Free College Football Picks Today: Penn State Nittany Lions vs Ohio State Buckeyes 10/29/22

Defense meets offense when the No. 13 Penn State University Nittany Lions (6-1, 3-1 Big 10) play host to the No. 2 The Ohio State University Buckeyes (7-0, 4-0 Big 10) at Beaver Stadium on Saturday. The Buckeyes are 15.5-point favorites, and the total is 61.Ohio State is coming off a dominant 54-10 win over Iowa at Ohio Stadium last Saturday, their seventh consecutive victory.

C.J. Stroud was 20 of 30 for 286 yards with four touchdowns and an interception. TreVeyon Henderson ran 11 times for 38 yards. Julian Fleming caught two passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. Penn State beat Minnesota 45-17 at Beaver Stadium last Saturday.

Sean Clifford threw for 304 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception. Nicholas Singleton carried 13 times for 79 yards and two touchdowns. Theo Johnson added a touchdown of his own. He caught five receptions for 75 yards.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Buckeyes won the only meeting between the teams last season, a 33-24 victory in October, their fifth straight win against Penn State. C.J. Stroud tossed one touchdown for Ohio State, as TreVeyon Henderson added a rushing TD.

TALE OF THE TAPE

The Buckeyes are averaging 49.6 points per game for the season, second in FBS, and they are facing a Nittany Lions defense that has surrendered 18.9 PPG (20th). Meanwhile, Penn State has scored 33.4 points a game this season, 39th in the country, and Ohio State is allowing 14.9 PPG (5th).

The Buckeyes rank as one of the nation’s top teams in passing yards per game (312.6, 15th), while they are 21st in rushing yards (204.9). The Nittany Lions are 79th in passing yards allowed per game (232.9) and 62nd against the run (140.1).Penn State is 63rd in the nation in passing yards per game (245.1) and 46th in rushing (178.4).

Ohio State’s defense has proven strong on both fronts, as the Buckeyes are 3rd in the country in passing yards allowed per game (149.0) and 8th against the run (90.9).

TOP PERFORMERS

Through seven games, C.J. Stroud has thrown for 28 touchdowns (4 INT) and 289.0 yards per game to lead Ohio State in passing. In one previous away game this season, he had six TDs (1 INT) and 361 yards passing. Miyan Williams leads the team in rushing with an average of 86.0 yards a game over six games.

He has nine touchdowns on the ground. Emeka Egbuka is the Buckeyes’ leading receiver with 105.0 yards a game and seven TDs. Sean Clifford has 13 passing touchdowns (3 INT) with 206.4 yards per game through seven games to lead Penn State. In four home games this season, he has thrown for nine TDs (2 INT) and an average of 216.2 yards.

Nicholas Singleton has been the home team’s leading performer on the ground, averaging 80.1 yards a game through seven games. He has seven touchdowns. Parker Washington has been the primary target in the Nittany Lions’ passing game. He has one touchdown and a 55.4 yard per game average through seven appearances.