Friday, December 30, 2016

Sun Bowl

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The Stanford Cardinal take on the North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday, December 30, 2016 in the Sun Bowl. The opening line for this game has Stanford as 2.5 point favorites. This season the Cardinal are 7-5-0 against the spread and their over/under record is 5-7-0. The Tar Heels have an over/under record of 4-8-0 and they are 7-5-0 against the spread.

Keller Chryst finished with 154 yards through the air for Stanford in his last game. He completed 11 passes out of 16 attempts for a 69% completion percentage. The Cardinal were led in rushing by Christian McCaffrey, who finished with 204 yards on 30 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 7 yards per carry. Francis Owusu was the team leader in receiving with a total of 43 yards and 2 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 22 yards per reception. As a team in that game Stanford got a total of 19 first downs. Of those first downs, 13 came on the ground while 6 came through the air. They ran 61 total plays for 534 yards for the game. The Cardinal ran for 373 yards on 43 attempts.

Mitch Trubisky finished with 280 yards passing for North Carolina in his last contest. He went 23 for 38, resulting in a 61% completion percentage. The Tar Heels were led on the ground by Elijah Hood, who finished with 56 yards on 11 carries. He ended the game with an average of 5 yards per rush. Ryan Switzer led the team in receiving with 171 yards and 13 catches. He finished the game with an average of 13 yards per reception. North Carolina had 20 first downs total. 6 came from running the ball and 12 came from a pass. They ran 65 total plays for 413 yards for the contest. The Tar Heels ran for 133 yards on 26 carries as a team.

Stanford scores 26.4 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 84th in Division 1. In the passing department, they average 14.3 passes on 24 attempts for a 59.4 percent completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 159.1 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 116th in college football. The Cardinal run for an average of 215 yards per game on 39.8 attempts for an average of 5.4 yards per carry. That ranks them 34th in the nation. They also run 63.8 plays per contest and average 5.9 yards per play for an average of 374.1 yards per game, ranking their offense 99th overall this season. The Cardinal average 18.3 first downs per game which ranks them 110th in the country. They accumulate 51.8 penalty yards per game via 6.1 penalties, which ranks 74th in the nation.

Stanford allows 218.9 passing yards per game, ranking 53rd in D-1, and they allow 20.2 points per contest on defense, which ranks 17th. They give up 18 completions on 33.2 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 54.3. The Cardinal allow 146.7 rushing yards per game on 35 carries for an average of 4.2 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 41st in the country. Stanford allows 365.6 total yards per game including 5.4 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 36th in terms of yards per game. They force 1.4 turnovers per contest and get flagged for 6.7 penalties for 58.9 yards per game, ranking them 94th among D-1 teams.

North Carolina averages 33.1 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 41st in the country. In the passing department, they complete 24.2 passes per game on 35 attempts for a 69 percent completion percentage. They throw for 294.3 yards through the air per game, ranking them 23rd in Division 1. The Tar Heels run for an average of 148.2 yards per game on 30.3 attempts for an average of 4.9 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 99th on the ground. They also run 65.3 plays per game and average 6.8 yards per play for a total of 442.4 yards per game, ranking them 45th in the country on offense. The Tar Heels get an average of 21.4 first downs per game, which ranks 59th in the nation. They average 62.3 penalty yards per game via 7.7 penalties, ranking them 25th in college football.

North Carolina allows an average of 186.3 passing yards per game, which ranks 16th in Division 1. Their defense overall allows 24.9 points per contest, which has them ranked 46th in the nation. They give up 14.6 completions on 25.9 attempts for a completion percentage of 56.3 per game. The Tar Heels allow 232.2 rushing yards per contest on 51.3 carries for a 4.5 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 112th in the country. North Carolina allows 418.5 total yards per game for an average of 5.4 yards per play, which ranks 71st in D-1. They force 1.2 turnovers per contest and 6.8 penalties for 59.8 yards in each contest, ranking 96th in the nation.

Stanford Betting Trends

Stanford is 5-7-0 against the over/under this season

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

North Carolina Betting Trends

North Carolina is 4-8-0 against the over/under this season

North Carolina has an ATS record of 7-5-0 this season

Injuries to Watch

Stanford

12/04/16 OT Casey Tucker Undisclosed "?" Friday vs. North Carolina
12/04/16 TE Greg Taboada Undisclosed "?" Friday vs. North Carolina
12/04/16 S Zach Hoffpauir Undisclosed "?" Friday vs. North Carolina
10/26/16 CB Alijah Holder Shoulder out for season

North Carolina

10/21/16 OL Caleb Peterson Back out for season
10/21/16 LB Jonathan Smith Foot out for season
10/17/16 WR Mack Hollins Collarbone out for season
09/22/16 DE Tomon Fox Leg out indefinitely
09/14/16 LB Allen Artis Suspension out indefinitely
09/13/16 OT John Ferranto Pectoral out for season

Guy's Pick: Take North Carolina +2.5

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Guy Bruhn