The Virginia Cavaliers and North Carolina State Wolfpack are ready to face off on the grass at Carter-Finley Stadium. Kickoff for this game is scheduled for 12:20 p.m. ET and CHSS will televise the action.
Betting Preview: Virginia Cavaliers at North Carolina State Wolfpack
In this Saturday Atlantic Coast game, North Carolina State has been tabbed as the favorite and is currently giving up 7 points. In order to take the home favorite, moneyline gamblers would currently have to put down $300 to win $100 back on the Pack (-300). The Cavaliers are getting +220 moneyline odds. There might be some solid in-game betting opportunities in this matchup.
The early action has swayed to the Cavaliers. This game’s opening line was -8.
Both of these teams have rewarded gamblers this year as both the Cavaliers and the Pack have gained exactly 2.0 units thus far.
The Cavaliers are 3-1 straight up (SU), including 1-0 SU against conference opponents. The Wolfpack are 3-0 SU overall and are also 0-0 SU in conference play.
The Cavaliers are coming off a resounding 27-3 victory over Louisville last week. Bryce Perkins completed 17-of-24 passes for 197 yards, two scores and one interception. Jordan Ellis (68 yards on 20 rush attempts) and the signal-caller Perkins (78 yards on 14 carries, one TD) mounted the running attack in the win. Olamide Zaccheaus (four receptions, 29 yards) and Hasise Dubois (three catches, 26 yards) shared the receiving duties.
North Carolina State just earned a 37-20 win over Marshall. The team’s defensive secondary allowed the Thundering Herd to air it out for 270 yards. Keion Davis was a bright spot in the defeat, posting 99 yards on six catches for Marshall. For North Carolina State, Ryan Finley completed 23-of-40 passes for 377 yards and one touchdown. Reggie Gallaspy (81 rushing yards on 22 attempts, two TDs) handled the ground game in the win as Kelvin Harmon (six receptions, 150 yards) and Emeka Emezie (six catches, 69 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching corps.
Virginia has run the ball on 59.5 percent of its offensive possessions this year while North Carolina State has an overall rush percentage of 44.0 percent. The Cavaliers have rushed for 216.5 yards per game and have eight scores via handoffs this year. The Pack are totaling 107.7 rush yards per game and have six total rushing TDs.
The Wahoos offensive scheme has tallied 218.3 yards per game in the air overall and has nine passing scores so far. The Pack have produced an astonishing 370.7 pass yards per outing and have five total pass TDs.
Virginia should have an edge when it comes to limiting the pass. The team’s allowed opponents to rush for an average of 113.8 yards and pass for 183.8 yards per game. The North Carolina State defense has allowed 238.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 108.0 yards per game on the ground. The Wahoos are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.46 to opposing QBs, while the Pack have given up a 5.70 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Perkins has amassed 488 yards on the year. He’s completed 42-of-72 attempts with six passing scores and two interceptions. He has a 6.57 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 10.33 over the last two games.
We’re looking for Cavaliers to maintain tempo by putting the ball into the hands of their running backs. Hasise Dubois (111 yards, one TD) has gotten looks recently, but backfield mates Olamide Zaccheaus (-17 rush yards, 145 receiving yards, two receiving TDs) and Jordan Ellis (277 rush yards, two rush TDs) have really been focal points in the Virginia offensive scheme.
For the home team, Ryan Finley has managed to complete 52-of-83 passes for 686 yards, three TDs and zero INTs. Finley’s ANY/A sits at 8.66 for the year and 9.57 over his past two games.
The Pack also prefer to leverage their backfield. In addition to Kelvin Harmon (183 receiving yards), Thayer Thomas (zero rush yards, 61 receiving yards, one receiving TD) and Trent Pennix (34 rush yards, eight receiving yards) have gotten a multitude of touches lately.
These two conference foes did not get a chance to face each other last year.
Virginia Cavaliers vs. North Carolina State Wolfpack Free Pick
SU Winner: North Carolina State, ATS Winner: North Carolina State
Team Betting Notes
- The Virginia defense has nine sacks on the year while North Carolina State has six.
- The North Carolina State offense has lost two fumbles this season while Virginia has lost four.
- The Cavaliers offense has tallied three pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Wolfpack have accounted for two such plays.
- The Virginia defense has allowed one pass play of 40 or more yards, while North Carolina State has given up two such plays.
- The Virginia offense has created eight rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while North Carolina State has created zero such runs.
- The Cavaliers defense has allowed three rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Wolfpack have given up four such runs.
- As a team, Virginia has averaged 5.4 yards per carry over its last two games.
- North Carolina State has averaged 3.6 yards per carry over its last two.
