The No. 3 Clemson Tigers (-16) are set to take the field against the No. 16 North Carolina State Wolfpack at Memorial Stadium. ESPN will broadcast the action and the game’s scheduled to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET. These teams met last year with the final result being a 38-31 victory for Clemson.
Betting Preview: Clemson Tigers vs. North Carolina State Wolfpack
In this Saturday Atlantic Coast game, Clemson is tabbed as the heavy favorite and is currently giving up 16 points. In order to take the home favorite, moneyline gamblers would currently need to lay down $1,000 to win $100 back on the Tigers (-1000). The Wolfpack are getting +625 moneyline odds. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 54.5 points, and if one squad catches a lucky break early on, it’ll likely generate a decent in-game betting opportunity.
Sharp bettors are siding with both the Wolfpack and the over. The opening line was initially set at -17 and the game’s total was originally 53.5.
Each team has rewarded gamblers this season as the Wolfpack have gained 4.0 units and the Tigers are up 2.0 units.
The Wolfpack are 5-0 straight up (SU), including 2-0 SU against ACC opponents. The Tigers are 6-0 SU overall and 3-0 SU in conference play.
The Wolfpack are hoping to stay unbeaten following a 28-23 win over Boston College on October 6. The passing game wasn’t great as Ryan Finley completed 25 passes on 34 attempts for 308 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Reggie Gallaspy (104 rushing yards on 25 attempts, two TDs) and Ricky Person (92 yards on 17 carries) provided the ground attack while Jakobi Meyers (10 receptions, 99 yards, one TD) and Kelvin Harmon (nine catches, 128 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Clemson just earned a 63-3 win over Wake Forest. The defense let the Demon Deacons rush for 175 yards on 51 attempts. Kendall Hinton was a bright spot in the loss, recording 92 rushing yards on 11 attempts for Wake Forest. For Clemson, Trevor Lawrence completed 20-of-25 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Lyn-J Dixon (163 yards on 10 rush attempts, two TDs) and Adam Choice (128 yards on 10 carries, one TD) spearheaded the running game as Justyn Ross (five receptions, 74 yards, one TD) and Tee Higgins (five catches, 55 yards, one TD) led the receiving corps in the win.
North Carolina State has run the ball on 50.0 percent of its offensive plays this year, including 58.2 percent across possessions in conference play. Clemson has an overall rush percentage of 57.1 percent, and has run the ball 59.2 percent of the time against ACC opponents. The Wolfpack have run for 144.8 yards per game (including 200.5 per game against Atlantic Coast opponents) and have nine scores on the ground this year. The Tigers are putting up 280.8 rushing yards per game (337.3 in conference) and have 19 total rush TDs.
It seems like the Tigers should own an advantage in terms of effectiveness in the ground game, since their backfield has logged 7.0 yards per carry while their defense has allowed a YPC of 2.5 to opponents. The Wolfpack have rushed for 3.9 yards per carry while allowing 3.7 YPC to opponents.
The Pack offense has logged an astonishing 335.4 yards per game through the air overall (282.5 per game against conference opposition) and has 10 passing scores so far. The Tigers have put up 250.2 pass yards per outing (212 against ACC competition) and have 14 total pass TDs.
On the defensive side of the ball, North Carolina State has allowed 107.4 rush yards and 234.0 pass yards per game. The Clemson D has allowed 152.8 yards per game to opposing passers and 108.3 yards per game to opposing runners. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to the opposition, as the Pack have given up an ANY/A of 5.69 to opposing QBs, while the Tigers are allowing an ANY/A of 5.29.
Offensively, Finley is already up to 1,364 passing yards on the year, and has connected on 108-of-155 attempts with seven passing scores and three interceptions. Finley has an 8.66 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 8.71 over the last two outings.
Trevor Lawrence has connected on 59-of-85 passes for 775 yards, 11 TDs and two INTs for Clemson. His ANY/A stands at 10.25 for the season and 6.45 over his past two outings.
North Carolina State Wolfpack at Clemson Tigers Free Pick
SU Winner: Clemson, ATS Winner: Clemson, O/U: Over
Betting Notes
- The O/U for North Carolina State’s last game was set at 60. The under cashed in the team’s 28-23 victory over Boston College.
- As a team, North Carolina State has averaged 4.1 yards per carry over its past three games and 4.4 over its last two.
- Clemson has averaged 7.8 yards per carry over its last three outings and 8.2 over its last two.
- Both teams have lost four fumbles this season.
- Over its last three matchups, North Carolina State is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for Clemson’s previous game was set at 61. The over cashed in the 63-3 victory over Wake Forest.
- In its last three contests, Clemson is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The Wolfpack offense has produced two pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Tigers have accounted for 10 such plays.
- Both teams have allowed three pass plays of 40 yards or more. The North Carolina State defense has given up eight pass plays of 30+ yards while Clemson has permitted five such plays.
- The North Carolina State offense has created five rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Clemson has created 19 such runs.
- The Wolfpack defense has allowed seven rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Tigers have given up eight such runs.
- The Clemson defensive unit has recorded 20 sacks on the year while North Carolina State has just 13.
