Penn State vs Army College Football Lines Report

Both the Army Black Knights (1-3) and the Penn State Nittany Lions (3-1) will be gunning for a victory on Saturday when they meet at Beaver Stadium. After a rough start to the season, the Black Knights will be hoping to secure a big road win in this conference matchup. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions will be keen to enter the heart of Big Ten play on a four-game winning streak. With so much to prove in the NCAA Football odds, here is a brief guide on how to place your bets on this game.

How To Bet the Penn State vs Army NCAA Football Odds, TV & Game Info

Venue: Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA Date: Saturday, October 3, 2015 Time: 12:00 PM ET TV: ESPNU/ WATCH ESPN

Special Military Appreciation week focus throughout episode 5 of Unrivaled: The Penn State Football Story. Trailer >>https://t.co/V4VIio4iOu

— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) October 1, 2015

Betting on the Nittany Lions

Penn State grabbed a crucial Week 4 victory over the San Diego State Aztecs last Saturday, winning 37-21 at Beaver Stadium. A win against the Black Knights will extend their winning streak to four games, something that the program is eager to achieve. QB Christian Hackenberg is completing 52.8 of his passes for 668 yards, four TDs with two INT so far this season. In the game against the Aztecs, Hackenberg had a leading performance, passing 21-of-35 for 296 yards and 3 TDs. The QB has however failed to throw a TD in five of his last 10 games, hence will need to replicate his performance in Week 4 if he is to give his team a winning chance. Of course, the QB will need to be supported by his offensive targets, spearheaded by RB Saquon Barkley who leads the program with 373 yards and three TDs. In the event that Barkley is unavailable due to his lingering injury, the duo of Rashaad Penny (rushed for 55 yards in Week 4) and Donnel Pumphrey (rushed for 56 yards in Week 4) will need to take the leading role in the running back department that is averaging 170.5 yards per game. In the receiving end, DaeSean Hamilton, Chris Godwin and Mikah Holder will be the go-to guys for big plays and scores in the end zone. On the opposite side of the ball, Penn State is allowing 16.3 points and 281.8 yards per contest. Troy Reeder leads the way with 23 tackles, while Carl Nassib has seven sacks and Jason Cabinda has four pass deflections. Decent as these numbers are, the defense will need to be on its best showing, considering the Black Knights are decently averaging 31 PPG.

Betting on the Black Knights

The Black Knights are looking to secure their second win of the season after beating Eastern Michigan 58-36 at Rynearson Stadium last Saturday. In that game, Aaron Kemper rushed for 140 yards and a TD, while Matt Giachinta rushed for 88 yards. John Trainor and DeAndre Bell led the receivers by adding 21 and 67 receiving yards respectively. QB Ahmad Bradshaw, who is completing 50 percent of his passes for 194 yards, three TDs with one INT, is questionable to play on Saturday with an ankle injury. Given that Bradshaw is the No. 1 QB in Army and boasts of being the team’s leading rusher (with 341 yards and four touchdowns), going against Penn State will be an uphill task for the Black Nights. Nonetheless, backup quarterback A.J. Schurr, who replaced Bradshaw after getting injured last week, proved capable of leading Army’s triple-threat attack. In his limited time, Schurr ran 10 times for 67 yards and two touchdowns. Added to the fact that the Black Knights’ ground game is averaging 294.5 yards per game, which is good for ninth-best in the nation, whoever gets to start at QB will have sufficient support from the team’s explosive running game. On the D-line, the Black Knights are allowing 28 points but allowing 418.3 yards per contest, something that could easily expose them heavily against Penn State’s mobile offense. Jeremy Timpf (who leads the program with 31 tackles), Andrew King (who has three sacks) and Brandon Jackson (who has two interceptions) will thus need to up their performance in order to avoid getting blown out by the Nittany Lions. This will be particularly important because the defense will miss the services of Josh Jenkins, Brett Toth and Jaryn Villegas due to injuries.

Key Penn State vs Army Betting Trends

•    The Nittany Lions are 4-1 SU in their last five games •    The Black Knights are 5-1 ATS in their last six games •    The Nittany Lions are 15-8 ATS in their last 23 games at home •    The Black Knights are 1-4 SU in their last five games •    The Nittany Lions are 4-1 SU in their last five games at home •    The Black Knights are 1-12 SU in their last 13 games on the road •    The total has gone OVER in 4 of Army’s last 6 games on the road

My Expert Game Prediction & Pick

If Bradshaw is available, Army could have a chance of hanging close with the Nittany Lions in this game. However, if he’s unavailable, things could be really tough, considering Schurr will be playing on the road and against a stingy Penn State defense. All in all, expect Hackenberg and his offense to give a good showing, as Army’s triple-threat offense makes life difficult, but in the end, the Nittany Lions should be able to claw away with a win and cover of the spread, as the total goes OVER in a high-scoring thriller.