The Northwestern Wildcats (+20.5) are heading east to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at HighPoint.com Stadium. This conference showdown gets underway at 12:00 p.m. ET and BTN is scheduled to televise the action. These two Big 10 adversaries did not get a chance to face each other a year ago.
Betting Preview: Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Northwestern Wildcats
Northwestern is the heavy road favorite and is currently giving up 20.5 points to Rutgers. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 49 points, and if one team catches a lucky break early, it’ll likely generate a decent in-game betting opportunity.
This matchup’s line has recently moved down from 21.5 to where it stands now (20.5). The game’s over/under has yet to move after it was set initially at 49.
The Wildcats are 3-3 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 2.6 units so far. The team has posted an O/U record of 4-2.
The Scarlet Knights have been a disappointment to moneyline bettors this season, losing 3.1 units. The team is 2-5 ATS and has an O/U record of 3-4.
The Wildcats are 3-3 straight up (SU), including 3-1 SU against Big 10 opponents. The Scarlet Knights are 1-6 SU overall and 0-4 SU in conference play.
Northwestern enters this matchup on a zero-game losing streak while Rutgers has won zero in a row. The Wildcats made it two in a row after a 34-31 victory over Nebraska last week. Clayton Thorson completed 41 passes for 455 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Solomon Vault (only 16 yards on 12 rushes) spearheaded the ground attack while Flynn Nagel (12 receptions, 220 yards, two TDs) and Bennett Skowronek (six catches, 73 yards) manned the receiving duties in the win.
Rutgers just suffered a 34-7 defeat to Maryland. The team’s defense allowed the Terrapins to kill the clock by rushing for 290 yards on 40 attempts, along with one rushing TD. Ty Johnson had a solid outing for Maryland, recording 132 rushing yards and a score on nine attempts. For Rutgers, Artur Sitkowski completed two-of-16 passes for eight yards and four interceptions. Isaih Pacheco (107 rushing yards on 22 attempts, one TD) handled the running game while Blackshear (one receptions, 4 yards) and Eddie Lewis (one catch, four yards) led the receiving corps in the loss.
Northwestern has run the ball on 39.0 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Rutgers has an overall rush percentage of 52.0 percent. The Wildcats have rushed for 69.8 yards/game (including 58.5 per game against Big Ten opponents) and have 10 scores on the ground this year. The Scarlet Knights are totaling 134.4 rush yards per game (114.3 in conference) and have eight total rushing TDs.
The Wildcats offense has tallied 320.7 yards/contest through the air overall (309.3 per game versus conference opposition) and has nine passing scores so far. The Scarlet Knights have produced 147.1 pass yards per contest (133 against Big 10 competition) and have three total pass TDs.
Defensively, Northwestern has allowed opponents to run for an average of 149.3 yards and throw for 254.5 yards per game. The Rutgers D has given up 188.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 237.7 yards per game on the ground. The Wildcats are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 6.25 to opposing QBs, while the Scarlet Knights have allowed a 6.82 ANY/A.
Offensively, Thorson has put up 1,382 passing yards on the year. He’s connected on 62 percent of his 207 attempts with six scores through the air and five interceptions. Thorson’s got a 5.41 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 6.52 over the last two games.
Artur Sitkowski has completed 59-of-131 passes for 491 yards, two TDs and 12 INTs for Rutgers. His ANY/A stands at a horrendous -0.39 for the year and -0.52 over his last two outings.
Northwestern Wildcats at Rutgers Scarlet Knights Betting Pick
SU Winner: Rutgers, ATS Winner: Rutgers, O/U: Under
Betting Trends
- Each team defense has produced nine sacks this season.
- The Rutgers offense has lost four fumbles this season while Northwestern has lost one.
- The Wildcats offense has recorded four pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Scarlet Knights have put up zero such plays.
- Both defenses have allowed five pass plays of 40 or more yards. The Northwestern defense has given up seven pass plays of 30+ yards while Rutgers has yielded six such plays.
- The Northwestern offense has created three rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Rutgers has created five such runs.
- The Wildcats defense has allowed 10 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Scarlet Knights have given up 21 such runs.
- Northwestern, as a team, has produced 0.9 yards per carry across its past three games and 0.9 over its last two.
- Rutgers has averaged 4.0 yards per carry over its last three contests and 3.9 over its last two.
