The South Carolina Gamecocks (+25) aren’t traveling far to face the No. 2 Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium. The game starts at 7:00 p.m. ET and ESPN is in line to have the TV rights.
South Carolina Gamecocks at Clemson Tigers Betting Preview
South Carolina is the noticeable underdog here and is currently getting 25 points by bookmakers. If the Tigers get down early on it will generate a reasonable live betting opportunity. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 59 points.
The game’s total has moved lower after opening at 60.5. The original line has yet to change.
The Gamecocks have gained 0.1 units so far in 2018 and are 6-4 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an Over-Under record of 6-4. The Tigers have gained 5.0 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 6-5 ATS and have an even O/U record of 5-5.
The perfect Gamecocks are 6-4 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Tigers are 11-0 SU.
The Gamecocks hope to make it two in a row 49-9 win over Chattanooga last week. Jake Bentley completed 25 passes on 29 attempts for 339 yards and four touchdowns. Deshaun Fenwick (112 rushing yards on 17 attempts, one TD) and A.J. Turner (65 yards on eight carries, one TD) led the ground attack while Deebo Samuel (five receptions, 112 yards, one TD) and Bryan Edwards (four catches, 69 yards) shared the receiving duties in the win.
Clemson enters this one after just earning a lopsided 35-6 win over Duke. The Tigers defense allowed the Blue Devils to rush for 104 yards on 35 attempts. Deon Jackson had a productive outing in the defeat, recording 51 rushing yards on 11 attempts for Duke. For Clemson, Trevor Lawrence completed 21-of-38 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns. Travis Etienne (81 rushing yards on nine attempts, two TDs) handled the running game as Amari Rodgers (four receptions, 33 yards) and Justyn Ross (four catches, 76 yards, one TD) led the receiving corps in the win.
Each squad sports a strikingly similar (52-48) run-pass ratio on the season. The Gamecocks have produced 168 rush yards per game and have 15 scores on the ground this year. The Tigers are averaging 248 rush yards per game and have 35 total rushing TDs.
If the numbers so far this season can translate to this game, then it appears the Tigers may hold an advantage when it comes to efficiency in the ground game, since their backfield has produced 6.6 yards per carry while their defense has allowed 2.2 YPC to opponents. The Gamecocks have ran for 4.6 yards per carry while allowing a YPC of 4.5 to opponents.
The Gamecocks offense has logged 262 yards per contest in the air overall and has 24 passing TDs so far. The Tigers have produced 273 pass yards per contest and have 28 total pass scores.
South Carolina has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 190 yards and pass for 220 yards per game. The Clemson defense has allowed 170.1 yards per game to opposing passers and 84.3 yards per game to opposing runners. The Tigers are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 4.10 to opponents, while the Gamecocks have allowed a 5.88 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Bentley is up to 2,005 yards this season, and has connected on 65 percent of his 244 attempts with 17 scores through the air and eight interceptions. He has a 7.58 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 10.31 over the last two outings.
The Gamecocks have tried to maintain tempo by pounding the defense with their running backs. In addition to wideout Deebo Samuel (519 receiving yards and six touchdowns), A.J. Turner (213 rush yards, two rush TDs, 71 receiving yards, two receiving TDs) and Deshaun Fenwick (112 rush yards, one rush TD) have been focal points in the South Carolina offensive scheme.
Trevor Lawrence has completed 144-of-226 passes for 1,800 yards, 20 TDs and three INTs for Clemson. His ANY/A sits at 8.74 for the season and 7.03 over his last two outings.
The Tigers also like to leverage their backfield. In addition to Travis Etienne (47 receiving yards, one receiving TD), Tee Higgins (561 receiving yards and seven receiving TDs) and Amari Rodgers (five rush yards, 428 receiving yards, four TDs) have gotten a multitude of looks recently.
When these two teams faced one another a year ago, Clemson won soundly 34-10.
Betting Prediction: South Carolina Gamecocks at Clemson Tigers
SU Winner – Clemson, ATS Winner – South Carolina, O/U – Under
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Clemson defense has recorded more than double the sack total of South Carolina this season (40 to 19).
The Clemson offense has lost seven fumbles this season while the South Carolina offense has lost five.
The Gamecocks offense has registered nine pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Tigers have accounted for 18 such plays.
The South Carolina defense has allowed six pass plays of 40+ yards, while Clemson has given up five such plays.
The South Carolina offense has created 16 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Clemson has created 33 such runs.
The Gamecocks defense has allowed 16 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Tigers have given up 11 such runs.
The Over/Under for Clemson’s last outing was set at 60.5. The under cashed in the team’s 35-6 triumph over Duke.
In its last three matches, Clemson is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
In its last three matchups, South Carolina is 3-0 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
South Carolina has won four of its last five games SU, with a November 10th defeat to Florida accounting for the only loss over that span.
The O/U for South Carolina’s last game was set at 49.5. The over cashed in the team’s 49-9 victory over Chattanooga.
As a team, South Carolina has averaged 4.6 yards per rush attempt across its last three games and 4.9 over its last two.
Clemson has averaged 8.0 yards per carry over its last three contests and 5.1 over its past two.
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