Oregon State/Penn State Betting Line, Odds & Predictions
September 5, 2008
The Info Plays team previews the Oregon State/Penn State betting line in week 2 college football Saturday. The Nittany Lions got off to a fast start with their impressive win over Coastal Carolina, while the Beavers had a tough setback at Stanford to open Pac-10 play. Bet Penn State -15 at BetUs Sportsbook and get a 50% sign-up bonus.
The Nittany Lions have finally found an answer at quarterback since Michael Robinson left the program in 2005. The 19th-ranked Nittany Liions had impressive debuts from a pair of quarterbacks in their season-opening blowout win. Darryl Clark showed off his skills in Penn State’s Alamo Bowl victory to close the 2007 season, despite not throwing a pass. He rushed for 50 yards and a crucial touchdown.
Clark had to fend off Pat Devlin for the starting job this fall, and it was a very close competition. Head coach Joe Paterno has no problem playing two quarterbacks until one emerges as the premier play-caller. Clark completed 11 of 14 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown. Devlin didn’t disappoint either, going 5-for-8 for 83 yards that featured a 40-yard strike to receiver Jordan Norwood. The Nittany Lions racked up 594 yards against the Chanticleers, which was its highest total since 1995.
Oregon State will present a much tougher test for Penn State, despite a 36-28 loss at Stanford last week. A fumble on the 1-yard-line cost the Beavers a chance to send the game into overtime in the final minute. It was a classic case of trying to go for too much, which you can’t fault receiver Darrell Catchings for doing. But Catchings reached for the pylon in the final seconds before fumbling the ball out of the back of the end zone for a touchback, ending the Beavers’ chances for overtime. You can bet Oregon State +15 at Sportsbook.com.
Lyle Moevao wasted no time testing his arm out in their season-opener, completing 34-of-54 passes with three touchdown strikes. Shane Morales and Sammie Stroughter are two stud wideouts, combining for 308 yards and all three of those TD scores. The Beavers won’t be shy to put the ball in the air against Penn State, considering the Nittany Lions were the 5th best rush defense in the league last year at 2.6 yards/carry.
Oregon State was #1 in the country in rush defense, allowing just 2.1 yards/carry on the ground. But the Beavers bring back only three starters on this side of the ball. It showed as Stanford rushed for 210 yards on 48 carries for a nice average of 4.4 yards/rush. The Nittany Lions will try to utilize a heavy dose of their ground attack after rushing for 334 yards in its opener. Four Nittany Lions, Stephfon Green, Brent Carter, Evan Royster and Chaz Powell, had at least 60 yards on the ground each.
These teams have never met, but the Nittany Lions are 22-11 in school history against Pac-10 foes. Right now the Total is set at 46 points at BetUs.
