One winning streak is going to reach five games as Head Coach Dabo Swinney and the No. 3 Clemson Tigers take on Coach Dino Babers and the Syracuse Orange. This key afternoon matchup is scheduled to get going at 12:00 p.m. ET and ABC has the TV rights.
Syracuse Orange vs. Clemson Tigers Betting Preview
Syracuse is a big road underdog here and is currently receiving 22 points from bookmakers. This ACC tilt is currently a toss-up, and Vegas has not determined the over/under (O/U) yet.
The line originally opened at -21, but has recently shifted.
Both of these teams have rewarded gamblers this season as the Orange have recorded 2.5 units while the Tigers are up 2.0 units.
The Orange are 4-0 straight up (SU), including 1-0 SU against ACC opponents. The Tigers are 4-0 SU overall and 1-0 SU in conference play.
The Orange are hoping to stay unbeaten following a 51-21 victory over Connecticut last week. The Orange defense allowed the Huskies to rush for 178 yards on 39 attempts, along with one rushing TD. On the offensive side, Eric Dungey completed 21 passes on 27 attempts for 286 yards and two touchdowns. Dungey (77 yards on 16 rush attempts, three TDs) also mounted the running attack and was complemented by Moe Neal (116 yards on 13 carries). Nykeim Johnson (seven receptions, 78 yards) and Sean Riley (six catches, 120 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Clemson enters this one having just earned a 49-21 win over Georgia Tech. As a group, the Tigers collectively completed 19-of-30 passes for 232 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Trevor Lawrence went 13-for-18 for 176 yards, four touchdowns and one interception while Kelly Bryant was six-of-10 for 56 yards. Travis Etienne (122 rushing yards on 11 attempts, one TD) and Tavien Feaster (75 yards on eight carries, one TD) mounted the running game as Amari Rodgers (six receptions, 60 yards) and Cornell Powell (three catches, 17 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the win.
Syracuse has run the ball on 62.3 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Clemson has an overall rush percentage of 54.8 percent. The Orange have rushed for 278 yards per game and have 12 scores on the ground this year. The Tigers are putting up 230 rushing yards per game and have 10 total rush TDs.
It appears that the Tigers might hold an advantage in all aspects of the ground game. Their backfield has produced 6.2 yards per carry while the defense has allowed a YPC of 2.3 to opponents. The Orange have ran for 5.3 yards per carry while allowing 4.0 YPC to opponents.
The Orange offensive scheme has logged 245 yards/contest in the air overall and has 10 passing TDs so far. The Tigers have recorded 275 pass yards per game and have 11 total pass scores.
Defensively, Syracuse has allowed opponents to run for an average of 131 yards and pass for 255 yards per game. The Clemson defense has given up 148.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 103.5 yards per game on the ground. The Orange are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.01 to opposing QBs, while the Tigers have given up a 7.41 ANY/A.
Offensively, Dungey has amassed 688 passing yards on the year, and has connected on 67 percent of his 76 attempts with nine passing scores and only one interception. He’s got a 10.38 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 8.70 over the past two outings.
The Orange have tried to control the clock by putting the ball into the hands of their running backs. Along with Sean Riley (174 yards, two TDs), Moe Neal (271 rush yards, two rush TDs) and Jarveon Howard (129 rush yards) have been big focal points in the offensive game scripts for Syracuse.
On the other sideline, Trevor Lawrence has completed 27-of-41 passes for 406 yards, eight TDs and one INT. Lawrence’s ANY/A stands at 12.71 for the year and 10.27 over his past two games.
The Tigers will also try to control the game’s pace by turning to their backfield. Along with Justyn Ross (69 receiving yards, two receiving TDs), Travis Etienne (229 rush yards, three rush TDs, one receiving TD) and Tavien Feaster (98 rush yards, one rush TD) have seen a lot of touches lately.
When these two teams met last year, Syracuse knocked off Clemson by a field goal 27-24.
NCAA Tip: Syracuse Orange vs. Clemson Tigers
SU Winner – Clemson, ATS Winner – Syracuse
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Clemson defensive unit has created 16 sacks on the year while Syracuse has 13.
Clemson has lost one fumble this season while Syracuse has lost two.
The Orange offense has recorded one pass play of 40+ yards, while the Tigers have accounted for nine such plays.
The Syracuse defense has allowed five pass plays of 40+ yards, while Clemson has given up two such plays.
The Syracuse offense has created five rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Clemson has created nine such runs.
The Orange defense has allowed eight rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Tigers have given up six such runs.
Clemson was getting 16 points in its last outing and the Over/Under was set at 55.5. The over cashed and Clemson covered in the 49-21 win over Georgia Tech.
Over its last three matches, Clemson is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
In its last three games, Syracuse is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
Syracuse was favored by 31 points in its last game and the O/U was set at 75.5. The under cashed and Syracuse failed to cover in the 51-21 victory over Connecticut.
Syracuse has averaged 5.32876712328767 yards per carry across its past three games and 5.5 over its last two.
Clemson has averaged 5.9 yards per carry over its last three outings and 6.8 over its last two.
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