), and is second in receiving yards (524, 87.3 per game. While McGloin and the offense have been taking care of business, the PSU defense has also performed well. Entering the weekend, the Nittany Lions rank second in the conference and 15th nationally in scoring defense (16.0 ppg). They also lead the Big Ten in turnover margin (+1.17) and red-zone defense. Senior linebacker Michael Mauti is the catalyst, as he seems to make an impact play or two every game. Mauti is fourth in the Big Ten in tackles (9.5 per game), tied for second in forced fumbles (2) and tied for third in interceptions (2).
Iowa is also off to a 2-0 start in Big Ten play following last weekend's 19-16 double-overtime win at Michigan State. The victory was the 100th for head coach Kirk Ferentz at Iowa. The Hawkeyes, who have played only one true road game so far this season, could really use a win here before hitting the road for three of their next four. Vandenberg has been a steadying presence for Iowa's offense, having thrown for 1,134 yards on the season. However, he has tossed only two touchdowns to go along with three interceptions. Last year, Vandenberg threw for 3,022 yards with 25 TDs and seven INTs. The focal point this year has been sophomore running back Mark Weisman, who is coming off a 116-yard rushing effort and a TD against MSU. Weisman (105.2 ypg) has rushed for eight touchdowns over the last four games. Like their opponent, the Hawkeyes thrive on generating turnovers. They enter this tilt having notched at least one takeaway in five of six games. Senior defensive back Greg Castillo's interception in the second overtime sealed the win over Michigan State. Aside from the turnovers, the Hawkeyes have established themselves as a tough-nosed defensive squad, ranking 19th nationally in total defense (317.7 ypg) and 21st in points allowed (17.2 ppg). Junior linebacker Anthony Hitchens is the headliner, as he leads the nation in tackles with 13.0 per game. Hitchens has posted double-digit tackles in each of the last five games.
Free Pick: Let’s take a shot at the Under in this one. The Penn State offense has come alive, but this will be one of the toughest defenses they will have played so far. PSU has averaged 390 ypg and 27 ppg on the year, but this Iowa defense has allowed just 317.2 ypg and 17 ppg so far. On offense the Hawkeyes are not an explosive unit and on put up 4.8 yards per pass play on the year, so this is a team that will work the ball down the field with long time consuming drives. Penn State’s defense has been very tough this year as they have allowed just 332 ypg and 16 ppg so far. Neither team really allows teams to score quickly. They make them go the length of the field with drives that take time, as evidenced by the fact that both teams all just 4.9 yards per play on the year. This should be a tough physical Big 10 game with at most 35 points being scored.
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