The Vanderbilt Commodores (+15) are set to pay a visit to the No. 8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-15) at Notre Dame Stadium. Kickoff for this game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET and fans can catch the action by tuning in to NBC.
Vanderbilt Commodores at Notre Dame Fighting Irish Betting Preview
In this Saturday matchup, Notre Dame has been projected as the heavy favorite and the team’s currently giving up 15 points. The Commodores are also receiving +510 moneyline odds while the Fighting Irish are -750. If one school can catch a lucky break early on, it would likely create a nice live betting scenario.
The game’s opening line was -16, but the early action has been slanting in favor of the Commodores.
Each team has rewarded gamblers this year as the Commodores have gained 2.0 units while the Fighting Irish are ahead 1.4 units.
The Commodores have gone 2-0 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Fighting Irish are also 2-0 SU.
The Commodores are hoping to remain unbeaten after a 41-10 victory over Nevada last week. The Commodores D did its part in the win, limiting the Wolf Pack to just 216 passing yards and 34 rushing yards. On the offensive side of the ball, Kyle Shurmur completed 23 passes on 32 attempts for 258 yards and two touchdowns. Ke’Shawn Vaughn (93 rushing yards on 11 attempts, two TDs) and Josh Crawford (33 yards on 10 carries, one TD) led the ground attack while Kalija Lipscomb (10 receptions, 85 yards, two TDs) and Jared Pinkney (four catches, 98 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Notre Dame enters this one having just earned a 24-16 win over Ball State. Brandon Wimbush completed 17-of-31 passes for 297 yards and three interceptions. Jafar Armstrong (66 rushing yards on 13 attempts, one TD) and Tony Jones Jr. (61 yards on 13 carries, two TDs) spearheaded the running game as Miles Boykin (six receptions, 119 yards) and Armstrong (three catches, 61 yards) led the receiving attack in the win.
Vanderbilt has run the ball on 60.2 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Notre Dame has a rush percentage of 62.4 percent. The Commodores have produced 187 rush yards/game and have five touchdowns on the ground this year. The Irish are averaging 125 rush yards per game and have five total rushing TDs.
It appears that the Commodores may own an advantage in all aspects of the ground game. Their running backs has produced 4.9 yards per carry while their defense is allowing 2.5 yards per rush attempt to opponents. The Fighting Irish have ran for 2.8 yards per carry and given up a YPC of 2.8 to opponents.
The Commodores offensive scheme has averaged 220 yards in the air overall and has four passing TDs so far. The Irish have recorded 234 pass yards per game and have just one pass scores.
Vanderbilt appears to hold an advantage in both areas of the defense. The team has let opponents rush for an average of 75 yards and pass for 197 yards per game. The Notre Dame D has allowed 214.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 113.5 yards per game on the ground. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Commodores have given up an ANY/A of 2.89 to opposing QBs, while the Irish are allowing an ANY/A of 3.07.
Offensively, Shurmur is up to 258 passing yards on the year. He’s connected on 23-of-32 attempts with two passing scores and has yet to throw an interception. Shurmur’s got a sparkling 9.31 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 9.90 over the last two outings.
Look for a balanced approach offensively from Vanderbilt in this one. Kalija Lipscomb (85 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns this season), Ke’Shawn Vaughn (93 rush yards, two rush TDs) and Jared Pinkney (98 receiving yards) have each played big roles recently.
Brandon Wimbush has connected on 17-of-31 passes for 297 yards, zero TDs and three INTs for Notre Dame. His ANY/A sits at a very poor 3.91 for the season and 4.47 across his last two games.
As a trio, Jafar Armstrong, Miles Boykin and Tony Jones Jr. have collectively accounted for 426 total yards and five touchdowns the last two games.
Free Pick: Vanderbilt Commodores at Notre Dame Fighting Irish
SU Winner – Notre Dame, ATS Winner – Notre Dame
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Notes
Betting Trends
The Commodores offense has tallied two pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Fighting Irish have put up one such play.
The Vanderbilt defense has allowed zero pass plays of 40+ yards, while Notre Dame has given up one such play.
Both defenses have produced three rushing plays of 20 yards or more. The Vanderbilt offense has recorded 13 running plays of 10+ yards while Notre Dame has accounted for 10 such plays.
The Commodores defense has allowed one rushing play of 20 yards or more, while the Fighting Irish have given up zero such runs.
The Vanderbilt defense has sacked opposing quarterbacks nine times this year. Notre Dame has registered four sacks.
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