NCAA Football Free Pick – Clemson Tigers vs. North Carolina State Wolfpack

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The No. 4 Clemson Tigers (+32) will meet their in-conference foe North Carolina State Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium. ABC will televise the action and the game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Betting Preview: Clemson Tigers at North Carolina State Wolfpack

Clemson is significantly favored here and is currently giving up 32 points to North Carolina State. If the Pack seize control early it’ll create a solid betting opportunity in-game. Oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 54. With the Tigers currently getting 32 points, Vegas thinks this could be an 11-43 win for the Wolfpack.

Early action has shifted toward the under. The game’s total was set initially at 55.

The Tigers have gained 1.0 unit so far and are 6-3 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U record of 4-5.

The Wolfpack have lost 3.9 units this season. The team is 3-5 ATS and owns an O/U record of 2-6.

The Tigers are 9-0 straight up (SU), including 6-0 SU against conference opponents. The Wolfpack are 4-4 SU overall and 1-3 SU in conference play.

The Tigers are hoping to stay undefeated after a 59-14 victory over Wofford last week in which the Tigers completed 19-of-27 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns. Trevor Lawrence went 12-for-16 for 218 yards and three touchdowns while Chase Brice completed seven-of-11 for 65 yards. Travis Etienne (212 rushing yards on nine attempts, two TDs) and Chez Mellusi (57 yards on eight carries) led the ground attack in the win while Tee Higgins (five receptions, 74 yards, one TD) and Justyn Ross (four catches, 50 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties.

North Carolina State just fell convincingly 44-10 to Wake Forest. The team’s defense let the Demon Deacons kill the clock by rushing for 123 yards on 46 attempts, including two rush TDs. Kendall Hinton had a productive outing in the win for Wake Forest, recording 93 yards on six catches. For North Carolina State, Devin Leary completed 17-of-45 passes for 149 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Jordan Houston (48 yards on 11 rush attempts) handled the ground attack in the defeat as Emeka Emezie (four receptions, 30 yards) and Carter (four catches, 44 yards) led the pass-catching corps.

Clemson has run the ball on 54.3 percent of its offensive possessions this year while North Carolina State has an overall rush percentage of 45.9 percent. The Tigers have run for 272.4 yards/game (including 279.5 per game against Atlantic Coast opponents) and have 27 scores via handoffs this year. The Pack are averaging 149.3 rushing yards per game (91 in conference) and have 11 total rush TDs.

It seems like the Tigers ought to own the edge when it comes to effectiveness in the ground game. Their backfield has generated 7.0 yards per carry while their defense is allowing a YPC of 3.0 to opponents. The Wolfpack have registered 4.3 yards per carry and allowed 3.4 yards per rush attempt to opponents.

The Tigers offense has logged 273 yards/game in the air overall (279.2 per game against conference opposition) and has 23 passing TDs so far. The Pack have put up 244.5 pass yards per game (250 against ACC competition) and have 10 total pass scores.

Defensively, Clemson seems to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed opponents to run for an average of 113.2 yards and pass for 134 yards per game. The North Carolina State defense has allowed 243.1 yards per game to opposing passers and 119.0 yards per game to opposing runners. The Tigers are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 2.52 to opponents, while the Pack have given up a 5.52 ANY/A.

Offensively, Lawrence is up to 1,752 passing yards this season, and has completed 133-of-206 attempts with 17 scores through the air and eight interceptions. Lawrence has a sparkling 8.08 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 16.89 over the past two games.

The Tigers will probably try to maintain tempo by feeding their running backs early and often. Backfield mates Travis Etienne (993 rush yards, eight rush TDs, 151 receiving yards, one receiving TD) and Lyn-J Dixon (350 rush yards, four rush TDs) have brought significant production to the Clemson offensive scheme.

Devin Leary has connected on 22-of-53 passes for 226 yards, one TD and two INTs for North Carolina State. His ANY/A sits at a terrible 2.55 for the season and 4.72 across his last two outings.

The Pack should also look to control the clock by turning to their backfield. In addition to Devin Carter (216 receiving yards), Cary Angeline (261 receiving yards and three receiving TDs) and Jordan Houston (328 rush yards, two rush TDs) have gotten a multitude of touches recently.

These two teams met a year ago with the final outcome being a 41-7 win for Clemson.

Clemson Tigers at North Carolina State Wolfpack Free Pick

SU Winner: North Carolina State, ATS Winner: North Carolina State, O/U: Under

Betting Notes

  • The Over/Under for Clemson’s last game was set at 58.5. The over cashed in the team’s 59-14 win over Wofford.
  • As a team, Clemson has averaged 8.6 yards per rush attempt across its past three outings and 8.9 over its last two.
  • North Carolina State has averaged 3.2 yards per carry over its last three games and 3.2 over its last two.
  • North Carolina State has lost three fumbles this season while Clemson has let four get away.
  • In its last three matchups, Clemson is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
  • The O/U for North Carolina State’s last game was set at 61. The under cashed in the team’s 44-10 defeat to Wake Forest.
  • Over its last three contests, North Carolina State is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
  • North Carolina State has dropped four of its last five games SU, with a six-point win over Syracuse on October 10th representing the only victory over that stretch.
  • The Tigers offense has recorded eight pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Wolfpack have accounted for three such plays.
  • The Clemson defense has allowed five pass plays of 40 yards or more, while North Carolina State has given up six such plays.
  • The Clemson offense has created 19 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while North Carolina State has created 11 such runs.
  • The Tigers defense has allowed six rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Wolfpack have given up 11 such runs.
  • The Clemson defense has sacked opposing quarterbacks 30 times this season. North Carolina State has produced 27 sacks.