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Eastern Illinois vs Penn State College Football Betting Lines

Written October 9, 2009 by Hector Garza

The Big 10 has had its shake ups already this year. Wisconsin, Ohio St and Iowa are all undefeated in conference play, which leaves #14 Penn St surprisingly in the middle of the pack. The Nittany Lions will welcome Eastern Illinois to Happy Valley this Saturday at 12:00 p.m. EDT in a game they’re hoping to win and work out any kinks before their return to Big 10 play. Both teams are 4-1, but Penn State is a 38 point favorite according to the latest NCAA football spreads.

After a disappointing loss to Iowa (21-10) two weeks ago, Penn State bounced back nicely on the road against Illinois, defeating them 35-17. Senior QB Daryll Clark has thrown for over 1100 yards and 9 td’s, but has shown some poor decision making with his 6 interceptions. He’s also a threat to run w/ the ball, rushing for 100 yards and 2 more td’s. Clark has done a good job distributing the ball, with 4 receivers in the double digits with receptions. Evan Royster leads the attack on the ground and has gained over 400 yards and 4 td’s.

The defense had done its job this year and is 7th nationally in scoring defense (11.6 ppg) and 15th in total defense, allowing under 265.6 yards of offense by opponents. They are led by LB Josh Hull, who has 52 tackles, but will be missing standout LB Sean Lee to a knee injury. 3rd down has been big as the Lions have limited their opponents to a 32% conversion percentage. The team has tallied 15 sacks and combined for an impressive 43 tackles for a loss. Get serious about college football betting with a $500 match bonus from BetUS.

QB Jake Christensen played his first 3 years at Iowa, and this will be his second start against the Penn State in Happy Valley. He’s been successful for the Panthers, throwing for 1090 yards and 11 td’s with only 3 interceptions. However, two of those interceptions came last week in a loss to Eastern Kentucky where he was sacked 6 times. That doesn’t bode well since he’ll be facing an even tougher defense this week. The Nittany Lions will also be focusing on Mon Williams, who’s averaged just under 90 ypg rushing and has scored all 6 td’s on the ground.

Both teams coming into this week have had success on defense. The Panthers have recorded 12 takeaways this year in addition to 14 sacks and 38 tfl’s. Cory Leman leads the charge with 47 tackles through 5 games, which has helped the team allow a measly 15.2 ppg. Last week Penn State rushed for 338 yards, but EIU will be looking to shut down that option. They have been successful stopping the run, allowing 94 ypg and an impressive 2.7 ypc. The secondary has also done well, allowing 171.4 ypg and only 4 td’s through the air.

Eastern Illinois has had success on 3rd down, converting 52% of their tries, but will have much tougher going against a stout Penn State defense. For them to win this game, Christensen would have to play perfect and the defense would need to shut down the offense, both of which are very unlikely. Look for the Nittany Lions to win the turnover battle, as the Panthers have lost 10 of the 13 fumbles they’ve committed this year. State has the better athletes and overall team, and will win this one handily.

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