Penn State vs. Nebraska Prediction
A pair of struggling teams still in search of their first win will meet in Nebraska on Saturday where the Cornhuskers will host the Penn State Nittany Lions at 12:00 p.m. ET. With the spread listed at just three points in favor of the road Lions, what’s the best play for bettors in this matchup?
Game Snapshot
205 Penn State Nittany Lions (-3) at 206 Nebraska Cornhuskers (+3); o/u 56.5
Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE
12:00 p.m. ET, Saturday, November 14, 2020
TV: FS1
Penn State Nittany Lions Game Notes
Penn State redshirt junior QB Sean Clifford remains the team’s starter, but backup Will Levis will receive more reps according to HC James Franklin. The 2020 season has been a rough one for the Nittany Lions, who dropped to 0-3 with Saturday’s 35-19 home loss to Maryland. Clifford (6’2/216) struggled early on, and a lot of his production came after Penn State had fallen into a 35-7 hole. But Franklin isn’t giving up on the redshirt junior, instead deciding to find ways in which Penn State can work Levis into the offense. Levis is a much better running than Clifford, which could add a dimension to the Nittany Lion offense. “We need to get [Levis] involved in a lot of different ways, to help Sean out and also to continue investing in Will,” Franklin said Tuesday. “I think you’ll see that moving forward. Not just this week, but for the rest of the season.” Penn State visits Nebraska on Saturday.
Nebraska Cornhuskers Game Notes
Nebraska junior QB Adrian Martinez will battle Luke McCaffrey for the starting quarterback job in practice this week. Martinez (6’2/225) was effective on the ground against Northwestern on Saturday, posting his second straight game with at least 85 yards and 13 carries. However his passing acumen was sorely lacking as he completed just 44 percent of his passes for an average of 4.6 yards per attempt. His woeful inaccuracy led to him getting pulled in favor of backup Luke McCaffrey in the fourth quarter, who promptly completed 12-of-16 passes for 93 yards while rushing eight times for 49 yards on the ground. While McCaffrey was clearly more effective than Martinez, he threw a costly interception off of his offensive lineman’s helmet late in the fourth quarter that bounced right into a defender’s hands and ended Nebraska’s hopes of winning. HC Scott Frost indicated whichever quarterback that practices best this week will be named the starter when the Cornhuskers take on fellow winless Big Ten program Penn State on Saturday.
Penn State vs. Nebraska Betting Prediction
The Cornhuskers are just 2-9 against the spread in their last 11 games overall, are 2-9 against the number in their last 11 conference games and have dropped five of their last six at the betting window when listed as an underdog at kickoff. Nebraska has also dropped seven of its last eight games as a home underdog, is 6-18-2 against the spread in its last 26 home games and is just 1-5 ATS in its last six games coming off a loss. Penn State is an untrustworthy 1-4 against the spread in its last five games overall (including 1-5 ATS in its last six games as a favorite), but the Nittany Lions are also 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games following a failed cover in their previous game.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 11 BETTING PREDICTION: PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS -3