Saturday, September 3, 2016

Bryant Denny Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The USC Trojans take on the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday, September 3, 2016 at Bryant Denny Stadium. The opening line for this game has Alabama as 10.5 point favorites and the over/under was set at 54. Last season the Trojans were 6-8-0 against the spread and their over/under record was 6-7-1. The Crimson Tide had an over/under record of 6-9-0 and they were 8-7-0 against the spread.

USC scored 33.9 points per game on offense last season, which ranked 37th in Division 1. In the passing department, they averaged 22.1 passes on 33.1 attempts for a 66.7 percent completion percentage last season. They threw for a total of 269.7 yards per game through the air as well, which ranked them 31st in college football. The Trojans ran for an average of 168.2 yards per game on 37.6 attempts for an average of 4.5 yards per carry. That ranked them 68th in the nation. They also ran 70.7 plays per contest and averaged 6.2 yards per play for an average of 437.9 yards per game, ranking their offense 38th overall last season. The Trojans averaged 22 first downs per game which ranked them 44th in the country. They accumulated 68.6 penalty yards per game via 7.4 penalties, which ranked 16th in the nation.

USC allowed 251.1 passing yards per game, ranking 94th in D-1, and they allowed 25.7 points per contest on defense, which ranked 50th. They gave up 20.6 completions on 32.6 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 63. The Trojans allowed 149.3 rushing yards per game on 37.6 carries for a 4 average per play, which ranked their rush defense 42nd in the country. USC allowed 400.4 total yards per game including 5.7 yards per play, which ranked their overall defense 65th in terms of yards per game. They forced 1.6 turnovers per contest and got flagged for 5.1 penalties for 44.4 yards per game, ranking them 19th among D-1 teams.

Alabama averaged 35.1 points per game last season on offense, which ranked them 30th in the country. In the passing department, they completed 20.1 passes per game on 29.7 attempts for a 67.5 percent completion percentage. They threw for 227.1 yards through the air per game last year, ranking them 62nd in Division 1. The Crimson Tide ran for an average of 199.9 yards per game on 42.8 attempts for an average of 4.7 yards per carry last season, which ranked them 32nd on the ground. They also ran 72.5 plays per game and averaged 5.9 yards per play for a total of 427.1 yards per game, ranking them 46th in the country on offense. The Crimson Tide got an average of 22 first downs per game, which ranked 43rd in the nation. They averaged 55.7 penalty yards per game via 5.9 penalties, ranking them 60th in college football.

Alabama allowed an average of 200.5 passing yards yards per game, which ranked 30th in Division 1. Their defense overall allowed 15.1 points per contest, which had them ranked 2nd in the nation. They gave up 16.7 completions on 33 attempts for a completion percentage of 50.5 per game. The Crimson Tide allowed 75.7 rushing yards per contest on 31.2 carries for a 2.4 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 1st in the country. Alabama allowed 276.3 total yards per game for an average of 4.3 yards per play, which ranked 3rd in D-1. They forced 1.8 turnovers per contest and 6 penalties for 46.4 yards in each contest, ranking 27th in the nation.

Cody Kessler finished his last game of last season with 221 yards through the air for USC. He completed 18 passes out of 32 attempts for a 56% completion percentage. The Trojans were led in rushing by Ronald Jones II, who finished with 47 yards on 8 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 6 yards per carry. JuJu Smith was the team leader in receiving with a total of 65 yards and 4 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 16 yards per reception. As a team in that game USC got a total of 16 first downs by way of 4 rushing, 12 passing, and 0 by penalty. They ran 61 total plays for 286 yards for the game. The Trojans ran for 65 yards on 28 attempts.

Jacob Coker finished his last game of last season with 335 yards through the air for Alabama. He completed 16 passes out of 25 attempts for a 64% completion percentage. The Crimson Tide were led in rushing by Derrick Henry, who finished with 158 yards on 36 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 4 yards per carry. O.J. Howard was the team leader in receiving with a total of 208 yards and 5 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 42 yards per reception. Alabama got a total of 18 first downs by way of 6 rushing, 11 passing, and 1 by penalty. They ran 71 total plays for 473 yards for the game. The Crimson Tide ran for 138 yards on 46 attempts.

USC Betting Trends

USC were 6-7-1 against the over/under last season

USC had an ATS record of 6-8-0 last season

Alabama Betting Trends

Alabama were 6-9-0 against the over/under last season

Alabama had an ATS record of 8-7-0 last season

Injuries to Watch

USC

No key injuries to report

Alabama

No key injuries to report

Josh's Pick: Take Alabama

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