by Rod Pearson
Tuesday, Sep 17, 2024
Game Time: 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, September 21, 2024
Venue: Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA
Where to Watch: Big Ten Network
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Kent +49, PSU -49; Over/Under: 55 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Kent +49, PSU -49; Over/Under: 55.5 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Kent +48.5, PSU -48.5; Over/Under: 55.5 points
Season Record
Kent State Golden Flashes: 0-3 (0-0) (11th place, MAC)
Penn State Nittany Lions: 2-0 (0-0) (9th place, Big Ten)
Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Kyle Hunter is on a HOT STREAK in college football on a 13-5 CFB RUN for +$7,500 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.
Recent Form
Kent State Golden Flashes: lost their last game on the road against the Tennessee Volunteers 71-0.
Penn State Nittany Lions: won their last game at home against the Bowling Green Falcons 34-27.
Kent State Golden Flashes vs Penn State Nittany Lions Preview and Analysis
Kent State is entering this game with a 0-3 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 0-1 in their home games, 0-2 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They lost their last game against Tennessee 71-0. Devin Kargman was the starting QB and he completed 9/15 passes for 58 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. JD Sherrod led the team in rushing yards with 56. Chrishon McCray led the receivers with 27 receiving yards on 3 receptions. Kameron Olds led the defense in that game with 4 solo tackles and 0 assisted tackles while Matt Harmon led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.
Penn State is entering this game with a 2-0 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 1-0 in their home games, 1-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against Bowling Green State 34-27. Drew Allar was the starting QB and he completed 13/20 passes for 204 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Nick Singleton led the team in rushing yards with 119 and 1 TD. Tyler Warren led the receivers with 146 receiving yards on 8 receptions. Abdul Carter led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles while no one on the defense recorded a sack for them. Zakee Wheatley and Tony Rojas each came away with 1 interception for them in that one.
Kent State vs Penn State Prediction
The current betting odds have Penn State listed as a 49 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Penn State has looked good in their games this season with their 2-0 record overall. They won their season opener in a tough environment against West Virginia and had a bit of a scare in their last one. They were trailing at home against Bowling Green and it took them a while before finally taking the lead and winning the game by just a TD. They are coming out of a bye week though and they are getting a lay up in this home game so they will be looking to bounce back with a more dominant performance for the home fans as they tune themselves up for conference play starting the week after. Meanwhile, Kent State has looked terrible in their games this season with their 0-3 record overall. They have been blown out in both of their road losses this season, losing by 31 to Pittsburgh and by 71 to Tennessee, and they even lost their only home game against a team from the FCS. Kent State might just be the worst team in the country this season as they have had a ton of turnover on the roster in Kenni Burns' first 2 seasons as coach. They are coming off a 71-0 loss to Tennessee on the road in their last one and that was a game where they were down 65-0 by halftime and 37-0 by the end of the 1st quarter. They only gave up 6 points in the 2nd half against Tennessee, but they still couldn't score with Tennessee really taking their foot off the gas, and this game is going to be no different against another ranked team at home trying to prove why they should climb the rankings. The best way to place a bet here is on Penn State to cover the spread in this game.
Kent State Penn State Prediction: Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, September 21, 2024 (3:30 pm ET start time) is Penn State 63 Kent State 0.
Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Kent State Golden Flashes Penn State Nittany Lions prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAF predictions and previews.
NCAAF Betting Trends
Kent State Golden Flashes: 1-11 ATS in their last 12 games. 2-10 ATS in the 1st half of their last 12 games. 6-1 to the over in their last 7 road games.
Penn State Nittany Lions: 7-5 ATS in their last 12 games. 7-3 (+2.80 units) on the moneyline in their last 10 games. 4-3 to the 1st half over in their last 7 home games.
Key Injuries
Kent State Golden Flashes: J. Miasek (K) Questionable - Undisclosed. M. Maddox (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Dunn (OL) Questionable - Undisclosed. S. Abuhamdeh (LB) Questionable - Undisclosed. A. Fisher (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. H. Hopperton (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed. A. Banks (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. D. DeShields (QB) Out - Undisclosed. G. Garcia (RB) Out - Knee.
Penn State Nittany Lions: A. Rappleyea (TE) Out - Undisclosed. D. Cook (DT) Questionable - Undisclosed. P. Gonzalez (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. K. Jackson (LB) Questionable - Undisclosed. T. Cunningham (DT) Questionable - Undisclosed. M. Williams (DE) Questionable - Undisclosed. L. Andrews (DT) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Smolik (QB) Questionable - Undisclosed. M. Robinson (DE) Questionable - Undisclosed. T. Robinson (LB) Questionable - Undisclosed. S. Siafa (DT) Questionable - Undisclosed. K. Wylie (LB) Questionable - Undisclosed. Z. Fisher (DE) Questionable - Undisclosed. X. Gilliam (DT) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Cross (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed.
Notable Quotes
“That is not who we are as a team or a culture. I talked to the captains about it and they said absolutely not.” - Kenni Burns after his team’s loss against Tennessee in their last game.
“The last three years (Bowling Green) beat Minnesota, they beat Georgia Tech, Michigan last year was 14-6 at the half, 32 seniors. They played their tails off. The moment wasn’t too big for them.” - James Franklin after his team’s win against BGSU in their last game.
Starting Lineups
Kent State Golden Flashes
WR McCray, Chrishon
WR Martin, Dashawn
WR Floriea, Luke
TE Skehan, Charlie
QB Kargman, Devin
RB Thomas, Ky
Penn State Nittany Lions
WR Fleming, Julian
WR Wallace III, Harrison
WR Saunders, Kaden
TE Warren, Tyler
QB Allar, Drew
RB Singleton, Nicholas
Statistical Leaders
Kent State Golden Flashes
Passing: D. Kargman (432)
Rushing: K. Thomas (89)
Receiving: L. Floriea (209)
Touchdowns: L. Floriea (2)
Penn State Nittany Lions
Passing: D. Allar (420)
Rushing: N. Singleton (233)
Receiving: T. Warren (176)
Touchdowns: N. Singleton (3)
Coaches:
Kent State Golden Flashes: Kenni Burns (2nd season)
Penn State Nittany Lions: James Franklin (11th season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
