This week’s game between the Pittsburgh Panthers (6-3) and the Duke Blue Devils (6-3) has the makings of an exciting ACC matchup. The ACC’s top receiver, Tyler Boyd (662 yards, 5 TDs), will have a major impact on this game. After some recent slipups in what has been an inconsistent season for both teams, Duke and Pittsburgh will be hoping to move forward with this week’s clash. The game starts at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov 14 and will be available on ESNN.
In last week’s matchup, Duke had an ugly loss against North Carolina 66-31. Jela Duncan had a huge game running the ball in the loss, running 13 times for 115 yards and one TD. Shaquille Powell had 98 rushing yards on 13 attempts. Pittsburgh also fell short, losing to Notre Dame 42-30. Tyler Boyd had an outstanding performance for the Panthers, registering three catches for 84 yards and one TD. Nate Peterman had a great game as well, adding 223 yards and a TD through the air.
Duke is a four-point favorite against the Panthers. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of 51 points.
Heading into Week 11 of the college football season, the Blue Devils are 6-3 Straight Up (SU) and 5-4 Against The Spread (ATS). In the past five games, Duke is 3-2 SU and 2-3 ATS. When it comes to defending the run, Duke is one of the best in the country, only giving up 3.1 yards per rushing attempt. The Blue Devils are one of the best in the country at scoring in the fourth quarter, averaging 11.8 points.
On the other side, the Panthers have 6-3 SU and 4-5 ATS records this season. Over their last five games, the Panthers have a SU record of 3-2 and a 1-4 record ATS for those betting with them. Lately, the Panthers have had a better pass defense. They’re allowing only 212.8 passing YPG over their last five matchups.
Predictions: SU Winner – Duke, ATS Winner – Duke, O/U – Over
Notes
Duke is 15-7 SU in its last 22 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Duke’s last 9 games.
Duke is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games at home.
Pittsburgh is 4-0 SU when leading at the half this season. Duke is 6-1 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Pittsburgh is an even 2-2 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet undefeated (4-0 SU) when losing the turnover battle.
Duke is an even 2-2 SU this season when allowing at least three sacks in a game. The Pittsburgh defense is currently averaging 3.0 sacks over the last five games.
The Duke passing attack is ranked only 53rd nationally, while the Pittsburgh pass defense is ranked 32nd. The Panthers passing game is ranked just 94th, compared to the 49th-ranked pass defense of the Blue Devils.
