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Carrie Stroup here and we have a monster College Football weekend for 2011 Week 9 in store with the Spartans vs. Cornhuskers spread coming in at -4 in favor of Nebraska.
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Nebraska -4 & 49
Opening Line & Total: Cornhuskers -4 & 50
No. 9 Michigan State tries to ride momentum of last week’s Hail Mary win for a fifth straight victory when it takes on No. 13 Nebraska for the first time since the 2003 Alamo Bowl.
The Huskers won that bowl game 17-3, but this game figures to be much higher scoring with Nebraska’s 37.6 PPG and MSU’s 65 points in the past two weeks. Spartans QB Kirk Cousins has 5 TD and 0 INT in his past two games, while the Huskers are led by bruising RB Rex Burkhead, who has rumbled for 622 yards and 8 total TD in his past five contests. Burkhead and QB Taylor Martinez (9 rushing TD) should be able to eat up yardage against an MSU run defense that surrendered 220 rushing yards to Wisconsin last week. The pick here is <b>NEBRASKA</b> to win and cover.
Cousins has had a strong senior season, but he has tossed three interceptions in two road games this year, leading his team to just 23 points in these two away contests. He continues to lean heavily on WR B.J. Cunningham whose 723 receiving yards comprise 41% of his team’s passing offense. He has four 100-yard receiving games on the season, but has yet to string two of them in a row. The ground game has been wildly inconsistent in the past five weeks, rushing for 29, 197, 71, 213 and 109 yards last week versus Wisconsin. Edwin Baker leads the team with 434 rushing yards while Le’Veon Bell has 374 yards and a team-high six touchdowns. Bell is coming off a tough game versus the Badgers, gaining a meager 15 yards on 11 carries.
Despite the 443 yards and 31 points allowed to Wisconsin, Michigan State still ranks second in the nation in total defense (223 YPG), sixth in sacks (3.4 per game) and seventh in scoring defense (13.7 PPG). The Spartans are expected to have stud DE William Gholston back on the field after he served his one-game suspension for throwing a punch in the Michigan game.
Michigan State is 5-2 ATS this year, while Nebraska is just 2-5 ATS. Martinez has averaged 5.8 yards per carry this year, rushing for 636 yards and nine scores. He just hasn’t developed enough as a passer though, completing only 55 percent of his passes with 7 TD and 6 INT. The Huskers really don’t have a go-to receiver, as no player on the roster has more than 15 catches or 250 receiving yards on the year. Luckily for the offense, Burkhead has scored in every game this year, totaling 11 TD in seven games.
The Blackshirts haven’t been as imposing as Nebraska defenses usually are. The Huskers rank 54th in scoring defense (25.3 PPG), which includes allowing 25+ points four times this season. Most of the problems stem from an underachieving defensive line that is 101st in the country in sacks (1.3 per game) and 114th in Tackles For Loss (3.9 per game). The loss of star DL Jared Crick for the season (pectoral) could have a lasting effect on this unit.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
