The Penn State Nittany Lions and the Maryland Terrapins meet Saturday in college football action from Byrd Stadium. Penn State last appeared in a matchup versus Indiana over the weekend. In the one the Nittany Lions secured a nine-point win to move to 7-1 overall. As for Maryland, they’re coming off a game against Northwestern. The 5-3 Terrapins went on to lose a tough one by six points. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.

Penn State Nittany Lions 

Penn State stormed out of the gate this year with a six-game win streak against a series of overmatched teams but then took a 20-12 loss to Ohio State. Even with the loss, during that stretch the Nittany Lions were outright dominant on the scoreboard with 39.7 points per game, 16 passing touchdowns (versus zero interceptions) and 17 scores on the ground for a well-rounded attack. 

In the Indiana game back on Saturday, Penn State held a slim three-point lead at halftime. The Lions would eventually power out a 33-24 win, though. QB Drew Allar led the way on 210 yards, three scores and an interception. Kaytron Allen rushed for 81 yards on 18 carries, while KeAndre Lambert-Smith caught six balls for 96 yards and a TD. 

Penn State Nittany Lions Team Facts

• Penn State has won each of its last 18 games against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Penn State has covered the spread in each of its last nine road games against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Penn State has won the first half in nine of its last 11 games against conference opponents.
• Five of Penn State’s last six games against non-AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.

Maryland Terrapins 

Over on the Terrapins’ side, they won their first five games this year before falling to Ohio State 37-17 and Illinois 27-24 in consecutive outings. Maryland maintained a 33.4 points-per-game average in that time despite not racking up a ton of yards overall. The Terrapins posted 1,970 yards and 16 scores through the air and 986 yards with 13 touchdowns through the rushing game. 

Maryland took on Northwestern in their last appearance. The Terrapins traded punches with the Wildcats all game but ultimately came up short in a 33-27 defeat. Taulia Tagovailoa finished with 274 yards, three scores and an interception. Colby McDonald added 43 rush yards and Jeshuan Jones caught nine balls for 78 yards and a TD. 

Maryland Terrapins Team Facts

• Maryland has lost 14 of its last 15 games against AP-ranked teams.
• Maryland has failed to cover the spread in eight of its last nine November games against AP-ranked teams.
• Maryland has won the first half in three of its last four home games against conference opponents.
• Each of Maryland’s last eight November games against top-10 AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

• Maryland rank T31st among FBS teams for points allowed per game this season (20.4).
• Maryland rank 37th among FBS teams for points per game this season (32.6).
• Penn State rank 3rd among FBS teams for points allowed per game this season (11.5).
• Penn State rank T10th among FBS teams for points per game this season (38.9).

ANDREW’S FREE PICK 

I’ll stay with Penn State in this one. The Nittany Lions were steady but not overwhelming on offense against the Hoosiers over the weekend, compiling 342 total yards (210 passing), 4.6 yards per play and 19 first downs. Defensively Penn State was solid outside of 269 pass yards allowed, coming up with two turnovers, 14 first downs allowed and a nice 3-of-11 rate on third downs allowed. The Nittany Lions have allowed 15 or fewer points in six of their eight games this year, so there probably won’t be much room for Maryland to score. 

Speaking of the Terrapins, they posted a pretty decent offensive effort against Northwestern over the weekend but came up short. Maryland has given up 27 or more points in each outing during this three-game losing streak, so it’s going to be tough for them to keep up if Penn State gets rolling on the scoreboard.