Another game and nothing went to the house. Happy New Year!
2018 ended with a clunk. MSU's offense went a third game out of its last four without a TD. No blaming injuries in this one. LJ was back, Lewerke was back and yet they still were unable to get into the end zone.
They came up with some new schemes, pistol formations, no huddles and even out yarded the Ducks but yippee, it's still about getting the puck into the net and they couldn't do it.
I know Dantonio is all about stability and it has served him well. But sometimes you need a new set of eyes. The defense is better than anything Nardawg and Da Bang stick put out there. Change isn't fatal. Sometimes it makes things better.
I've been a Dave Warner defender for awhile now but I'm ready for someone else to see what they can do. I mean how much worse can it get?
One thing a new OC be better at is having better picks than I did yesterday. I went 5-1 including a Mega Bet win. State may have lost but they did cover. And Northwestern came screaming back in the third quarter in a huge upset. Bruce had a nice end to the year.
Here's the first picks of the New Year.
2018 ended with a clunk. MSU's offense went a third game out of its last four without a TD. No blaming injuries in this one. LJ was back, Lewerke was back and yet they still were unable to get into the end zone.
They came up with some new schemes, pistol formations, no huddles and even out yarded the Ducks but yippee, it's still about getting the puck into the net and they couldn't do it.
I know Dantonio is all about stability and it has served him well. But sometimes you need a new set of eyes. The defense is better than anything Nardawg and Da Bang stick put out there. Change isn't fatal. Sometimes it makes things better.
I've been a Dave Warner defender for awhile now but I'm ready for someone else to see what they can do. I mean how much worse can it get?
One thing a new OC be better at is having better picks than I did yesterday. I went 5-1 including a Mega Bet win. State may have lost but they did cover. And Northwestern came screaming back in the third quarter in a huge upset. Bruce had a nice end to the year.
Here's the first picks of the New Year.
The SEC's best defense is led by a former Spartan Montez Sweat Mississippi State -7.0 vs Iowa - Outback Bowl – It should be a defensive battle royale as two of the premier defenses in Div 1A as No. 18 Mississippi State and Iowa square off in the Outback Bowl.
The best defense in the SEC? Alabama? nope, LSU? Try again, Georgia, colder. It was Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs are the only team in the country to rank in the top 10 in scoring (FBS-best 12 points allowed per game), rushing (ninth; 104.3 yards), passing (sixth; 164.2) and total (third; 268.4) defense.
The run defense got hit by Kentucky for four scores, Alabama came up with two, and LSU ran for one. That’s it. No one else ran for a touchdown against this amazing front wall.
The Mississippi State defense is led by senior defensive end and former Spartan, Montez Sweat, a likely first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Sweat became the first Mississippi State player to be named a first-team All-American since 2014. He ranks sixth in school history with 21.5 career sacks despite playing only two seasons with the Bulldogs. Sweat had 11 sacks (tied for sixth in FBS), and 13.5 tackles for loss (seventh in the SEC).Nick Fitzgerald hasn’t thrown an interception in his last five games, and the team was third in the SEC in turnover margin after leading the way with the fewest giveaways.
The offense revolves around senior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, who is responsible for 99 total touchdowns in his career, owns the SEC record for most 100-yard rushing games by a quarterback (20) and is the only signal-caller in conference history to run for more than 3,000 yards.
Iowa, was no slouch on defense either. They tied for first in FBS with 18 interceptions, and rivaled Mississippi State in three of the four defensive categories: 11th in scoring (17.4), seventh in rushing (102.8) and seventh in total yards (289.6). The veteran line is just disruptive enough to get into the backfield on a regular basis, and it doesn’t allow anyone to plow away. Wisconsin was the only team to come up with over 200 yards, and Northwestern was the only other offense to generate more than 140 – that includes games against Maryland, Penn State, and Iowa State. Considering the Mississippi State passing game was the second-worst in the SEC, stop the Bulldog ground game, in general, stop Mississippi State.
The best defense in the SEC? Alabama? nope, LSU? Try again, Georgia, colder. It was Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs are the only team in the country to rank in the top 10 in scoring (FBS-best 12 points allowed per game), rushing (ninth; 104.3 yards), passing (sixth; 164.2) and total (third; 268.4) defense.
The run defense got hit by Kentucky for four scores, Alabama came up with two, and LSU ran for one. That’s it. No one else ran for a touchdown against this amazing front wall.
The Mississippi State defense is led by senior defensive end and former Spartan, Montez Sweat, a likely first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Sweat became the first Mississippi State player to be named a first-team All-American since 2014. He ranks sixth in school history with 21.5 career sacks despite playing only two seasons with the Bulldogs. Sweat had 11 sacks (tied for sixth in FBS), and 13.5 tackles for loss (seventh in the SEC).Nick Fitzgerald hasn’t thrown an interception in his last five games, and the team was third in the SEC in turnover margin after leading the way with the fewest giveaways.
The offense revolves around senior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, who is responsible for 99 total touchdowns in his career, owns the SEC record for most 100-yard rushing games by a quarterback (20) and is the only signal-caller in conference history to run for more than 3,000 yards.
Iowa, was no slouch on defense either. They tied for first in FBS with 18 interceptions, and rivaled Mississippi State in three of the four defensive categories: 11th in scoring (17.4), seventh in rushing (102.8) and seventh in total yards (289.6). The veteran line is just disruptive enough to get into the backfield on a regular basis, and it doesn’t allow anyone to plow away. Wisconsin was the only team to come up with over 200 yards, and Northwestern was the only other offense to generate more than 140 – that includes games against Maryland, Penn State, and Iowa State. Considering the Mississippi State passing game was the second-worst in the SEC, stop the Bulldog ground game, in general, stop Mississippi State.
Iowa counters with the best TE in college ball. Iowa served as the home of the two of the best tight ends in the country in 2018, but only one will take the field. First-team All-Big Ten selection Noah Fant elected to skip the bowl game to begin preparing for the 2019 NFL Draft following a three-year career in which he caught 19 touchdown passes - the most ever by a tight end in school history. Mackey Award winner T.J. Hockenson has yet to announce whether he will turn pro but will play in this contest after posting seven total TDs and team-high totals of 46 receptions and 717 receiving yards in 2018.
In his 20 seasons leading the Iowa Hawkeyes, Kirk Ferentz has coached as many games in Tampa as in Ann Arbor or Columbus. Ferentz and his Hawkeyes would likely rather play in a better bowl, but because they lost three consecutive Big Ten games by a total of 12 points, they drew a return trip to Tampa again.
The Bulldogs were a bit inconsistent under first-year coach Joe Moorhead, with only one game decided by less than 14 points. But all of their losses came against teams in the top 15.
MSU is much better in bowl games. The Bulldogs are playing in its 9th straight bowl game and they are 9-2 in their last 11 bowls. Iowa beat Boston College in last year’s Pinstripe. But before that, Iowa lost its previous five, including ugly losses to three SEC teams, Oklahoma, and in the 2016 Rose Bowl, Stanford. The last win over an SEC team was a 31-10 clubbing of South Carolina in the 2009 Outback.
The trends slightly favor MSU. Iowa is 9-5 ATS but 0-3 as a dog in 2018 and 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games on grass. MSU is 16-9 ATS since last season, 5-0 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games and 9-4 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
I’m going to take the other MSU and lay the points. The Hawkeye defense has been strong this year, but the MSU defense is better. They also have the edge on offense. The Bulldogs allowed 25 points in their last four games top teams not-named Alabama and even against the Tide, they allowed just 24 points. Iowa will have all sorts of problems trying to score on this defense.
Put me down for a quatloo and a quatloo on the under 41.0.
In his 20 seasons leading the Iowa Hawkeyes, Kirk Ferentz has coached as many games in Tampa as in Ann Arbor or Columbus. Ferentz and his Hawkeyes would likely rather play in a better bowl, but because they lost three consecutive Big Ten games by a total of 12 points, they drew a return trip to Tampa again.
The Bulldogs were a bit inconsistent under first-year coach Joe Moorhead, with only one game decided by less than 14 points. But all of their losses came against teams in the top 15.
MSU is much better in bowl games. The Bulldogs are playing in its 9th straight bowl game and they are 9-2 in their last 11 bowls. Iowa beat Boston College in last year’s Pinstripe. But before that, Iowa lost its previous five, including ugly losses to three SEC teams, Oklahoma, and in the 2016 Rose Bowl, Stanford. The last win over an SEC team was a 31-10 clubbing of South Carolina in the 2009 Outback.
The trends slightly favor MSU. Iowa is 9-5 ATS but 0-3 as a dog in 2018 and 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games on grass. MSU is 16-9 ATS since last season, 5-0 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games and 9-4 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
I’m going to take the other MSU and lay the points. The Hawkeye defense has been strong this year, but the MSU defense is better. They also have the edge on offense. The Bulldogs allowed 25 points in their last four games top teams not-named Alabama and even against the Tide, they allowed just 24 points. Iowa will have all sorts of problems trying to score on this defense.
Put me down for a quatloo and a quatloo on the under 41.0.
To win, Kentucky will need to dominate the time of possession behind Benny Snell Kentucky +6.0 vs Penn State – Citrus Bowl – It’s been a great year for Kentucky. Not only is it going bowling, but it was deep into the SEC title hunt. It beat Florida for the first time in more than three decades too. It was all fantastic, and now this is merely gravy. This is already the first nine-win season since 1984. Win, and it’s the first ten-win season since 1977.
For Penn State, 10 win years are starting to become the norm. Win this it will be the third straight ten win season.
Few teams are better at dragging teams down to their level than Kentucky. The Wildcats love to control tempo and the game with their running game and nasty defense. Who else is good at taking teams out of their groove? Michigan State, who came up with a 21-17 win over the PSU.
How did the Spartans do it? They kept the Penn State offense off of the field by owning third downs. The Nittany Lion attack converted fewer than 30% of its chances just three times this season – and it lost all three games.
Penn State is dead last in the Big Ten in time of possession. The offense moves quickly, and it can score in a flash, but it only keeps the ball for 27:32 per game. To win, Kentucky will need to dominate the clock, run Benny Snell, keep the chains moving, and keep Trace McSorley and company off the field.
They will have a chance. Penn State was nothing special against the run this season, ranking 72nd in the country, giving up 168.4 rushing yards per game.
But, if Kentucky struggles getting Snell going it will be a long day. The Nittany Lion D leads the nation with 43 sacks, with 16 players getting in on the act. Kentucky’s offensive line is good, but all it will take is an occasional big play or two on third down to screw up the UK attack. The Kentucky passing game won’t be able to pull it out. It ranked 115th with a mere 164.8 passing yards per game.
For Penn State, 10 win years are starting to become the norm. Win this it will be the third straight ten win season.
Few teams are better at dragging teams down to their level than Kentucky. The Wildcats love to control tempo and the game with their running game and nasty defense. Who else is good at taking teams out of their groove? Michigan State, who came up with a 21-17 win over the PSU.
How did the Spartans do it? They kept the Penn State offense off of the field by owning third downs. The Nittany Lion attack converted fewer than 30% of its chances just three times this season – and it lost all three games.
Penn State is dead last in the Big Ten in time of possession. The offense moves quickly, and it can score in a flash, but it only keeps the ball for 27:32 per game. To win, Kentucky will need to dominate the clock, run Benny Snell, keep the chains moving, and keep Trace McSorley and company off the field.
They will have a chance. Penn State was nothing special against the run this season, ranking 72nd in the country, giving up 168.4 rushing yards per game.
But, if Kentucky struggles getting Snell going it will be a long day. The Nittany Lion D leads the nation with 43 sacks, with 16 players getting in on the act. Kentucky’s offensive line is good, but all it will take is an occasional big play or two on third down to screw up the UK attack. The Kentucky passing game won’t be able to pull it out. It ranked 115th with a mere 164.8 passing yards per game.
While Penn State will try to get up fast with Trace McSorley For Penn State, it will be score fast, get up, and make Kentucky push its offense to try coming back. Easier said than done. Kentucky was 8th in scoring defense.
Penn State’s has a balanced attack averaging 216 yards per game through the air and 209 on the ground, and finished 20th in scoring. Mewnawhile, the Cats didn’t score more than 28 against anyone in the SEC, and only exploded against the Group of Fivers, Murray State, and the weaklings on the slate..
All in all, there might be bigger games going on over the rest of New Year’s Day, but this one might just be the most interesting in the fourth quarter.
The trends favor the Big Ten team. PSU was 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 non-conference games, and 5-2 in neutral site games. Kentucky is 3-12 ATS in their last 15 non-conference games and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 neutral site games They are, howoever, 5-0 ATS on fieldturf.
I’m going to take Kentucky and the points. Penn State has not been a team you really want to trust as a favorite in big games – it's been that way through the entire James Franklin era. Furthermore, Penn State and QB Trevor McSorley crumbled under the weight of playing a good defenses in Michigan State and Michigan. This Kentucky defense is no joke.
Penn State’s has a balanced attack averaging 216 yards per game through the air and 209 on the ground, and finished 20th in scoring. Mewnawhile, the Cats didn’t score more than 28 against anyone in the SEC, and only exploded against the Group of Fivers, Murray State, and the weaklings on the slate..
All in all, there might be bigger games going on over the rest of New Year’s Day, but this one might just be the most interesting in the fourth quarter.
The trends favor the Big Ten team. PSU was 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 non-conference games, and 5-2 in neutral site games. Kentucky is 3-12 ATS in their last 15 non-conference games and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 neutral site games They are, howoever, 5-0 ATS on fieldturf.
I’m going to take Kentucky and the points. Penn State has not been a team you really want to trust as a favorite in big games – it's been that way through the entire James Franklin era. Furthermore, Penn State and QB Trevor McSorley crumbled under the weight of playing a good defenses in Michigan State and Michigan. This Kentucky defense is no joke.
