The Louisville Cardinals (+21) will meet their ACC counterpart No. 13 Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7:00 p.m. ET and ESPN2 will broadcast the action.
Betting Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Syracuse Orange
Syracuse has been tabbed as heavily favored in this one and is currently giving up 21 points to Louisville. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 68.5 points, and there could be some good live betting opportunities for this game.
Sharp bettors have been siding with the over, as the game’s total was placed initially at 67.5.
The hapless Cardinals are 1-8 against the spread (ATS) and are down 5.5 units so far in 2018. The team has posted an O/U mark of 6-3.
The surprising Orange are up 4.1 units this season. The team is 6-3 ATS and has an O/U record of 5-4.
The Cardinals are an ugly 2-7 straight up (SU), including 0-6 SU against conference opponents. The Orange are 7-2 SU overall and 4-2 SU in conference play.
Louisville comes into this one on a three-game unbeaten streak while Syracuse has come up short in its last six in a row. The Cards fell to Clemson 77-16 in a blowout where their defense allowed the Tigers to eat up the clock by running for 492 yards on 37 rush attempts, including five rush TDs. On the offense, the Cardinals completed 17-of-34 passes for 231 yards and two interceptions. Jawon Pass went 12-for-24 for 110 yards and two interceptions while Malik Cunningham completed five-of-10 for 121 yards. Jaylen Smith (five receptions, 63 yards) and Dez Fitzpatrick (three catches, 59 yards) shared the receiving duties in the defeat.
Syracuse is coming off of a 41-24 win over Wake Forest. Eric Dungey completed 23-of-35 passes for 157 yards. Dungey (119 yards on 24 rush attempts, one TD) and Dontae Strickland (64 yards on 13 carries) handled the running game as Sean Riley (eight receptions, 64 yards) and Jamal Custis (five catches, 62 yards) led the Syracuse pass-catchers in the win.
Louisville has run the ball on 47.9 percent of its offensive plays this year, including 44.7 percent across possessions in conference play. Syracuse has a run percentage of 54.9 percent, and has rushed the ball 51.6 percent of the time against ACC opponents. The Cardinals have rushed for 112.8 yards/game (including 99.3 per game against Atlantic Coast opponents) and have 14 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Orange are putting up 203.9 rushing yards per game (157.5 in conference) and have 27 total rush TDs.
It seems like the Orange could hold an edge in all aspects of the ground game, as their backfield has generated 4.5 yards per carry while the defense is allowing a YPC of 4.3 to opponents. The Cardinals have registered 3.4 yards per carry while allowing 6.0 YPC to opponents.
The Cards offensive scheme has averaged 231.9 yards in the air overall (263.8 per game against conference opposition) and has nine passing TDs so far. The Orange have put up 274.3 pass yards per outing (285 in the ACC) and have 17 total pass scores.
Defensively, Louisville seems to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 277.4 yards and throw for 185.3 yards per game. The Syracuse defense has given up 267.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 165.2 yards per game to opposing runners. The Orange are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.68 to opposing QBs, while the Cardinals have given up a whopping 8.86 ANY/A.
Offensively, Pass is up to 1,339 passing yards this season, and has completed 54 percent of his 210 attempts with six passing scores and 10 interceptions. He has a 3.70 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 4.15 over the last two outings.
Chatarius Atwell (259 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns on the year), Jaylen Smith (329 receiving yards, one receiving TD) and Trey Smith (165 rush yards, one rush TD) have all played significant roles of late.
In the hosts’ locker room, Eric Dungey has managed to complete 142-of-238 passes for 1,590 yards, 10 TDs and four INTs. Dungey’s ANY/A sits at 6.11 for the year and 7.31 over his last two games.
Look for Dungey to attack all areas of the Louisville secondary. Sean Riley (388 receiving yards and two receiving TDs this season), Eric Dungey (zero receiving yards), and Nykeim Johnson (326 receiving yards, two TDs) have collectively notched 370 receiving yards over the last two games.
When these two teams met a year ago, Louisville won handily 56-10.
Louisville Cardinals vs. Syracuse Orange NCAA Tip
SU Winner: Syracuse, ATS Winner: Louisville, O/U: Under
Team Betting Trends:
- The Syracuse defense has tallied 27 sacks on the year while Louisville has just eight.
- The Syracuse offense has lost four fumbles in 2018 while the Louisville offense has let seven get away.
- The Cardinals offense has created five pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Orange have put up 10 such plays.
- The Louisville defense has allowed six pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Syracuse has given up 11 such plays.
- The Louisville offense has created six rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Syracuse has created 12 such runs.
- The Cardinals defense has allowed 22 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Orange have given up 15 such runs.
- The Over/Under for Syracuse’s last matchup was set at 78. The under cashed in the team’s 41-24 triumph over Wake Forest.
- In its last three matchups, Syracuse is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- Over its last three matches, Louisville is 0-3 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
- The Over/Under for Louisville’s previous game was set at 61.5. The over cashed in the team’s 77-16 defeat to Clemson.
- Louisville has averaged 2.9 yards per rush attempt over its past three games and 3.5 over its last two.
- Syracuse has averaged 3.7 yards per carry over its last three outings and 3.6 over its last two.
