Two schools that like running the football, Head Coach Dino Babers and the Syracuse Orange (+10) are set to face off against the Louisville Cardinals (-10) at Cardinal Stadium. The opening kickoff for this ACC game is set for 4:00 p.m. ET and spectators can tune in to the action on ACC Network. These teams faced off last year with the final result being a 54-23 win for Syracuse.
Betting Preview: Syracuse Orange vs. Louisville Cardinals
In this Saturday Atlantic Coast game, Louisville is projected as the big favorite and the team’s currently giving up 10 points. If they want to play the moneyline, bettors would currently have to put down $400 in order to win $100 back on the Cards (-400). The Orange are getting +300 moneyline odds. If one side can get out in front early it will generate a worthy in-game betting opportunity. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 62 points.
This game’s O/U has yet to change after it was initially set at 62. Having said that, the line opened at -8 and square bettors are hammering the Cards.
The Orange are down 0.9 units so far and 3-6 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U record of 4-5.
The Cardinals are up 3.9 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 6-4 ATS and have an even O/U record of 5-5.
The Orange have gone a lousy 4-6 straight up (SU), including 1-5 SU against ACC opponents. The Cardinals are 6-4 SU overall and 4-3 SU in conference play.
The Orange want to make it two in a row 49-6 win over Duke last week. The passing attack was messy as Tommy DeVito completed just six passes on 15 attempts for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Moe Neal (115 yards on 17 rush attempts, one TD) and Jarveon Howard (115 yards on nine carries, one TD) propelled the ground attack while Trishton Jackson (two receptions, 68 yards, one TD) and Luke Benson (two catches, 28 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Louisville just got a 34-20 win over North Carolina State. The defensive unit allowed the Wolfpack to run for 134 yards on 35 rush attempts. Emeka Emezie was a bright spot in the loss, recording 90 yards on eight catches for North Carolina State. For Louisville, Macale Cunningham completed 13-of-20 passes for 242 yards and four touchdowns. Cunningham (9 rushing yards on 16 attempts) and Javian Hawkins (67 yards on 16 carries) spearheaded the running game as Chatarius Atwell (five receptions, 110 yards, one TD) and Dez Fitzpatrick (four catches, 72 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching attack in the win.
Syracuse has run the ball on 54.1 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Louisville has a rush percentage of 64.5 percent. The Orange have rushed for 140.7 yards/game (including 124 per game versus Atlantic Coast opponents) and have 13 scores on the ground this year. The Cards are totaling 199 rushing yards per game (173.3 in conference) and have 18 total rush TDs.
The Orange offense has tallied 237.7 yards/contest through the air overall (216.3 per game versus conference opposition) and has 19 passing scores so far. The Cards have produced 238.9 pass yards per contest (261 in the ACC) and have 23 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Syracuse has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 189.8 yards and throw for 249.1 yards per game. The Louisville D has allowed 257 yards per game to opposing passers and 175.4 yards per game to opposing runners. The Orange are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.82 to opposing QBs, while the Cards have allowed a 7.1 ANY/A.
Offensively, DeVito is up to 1,891 passing yards this year. He’s completed 172-of-277 attempts with 14 scores through the air and five interceptions. DeVito has a 5.44 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 8.51 over the past two games.
The Orange will likely try to maintain tempo by pounding the defense with their running backs. In addition to wideout Trishton Jackson (700 receiving yards and seven touchdowns), Jarveon Howard (220 rush yards, two rush TDs) and Moe Neal (559 rush yards, five rush TDs) have been focal points in the offensive game scripts for Syracuse.
On the other sideline, Macale Cunningham has completed 67-of-107 passes for 1,251 yards, 12 TDs and two INTs. Cunningham’s ANY/A stands at 10.61 for the season and 11.32 across his last two outings.
The Cards also like to keep their backfield featured. In addition to Chatarius Atwell (778 receiving yards, eight receiving TDs), Javian Hawkins (954 rush yards, six rush TDs, 14 receiving yards) and Hassan Hall (318 rush yards, three rush TDs) have seen quite a few touches recently.
Syracuse Orange vs. Louisville Cardinals Betting Pick
SU Winner: Louisville, ATS Winner: Louisville, O/U: Under
Betting Trends
- The Orange offense has registered 11 pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Cardinals have put up 16 such plays.
- The Syracuse defense has allowed 11 pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Louisville has given up nine such plays.
- The Syracuse offense has created 13 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Louisville has created 23 such runs.
- Both teams have allowed 16 rushing plays of 20 yards or more. The Orange have given up 60 running plays of 10+ yards while the Cardinals have given up 57 such plays.
- The Syracuse defense has 29 sacks on the year while Louisville has just 21.
- Syracuse has produced 4.7 yards per carry across its last three outings and 5.2 over its last two.
- Louisville has averaged 4.0 yards per carry over its last three contests and 3.3 over its last two.
- Over its last three matchups, Louisville is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for Syracuse’s last game was set at 49. The over cashed in the team’s 49-6 victory over Duke.
- In its last three matchups, Syracuse is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for Louisville’s previous outing was set at 51.5. The over cashed in that 34-20 win over North Carolina State.
