Two teams that like running the football, Head Coach Steve Addazio and the Boston College Eagles (+34) are set to face off against their conference nemesis No. 4 Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium. The game is scheduled to get underway at 7:30 p.m. ET and fans can view the action live on ACC Network.
Betting Preview: Clemson Tigers vs. Boston College Eagles
Boston College is a heavy road dog here and is currently receiving 34 points by bookmakers. If the Eagles seize control early on it’ll create a worthy betting opportunity in-game. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 58 points.
This game’s line opened at -34. The over/under hasn’t moved since it opened at 58.
The disappointing Eagles have lost 14.7 units this season and are 5-2 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U record of 5-2.
The Tigers are up 1.0 unit this year. The team is 5-2 ATS and owns an O/U record of 2-5.
The flawless Eagles have gone 4-3 straight up (SU), including 2-2 SU against conference opponents. The Tigers are 7-0 SU overall and 5-0 SU in conference play.
The Eagles want to make it two in a row 45-24 win over North Carolina State last week. Dennis Grosel completed only six passes on 15 attempts for 103 yards. AJ Dillon (223 yards on 34 rush attempts, three TDs) and David Bailey (181 yards on 16 carries, two TDs) led the ground attack in the win while Hunter Long (three receptions, 84 yards) and Zay Flowers (two catches, 14 yards) handled the receiving duties.
Clemson just earned a 45-10 win over Louisville. The defensive unit allowed the Cardinals to run for 156 yards on 43 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. Javian Hawkins was a bright spot in the defeat, recording 129 rushing yards and a score on 26 attempts for Louisville. For Clemson, Trevor Lawrence completed 20-of-29 passes for 233 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Travis Etienne (192 rushing yards on 14 attempts, one TD) and the signal-caller Lawrence (47 yards on 10 carries) handled the ground attack in the win while Justyn Ross (five receptions, 55 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching attack.
Boston College has run the ball on 65.3 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Clemson has a rush percentage of 53.8 percent. The Eagles have run for 278.3 yards/game (including 274.3 per game against Atlantic Coast opponents) and have 17 scores via handoffs this year. The Tigers are logging 247.3 rush yards per game (275 in conference) and have 19 total rushing TDs.
It appears that the Tigers may have an edge in all aspects of the ground game. Their running backs has produced 6.4 yards per carry while the defense is allowing 3.1 YPC to opponents. The Eagles have registered 5.5 yards per carry while allowing 4.3 YPC to opponents.
The Eagles offense has averaged 216.1 yards in the air overall (240.8 per game versus conference opposition) and has 14 passing TDs so far. The Tigers have recorded 257.4 pass yards per contest (261 against ACC foes) and have 16 total pass scores.
Defensively, Boston College has let opponents run for an average of 172.4 yards and throw for 288 yards per game. The Clemson defense has allowed 144.1 yards per game to opposing passers and 111.9 yards per game on the ground. The Tigers are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 2.17 to opposing QBs, while the Eagles have given up a 7.48 ANY/A.
Lawrence likely has the edge over Grosel in this one. His adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 7.30 for the year and 6.98 over his past two games while Grosel’s ANY/A is 5.64 and 5.87 over his last two.
When these two programs met last year, Clemson knocked off Boston College soundly 27-7.
Boston College Eagles vs. Clemson Tigers Betting Pick
SU Winner: Clemson, ATS Winner: Boston College, O/U: Under
Team Betting Notes
- The Over/Under for Boston College’s previous game was set at 54.5. The over cashed in the team’s 45-24 win over North Carolina State.
- As a team, Boston College has averaged 6.3 yards per rush attempt over its last three games and 6.6 over its last two.
- Clemson has averaged 6.1 yards per carry over its last three outings and 6.9 over its past two.
- The Clemson offense has lost four fumbles this season while Boston College has let one get away.
- Over its last three games, Boston College is 3-0 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for Clemson’s last game going into it was 61.5. The under cashed in the team’s 45-10 triumph over Louisville.
- In its last three games, Clemson is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in each of those three.
- The Eagles offense has created eight pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Tigers have put up seven such plays.
- The Boston College defense has allowed six pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Clemson has given up four such plays.
- The Boston College offense has created 19 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Clemson has created 12 such runs.
- The Eagles defense has allowed 13 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Tigers have given up five such runs.
- The Clemson defense has sacked opposing QBs 28 times this season. Boston College has produced just seven sacks.
