The Syracuse Orange (+5) are making a trip south to battle their ACC foe North Carolina State Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium. The game is scheduled to get going at 8:00 p.m. ET and you can witness the action live on ESPN.
Betting Preview: Syracuse Orange vs. North Carolina State Wolfpack
Syracuse is a live dog and is currently getting 5 points in this Thursday ACC game. The Orange are also receiving +180 moneyline odds while the Wolfpack are -220. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 57.5 points, and if one squad can get out in front early, it’ll likely result in a decent live betting scenario.
The over/under has not moved after being initially established at 57.5. Having said that, the opening line was -3 and sharp bettors tend to be siding with the Pack.
The Orange are 2-2 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 0.9 units so far. The team has posted an O/U record of 2-2.
The Wolfpack are down 2.0 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 2-3 ATS and have an O/U record of 1-4.
The Orange have gone 3-2 straight up (SU), including 0-1 SU against conference opponents. The Wolfpack are 3-2 SU overall and are also 0-1 SU in conference play.
The Orange want to keep things rolling after a 41-3 win over Holy Cross on September 28. The D did its part in the win, keeping the Crusaders to just 120 passing yards and 18 rushing yards. Tenio Ayeni had a good day for the Crusaders in that one with 64 yards on four catches. On the offense, the Orange completed 23-of-36 passes for 286 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Tommy DeVito went 19-for-31 for 269 yards, four touchdowns and one interception while Clayton Welch completed four-of-five for 17 yards. Moe Neal (36 yards on 11 rush attempts) led the running attack in the win. Taj Harris (six receptions, 107 yards, one TD) and Trishton Jackson (six catches, 58 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties.
North Carolina State just dropped a 31-13 game to Florida State a couple of weeks ago. The defensive secondary allowed the Seminoles to air it out for 316 yards and three touchdowns. Cam Akers put up a solid outing in the win for Florida State, accounting for 83 rushing yards and a score on 17 attempts. As a group, the Pack collectively completed 28-of-52 passes for 282 yards and one touchdown. Bailey Hockman went 21-for-40 for 208 yards and one touchdown while Matthew McKay was three-of-seven for 20 yards. Jordan Houston (61 rushing yards on nine attempts) mounted the ground game in the defeat as Tabari Hines (six receptions, 24 yards) and Thayer Thomas (four catches, 37 yards) led the receiving attack.
Syracuse has run the ball on 52.9 percent of its offensive possessions this year while North Carolina State has a rush percentage of 47.9 percent. The Orange have produced 135.6 rush yards/game and have seven scores via handoffs this year. The Pack are averaging 183.6 rushing yards per game and have 11 total rush TDs.
If the results so far this season can translate to this game, then the Pack should own an advantage in terms of effectiveness in the ground game, as their backfield has generated 4.8 yards per carry while their defense is allowing a YPC of 2.6 to opponents. The Orange have tallied 3.4 yards per carry while allowing a YPC of 4.5 to opponents.
The Orange offense has tallied 250.2 yards per game through the air overall and has 11 passing TDs so far. The Pack have put up 247.4 pass yards per contest and have five total pass scores.
Defensively, Syracuse has let opponents run for an average of 158 yards and pass for 280.2 yards per game. The North Carolina State defense has allowed 249.4 yards per game to opposing passers and 71.8 yards per game on the ground. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Orange have given up an ANY/A of 5.39 to opposing QBs, while the Pack are allowing an ANY/A of 4.97.
Offensively, DeVito is up to 947 passing yards this year, and has connected on 79-of-132 attempts with seven scores through the air and five interceptions. DeVito has a 5.24 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 9.27 over the past two games.
Trishton Jackson (252 receiving yards, three receiving touchdowns this season), Moe Neal (194 rush yards, one rush TD) and Taj Harris (232 receiving yards, one TD) have each played big roles recently.
Bailey Hockman has completed 26-of-47 passes for 245 yards, one TD and zero INTs for North Carolina State. His ANY/A sits at 4.96 for the season and 4.14 across his past two outings.
We’re expecting the Pack to control the game’s clock by feeding the ball-carriers early and often. Thayer Thomas (141 receiving yards, one TD this season) has contributed lately, but Jordan Houston (171 rush yards, two rush TDs) and Ricky Person (149 rush yards, one rush TD) have been focal points in the Wolfpack’s recent offensive strategies.
These two schools faced off last year with the final outcome being a 51-41 win for Syracuse.
Syracuse Orange at North Carolina State Wolfpack Free Pick
SU Winner: North Carolina State, ATS Winner: North Carolina State, O/U: Over
Betting Notes
- North Carolina State has lost two fumbles this season while Syracuse has let six get away.
- Each team defense has produced 17 sacks this year.
- Syracuse, as a team, has averaged 3.3 yards per rush attempt over its past three games and 4.8 over its last two.
- North Carolina State has averaged 3.9 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.0 over its last two.
- In its last three matchups, North Carolina State is 0-3 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The O/U for North Carolina State’s last matchup was set at 62.5. The under cashed in the team’s 31-13 defeat to Florida State.
