Two prolific offenses will be on display in this one as the Duke Blue Devils (6-2) take on the North Carolina Tar Heels (7-1). The ACC’s third-leading passer, Thomas Sirk (1,788 yards, 12 TDs), will be featured in this game. It kicks off Saturday, Nov 7 at 12:00 p.m. ET and will be shown on ESP2.
In last week’s matchup, North Carolina defeated Pittsburgh 26-19. Ryan Switzer had a huge game in the victory, grabbing five receptions for 126 yards and one TD. Marquise Williams had a great game as well, adding 270 yards and two TDs through the air. Duke is hoping for a different outcome after getting nipped by Miami (FL) 30-27. Jela Duncan had a quality performance running the ball for the Blue Devils, rushing seven times for 51 yards and one TD. Thomas Sirk also had a great game with 258 yards and a TD through the air.
The Blue Devils are an eight-point underdog against the Tar Heels and the Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is currently not available.
Sitting at 7-1 Straight Up (SU) and 5-3 Against The Spread (ATS), the Tar Heels will look to improve heading into Week 10. In their five most recent matchups, the Tar Heels went 5-0 SU and 3-2 ATS. The North Carolina running game is averaging 200.8 rushing yards during its last five matchups. Turning to the Tar Heels defense, there are several areas to keep an eye on. Expect the Tar Heels defense to restrict Duke’s passing attack. The Tar Heels have the third-ranked pass defense in the nation and give up only 152.9 passing yards per game. The Tar Heels are one of the best in the country at scoring in the fourth quarter, averaging 9.5 points.
Over on the other sideline, the Blue Devils head into Week 10 with records of 5-3 ATS and 6-2 SU. Over their last five games, the Blue Devils have a SU record of 4-1 and a 3-2 record ATS for those betting with them. Over the last five games, the Blue Devils turned it up on defense, only allowing an average of 176.2 passing yards per game. When Duke’s offense hits the field, they like to pick up the pace. With an average of 78.1, the team ranks 17th in the country for number of plays per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – North Carolina, ATS Winner – Duke
Notes
North Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of North Carolina’s last 11 games.
North Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of North Carolina’s last 7 games at home.
North Carolina is 17-3 SU in its last 20 games when playing Duke.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of North Carolina’s last 6 games when playing Duke.
North Carolina is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Duke.
North Carolina is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Duke.
Duke is 6-1 SU when leading at the half this season. North Carolina is 5-1 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
The North Carolina defense has forced an average of 2.0 turnovers over its last five games, but Duke is 2-1 SU this season when turning the ball over at least 2.0 times in a game.
The North Carolina offensive passing attack is ranked only 39th in the country, while the Duke pass defense is ranked eighth. The Blue Devils passing game is ranked just 51st, compared to the third-ranked pass defense of the Tar Heels.
