The 5th-ranked Clemson Tigers charge into Carter-Finley Stadium to get it on with the 19th-ranked N.C. State Wolfpack in some ACC Conference football this weekend. The contest is set to go off on Saturday, November 4th at 3:30 p.m. EST and can be seen on ABC for some afternoon football entertainment. Line setters have placed the Clemson Tigers as a -7 point favorite and the over/under sits at 51.
The Clemson Tigers bounced back nicely from their 24-27 defeat at the hands of the Syracuse Orangemen two weeks ago. They hosted the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Death Valley last weekend and handed them a 24-10 defeat. In that game, the Clemson defense rose to the occasion and held the powerful Yellow Jacket rushing attack to only 198 yards rushing and 230 total yards.
The N.C. State Wolfpack would like to have the game last week against the Fighting Irish back. In that game, the Wolfpack were held to only 263 yards of total offense. They also let Notre Dame running back Josh Adams rush for well over 200 yards against them. The defeat was only their second loss of the season so a win against Clemson could propel them back into the ACC title picture.
(5) Clemson Tigers (7-1)
The Tigers managed to get back on track with a victory over Georgia Tech. They also moved up one spot in the rankings. Clemson improved to 5-1 in the conference, sitting only behind the Wolfpacks’ 4-0 record in the Atlantic Division. Clemson started fast, jumping out to a 14-3 lead after one quarter. Then, they held the Yellow Jackets out of the end zone until less than five minutes remained in the contest.
Quarterback Kelly Bryant returned to action after being knocked out of the game against the Orangemen. It was just what the doctor ordered for the Clemson offense. Bryant threw the ball for 207 yards with two touchdowns and no picks. He also toted the rock for another 67 yards to help keep the offense balanced. In 2017, the dual-threat signal-caller has passed for 1,582 yards with six scores and four picks. He also has run for another 460 yards and seven touchdowns.
Running back Travis Etienne didn’t have his best performance against Georgia Tech last weekend. The freshman only collected 47 yards but did find the end zone once. Through eight games this year, he has darted his way for 489 yards on 58 carries with seven trips to pay-dirt. Combined with Kelly Bryant, the Tigers’ running game has been a decent weapon in 2017.
Three wide receivers do most of the damage against opposing defenses. Together, the trio has combined for over 1,150 yards through the air and four scores. Hunter Renfrow leads the squad with 35 catches for 357 yards. Unfortunately, he has yet to find the end zone for the Tigers this season.
Defensively, the Tigers are one of the best units in the country. Their front seven holds teams to only 119 yards on the ground (18th). The secondary is even better, ranking seventh in the country by allowing only 162 yards through the air. In all, Clemson only allows schools to score 13 points per game (6th).
(19) N.C. State Wolfpack (6-2)
The Wolfpack would’ve had a conference loss last week if the game was played on the court. As it stands, N.C. State sits undefeated at 4-0 in conference play. The Wolfpack held a 14-7 lead in the opening seconds of the second quarter but failed to score again. To their dismay, they also gave up 28 unanswered points in the loss to Notre Dame.
Quarterback Ryan Finley has been solid under center in 2017. In fact, until last week, he hadn’t registered a game where he has posted a quarterback rating under 117. Last week wasn’t his best performance but he did do okay. Against the Irish, Finley completed 17 passes for 213 yards with a touchdown and a pick. Nevertheless, he managed the offense well and made no mistakes that cost his club. Overall, the steady performer has thrown for almost 2,200 yards with 12 touchdowns and one pick.
The N.C. State Wolfpack has been running the football effectively, which keeps defenses honest. Tailback Nyheim Hines has been the workhorse in that department. So far, Hines has rumbled for a team-high 654 yards on 118 carries with six scores. He is not the only threat in the red zone as two other teammates have pitched in with another 11 touchdowns. Jaylen Samuels leads the team with seven trips to the back of the end zone.
Ryan Finley distributes the ball pretty well when the Wolfpack look to move the chains via their air assault. Four pass catchers have contributed by reeling in 152 catches for over 1,800 yards and 11 touchdowns. Wideout Kelvin Harmon is their leading receiver with 547 yards and two scores. Running back Jaylen Samuels actually leads the group with 56 catches and three touchdowns.
On defense, the Wolfpack are strong in some areas and weaker in others. For instance, their front seven is one of the best in the country, ranking 19th in the nation allowing only 119 yards a game. Conversely, their secondary can’t seem to cover anybody, surrendering 264 yards to opposing receivers (110th). Overall, their a little better than average in the red zone, giving up 24 points to their enemies (48th). They have to lock down the Clemson rushing attack if they hope to remain unbeaten in the division.
Prediction
The seven-point line in favor of the Tigers seems like it could go either way in my opinion. I do expect a bounce-back performance from the Wolfpack at home this weekend. Buying this up to 7.5 and getting the hook would certainly give you some room because this contest could very well be decided by one score.
Odds gurus also have this game’s total at 51. It came out on Monday at that mark and hasn’t budged. I think there is some value here. Clemson plays tough defense and holds teams to under 10 points a game. They also don’t put out an offensive product that can rip of 30 plus points in this affair. With that being said, the Wolfpack can hold schools down and is struggling to score a bunch in their own right. For these reasons, I’m suggesting that my readers put their money on the defenses and take the under 51. Hopefully, we won’t see some overtime action that kills the play. #moneytreesgrow @EriktheHun
Go to BetDSI Sportsbook to get some action in on this ACC affair on Saturday.
Trends
The Tigers are 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
The Under is 5-0 in the Tigers last 5 games overall.
The Wolfpack are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 home games.
The Under is 10-1 in the Wolfpack last 11 conference games.
Underdog is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 meetings.
