Monday, December 26, 2016

Independence Bowl

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The North Carolina State Wolfpack take on the Vanderbilt Commodores on Monday, December 26, 2016 in the Independence Bowl. The opening line for this game has NC State as 4 point favorites. This season the Wolfpack are 8-4-0 against the spread and their over/under record is 4-7-1. The Commodores have an over/under record of 5-6-1 and they are 7-5-0 against the spread.

Ryan Finley finished with 151 yards through the air for North Carolina State in his last game. He completed 11 passes out of 18 attempts for a 61% completion percentage. The Wolfpack were led in rushing by Matt Dayes, who finished with 104 yards on 26 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 4 yards per carry. Stephen Louis was the team leader in receiving with a total of 124 yards and 4 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 31 yards per reception. As a team in that game North Carolina State got a total of 24 first downs. Of those first downs, 15 came on the ground while 9 came through the air. They ran 77 total plays for 492 yards for the game. The Wolfpack ran for 259 yards on 53 attempts.

Kyle Shurmur finished with 416 yards passing for Vanderbilt in his last contest. He went 21 for 34, resulting in a 62% completion percentage. The Commodores were led on the ground by Ralph Webb, who finished with 114 yards on 21 carries. He ended the game with an average of 5 yards per rush. Trent Sherfield led the team in receiving with 184 yards and 9 catches. He finished the game with an average of 20 yards per reception. Vanderbilt had 27 first downs total. 8 came from running the ball and 18 came from a pass. They ran 73 total plays for 608 yards for the contest. The Commodores ran for 192 yards on 38 carries as a team.

North Carolina State scores 25.8 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 88th in Division 1. In the passing department, they average 20.3 passes on 33.9 attempts for a 60 percent completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 261.9 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 37th in college football. The Wolfpack run for an average of 157.4 yards per game on 39 attempts for an average of 4 yards per carry. That ranks them 86th in the nation. They also run 72.9 plays per contest and average 5.8 yards per play for an average of 419.3 yards per game, ranking their offense 62nd overall this season. The Wolfpack average 21.9 first downs per game which ranks them 50th in the country. They accumulate 67.1 penalty yards per game via 6.4 penalties, which ranks 14th in the nation.

North Carolina State allows 251.3 passing yards per game, ranking 92nd in D-1, and they allow 23.3 points per contest on defense, which ranks 34th. They give up 21.3 completions on 35.3 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 60.4. The Wolfpack allow 105.4 rushing yards per game on 32.3 carries for an average of 3.3 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 5th in the country. North Carolina State allows 356.8 total yards per game including 5.3 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 28th in terms of yards per game. They force 1.6 turnovers per contest and get flagged for 6.2 penalties for 50.9 yards per game, ranking them 56th among D-1 teams.

Vanderbilt averages 23.5 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 109th in the country. In the passing department, they complete 15.9 passes per game on 29 attempts for a 54.9 percent completion percentage. They throw for 194 yards through the air per game, ranking them 98th in Division 1. The Commodores run for an average of 165.2 yards per game on 38.5 attempts for an average of 4.3 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 79th on the ground. They also run 67.5 plays per game and average 5.3 yards per play for a total of 359.2 yards per game, ranking them 110th in the country on offense. The Commodores get an average of 19.6 first downs per game, which ranks 97th in the nation. They average 44.6 penalty yards per game via 5.3 penalties, ranking them 102nd in college football.

Vanderbilt allows an average of 245.4 passing yards per game, which ranks 85th in Division 1. Their defense overall allows 22.6 points per contest, which has them ranked 28th in the nation. They give up 21 completions on 34.5 attempts for a completion percentage of 60.9 per game. The Commodores allow 165.4 rushing yards per contest on 34.9 carries for a 4.7 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 59th in the country. Vanderbilt allows 410.8 total yards per game for an average of 5.9 yards per play, which ranks 64th in D-1. They force 1.5 turnovers per contest and 6.6 penalties for 60.1 yards in each contest, ranking 97th in the nation.

North Carolina State Betting Trends

North Carolina State is 4-7-1 against the over/under this season

North Carolina State has an ATS record of 8-4-0 this season

Vanderbilt Betting Trends

Vanderbilt is 5-6-1 against the over/under this season

Vanderbilt has an ATS record of 7-5-0 this season

Injuries to Watch

North Carolina State

12/04/16 TE Cole Cook Undisclosed "?" Monday vs. Vanderbilt
12/04/16 DE James Smith-Williams Undisclosed "?" Monday vs. Vanderbilt
12/04/16 QB Ryan Finley Head injured last game, probable Monday vs. Vanderbilt
11/11/16 Backup RB Johnny Frasier Shoulder out for season
08/28/16 WR Brian Sessoms Achilles out for season
08/28/16 WR C.J. Riley Knee out for season
07/22/16 WR Jumichael Ramos Knee out for season

Vanderbilt

11/17/16 LB Nigel Bowden Undisclosed out for season
08/14/16 OT Andrew Jelks Knee out for season
08/14/16 QB Shawn Stankavage Leg out for season

Tony's Pick: Take Vanderbilt +4

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