In a battle of two schools that like to run the football, Coach Dino Babers and the No. 22 Syracuse Orange (-5) are set to take on their ACC foe Wake Forest Demon Deacons at BB&T Field. The key afternoon matchup starts at 12:00 p.m. ET and CHSS is in line to broadcast the action.
Syracuse Orange at Wake Forest Demon Deacons Betting Preview
In this Saturday Atlantic Coast game, Syracuse is projected as the favorite and is currently giving up 5 points. The Orange are also receiving -220 moneyline odds while the Demon Deacons are +180. Should one side catches a lucky break early it’ll generate a nice in-game betting scenario. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at a seriously-high 76.5 points.
The early action has slanted to the Orange. The line opened at 4 and the game’s total has not moved after it was set initially at 76.5.
The profitable Orange have gained 3.1 units so far in 2018 and are 5-3 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an Over-Under record of 5-3. The Demon Deacons have lost 0.7 units this season. The team is 2-6 ATS and six of its games have gone over the total.
The Orange have gone 6-2 straight up (SU), including 3-2 SU against conference opponents. The Demon Deacons are 4-4 SU overall and 1-3 SU in conference play.
The Orange just put together a 51-41 win over North Carolina State last week where their secondary allowed the Wolfpack to air it out for 473 yards and three touchdowns. Kelvin Harmon was unmatched for the Wolfpack in that one with 247 yards and two touchdowns on 11 catches. On the offense, Eric Dungey completed 27 passes on 38 attempts for 411 yards and three touchdowns. Dungey (32 rushing yards on 15 attempts, one TD) also led the ground attack and was complemented by Dontae Strickland (43 yards on 11 carries, one TD). Sean Riley (10 receptions, 164 yards) and Nykeim Johnson (seven catches, 136 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties in the win.
The Wake Forest Deacs are coming off of a 56-35 win over Louisville. The defense allowed the Cardinals to pass for 358 yards while rushing for 174 yards and four scores. Chatarius Atwell was a bright spot in the loss for Louisville, accounting for 132 yards on eight catches. For Wake Forest, Sam Hartman completed 16-of-24 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns. Matt Colburn II (243 yards on 20 rush attempts, three TDs) and Cade Carney (83 yards on 14 carries, one TD) spearheaded the running game as Greg Dortch (eight receptions, 135 yards) and Scotty Washington (four catches, 31 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching corps in the win.
Syracuse has run the ball on 53.6 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Wake Forest has a rush percentage of 59.4 percent. The Orange have produced 196 rush yards per game (including 136 per game versus Atlantic Coast opponents) and have 22 scores on the ground this year. The Deacs are averaging 233 rushing yards per game (234 in conference) and have 14 total rush TDs.
The Orange offensive scheme has averaged 289 yards in the air overall (310 per game versus conference opposition) and has 17 passing TDs so far. The Deacs have put up 223 pass yards per contest (196.0 in the ACC) and have 14 total pass scores.
Defensively, Syracuse should have the upper hand in both facets. The team has allowed 172 rush yards and 269 pass yards per game. The Wake Forest defense has allowed 287.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 215.6 yards per game to opposing runners. The Orange are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.75 to opponents, while the Deacs have allowed a 7.75 ANY/A.
Offensively, Dungey has put up 1,619 passing yards this season. The signal-caller has connected on 62 percent of his 208 attempts with 13 passing scores and only four interceptions. Dungey’s got a 7.47 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 8.16 over the last two games.
In the other locker room, Sam Hartman has completed 118-of-208 passes for 1,482 yards, 12 TDs and six INTs. Hartman’s ANY/A stands at 6.21 for the season and 5.88 over his last two outings.
When these two schools met last year, Wake Forest won by three touchdowns 64-43.
RELATED: Week 10 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Free Pick: Syracuse Orange vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
SU Winner – Syracuse, ATS Winner – Syracuse, O/U – Over
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Over/Under for Syracuse’s previous game going into it was 64.5. The over cashed in the team’s 51-41 victory over North Carolina State.
As a team, Syracuse has averaged 3.6 yards per rush attempt across its last three games and 3.2 over its last two.
Wake Forest has averaged 4.3 yards per carry over its last three contests and 4.7 over its last two.
The Wake Forest offense has lost three fumbles this season while Syracuse has let four get away.
Over its last three contests, Syracuse is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
The O/U for Wake Forest’s last matchup going into it was 67.5. The over cashed in the team’s 56-35 triumph over Louisville.
In its last three contests, Wake Forest is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The Orange offense has recorded 10 pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Demon Deacons have put up three such plays.
The Syracuse defense has allowed 11 pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Wake Forest has given up seven such plays.
The Syracuse offense has created 11 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Wake Forest has created 14 such runs.
The Orange defense has allowed 14 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Demon Deacons have given up 19 such runs.
The Syracuse defense has sacked opposing QBs 22 times this season. Wake Forest has registered just 14 sacks.
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