Pinstripe Bowl Pick
Boston College
vs.
Penn State
12/27/14
The Pinstripe Bowl presents a fitting matchup with how this bowl has played out in recent years. Boston College and Penn State are two of the most defensive teams in the country and will be playing outdoors in New York in a bowl that has hit the under three straight times. Boston College is sitting as a -2.5 point favorite at betonline and sportsbook.ag
In addition to the under hitting in this bowl, the underdog has also covered in three straight so that’s good news for Penn State backers.
The Nittany Lions got off to a great 4-0 start and looked primed to battle in the Big Ten, but a 29-6 home loss to Northwestern showed their flaws and they eventually lost six of their final eight Games. They finished 2-6 in a down Big Ten season which says a lot. Their only Conference wins were against Rutgers and Indiana, while losing to Maryland, Michigan and Illinois (as well as Northwestern).
The Eagles had a slightly better season with one more win at 7-5, and Four ACC wins. In addition, they had some decent wins against USC and on the road at NC State and Virginia Tech. In fact, their only road loss was a close 20-17 Game at Florida State. For losing one of the best running backs in the country, BC stuck with the run and not many could stop them again.
Starting with that BC rushing attack, quarterback Tyler Murphy has been a big part of that going for 1,079 yards and 10 TDs. While his passing numbers leave a lot to be desired (11 TDs, 10 INTs), they don’t matter when this team can run on anyone. Jon Hilliman has come in and done a nice job as well, rushing for 712 yards and 12 TDs on the season.
To make matters interesting for this Game, Penn State has the best rush defense in the country (statistically) led by the Big Ten’s Linebacker of the Year, Mike Hull (134 tackles). If PSU can stop the BC rushing attack, this could be an extremely low-scoring Game.
The Nittany Lions are poor on the offensive side to say the least, scoring less than 20 points per Game. They struggled to move the ball against every Big Ten opponent, and they played some bad defenses. Due to the combination of a completely new offensive line and a new head coach, QB Christian Hackenberg has taken a step back in his second season, tossing for just 8 TDs and 15 INTs, compared with 20 TDs-10 INTs last year. This offense doesn’t have many positives, as they only average 2.9 yards per carry as a team, although a lot of that is due to sacks. Akeel Lynch (603 yards, 4 TDs) hasn’t been bad this year averaging 4.6 YPC and the Lions will need him in this Game.
Boston College also boasts a top defense, allowing 20.5 points per Game and holding teams like Clemson and Florida to 20 points or less.
This is Penn State’s first bowl back after their ban, while Boston College is looking for its first bowl win since 2007.
This Game won’t be pretty, but if one team does get their ground Game going, they’ll have an immediate advantage.
The Eagles are 1-5 ATS in their last six bowl Games and 5-2 ATS in their last seven Games overall. The Nittany Lions have covered in five straight non-Conference Games, but are 1-3-1 ATS in their last five overall.
Our Pick – UNDER 40