The No. 22 North Carolina State Wolfpack (+1) are heading north to visit the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome. This pivotal conference game starts at 7:00 p.m. ET and ESPN2 is scheduled to have the TV rights.
North Carolina State Wolfpack vs. Syracuse Orange Betting Preview
In this Saturday Atlantic Coast game, Syracuse is projected as the favorite and the team’s currently giving up 1 point. The Wolfpack are also receiving -115 moneyline odds while the Orange are -105. If one team finds paydirt early it’ll produce a reasonable betting opportunity in-game. Oddsmakers have determined the over/under (O/U) to be 62.5 points.
Early action has slanted toward the over. The game’s over/under was set originally at only 61.
Each of these teams has rewarded gamblers this season as the Wolfpack have gained 3.0 units and the Orange are up 2.0 units.
The Wolfpack are 5-1 straight up (SU), including 2-1 SU against conference opponents. The Orange are 5-2 SU overall and are also 2-2 SU in conference play.
When these two schools faced one another last year, North Carolina State earned the win 33-25.
The Wolfpack lost to Clemson 41-7 in a blowout where the passing attack could’ve been more effective as Ryan Finley completed 21 passes for just 156 yards and two interceptions. Ricky Person (54 yards on 12 rush attempts) and Reggie Gallaspy (59 yards on nine carries, one TD) led the ground attack while Jakobi Meyers (eight receptions, 61 yards) and C.J. Riley (three catches, 66 yards) manned the receiving duties in the defeat.
Syracuse is coming off of a 40-37 win over North Carolina. The defensive unit allowed the Tar Heels to pass for 321 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 179 yards. Antonio Williams was a force to be reckoned with, putting up 116 rushing yards and a score on 15 attempts for North Carolina. As a group, the Orange collectively completed 28-of-52 passes for 406 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Eric Dungey went 17-for-33 for 225 yards while Tommy Devito was 11-of-19 for 181 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Dungey (42 yards on 15 rush attempts, one TD) and Moe Neal (66 yards on eight carries) mounted the running game as Sean Riley (seven receptions, 78 yards) and Jamal Custis (seven catches, 162 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching corps in the win.
North Carolina State has run the ball on 49.5 percent of its offensive plays this year, including 54.9 percent across possessions in conference play. Syracuse has an overall rush percentage of 54.6 percent, and has run the ball 49.4 percent of the time against ACC opponents. The Wolfpack have produced 138 rush yards per game (including 168 per game versus Atlantic Coast opponents) and have 10 scores on the ground this year. The Orange are logging 213 rushing yards per game (150 in conference) and have 19 total rush TDs.
The Pack offense has tallied 312 yards per contest through the air overall (253 per game versus conference opposition) and has 10 passing TDs so far. The Orange have produced 262 pass yards per contest (267.5 against ACC foes) and have 14 total pass scores.
North Carolina State has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 105 yards and throw for 258 yards per game. The Syracuse D has given up 239.9 yards per game to opposing passers and 186.3 yards per game on the ground. The Orange are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 4.88 to opposing QBs, while the Wolfpack have allowed a 6.14 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Finley has amassed 1,469 yards this season, and has connected on 67 percent of his 187 attempts with eight passing scores and three interceptions. Finley has a 7.76 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 4.57 over the past two games.
We’re looking for Wolfpack to control the clock by feeding their running backs early and often. Along with Jakobi Meyers (281 yards), Reggie Gallaspy (279 rush yards, six rush TDs) and Ricky Person (167 rush yards) have been focal points in the offensive gameplans for North Carolina State.
In the other locker room, Eric Dungey has completed 101-of-165 passes for 1,238 yards, nine TDs and two INTs. Dungey’s ANY/A sits at 7.36 for the season and 4.14 over his last two games.
The Orange should also look to control the clock by turning to their backfield. In addition to Jamal Custis (522 receiving yards, four receiving TDs), Nykeim Johnson (-6 rush yards, 294 receiving yards, two receiving TDs) and Taj Harris (176 receiving yards and one TD) have gotten quite a few touches lately.
RELATED: Week 9 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Betting Pick: North Carolina State Wolfpack at Syracuse Orange
SU Winner – Syracuse, ATS Winner – Syracuse, O/U – Under
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Team Betting Trends
Syracuse has lost four fumbles this season while North Carolina State has lost five.
The Syracuse defensive unit has tallied 21 sacks on the year while North Carolina State has just 15.
North Carolina State has produced 4.1 yards per carry over its last three games and 3.9 over its last two.
Syracuse has averaged 3.7 yards per carry over its last three contests and 4.2 over its last two.
In its last three games, Syracuse is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The Over/Under for North Carolina State’s last game was set at 57. The under cashed in the team’s 41-7 loss to Clemson.
Over its last three games, North Carolina State is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The O/U for Syracuse’s last game going into it was 66. The over cashed in the 40-37 triumph over North Carolina.
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