Thursday, December 29, 2016

Birmingham Bowl

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The South Florida Bulls take on the South Carolina Gamecocks on Thursday, December 29, 2016 in the Birmingham Bowl. The opening line for this game has South Florida as 11 point favorites. This season the Bulls are 8-4-0 against the spread and their over/under record is 9-3-0. The Gamecocks have an over/under record of 4-8-0 and they are 5-6-1 against the spread.

Quinton Flowers finished with 152 yards through the air for South Florida in his last game. He completed 17 passes out of 26 attempts for a 65% completion percentage. The Bulls were led in rushing by Marlon Mack, who finished with 155 yards on 20 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 8 yards per carry. Rodney Adams was the team leader in receiving with a total of 78 yards and 9 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 9 yards per reception. As a team in that game South Florida got a total of 20 first downs. Of those first downs, 14 came on the ground while 6 came through the air. They ran 74 total plays for 503 yards for the game. The Bulls ran for 351 yards on 48 attempts.

Jake Bentley finished with 41 yards passing for South Carolina in his last contest. He went 7 for 17, resulting in a 41% completion percentage. The Gamecocks were led on the ground by Rod Talley, who finished with 50 yards on 6 carries. He ended the game with an average of 8 yards per rush. Bryan Edwards led the team in receiving with 33 yards and 2 catches. He finished the game with an average of 17 yards per reception. South Carolina had 14 first downs total. 6 came from running the ball and 5 came from a pass. They ran 58 total plays for 218 yards for the contest. The Gamecocks ran for 111 yards on 29 carries as a team.

South Florida scores 43.6 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 7th in Division 1. In the passing department, they average 16.8 passes on 27.2 attempts for a 62 percent completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 222.9 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 72nd in college football. The Bulls run for an average of 292.2 yards per game on 43.5 attempts for an average of 6.7 yards per carry. That ranks them 5th in the nation. They also run 70.7 plays per contest and average 7.3 yards per play for an average of 515.1 yards per game, ranking their offense 9th overall this season. The Bulls average 23 first downs per game which ranks them 36th in the country. They accumulate 59.4 penalty yards per game via 6.5 penalties, which ranks 37th in the nation.

South Florida allows 276.8 passing yards per game, ranking 118th in D-1, and they allow 31 points per contest on defense, which ranks 86th. They give up 22.6 completions on 38.7 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 58.4. The Bulls allow 205.5 rushing yards per game on 44.4 carries for an average of 4.6 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 92nd in the country. South Florida allows 482.3 total yards per game including 5.8 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 120th in terms of yards per game. They force 1.8 turnovers per contest and get flagged for 4.8 penalties for 42.4 yards per game, ranking them 21st among D-1 teams.

South Carolina averages 19.3 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 121st in the country. In the passing department, they complete 18 passes per game on 29.9 attempts for a 60.2 percent completion percentage. They throw for 198.4 yards through the air per game, ranking them 96th in Division 1. The Gamecocks run for an average of 138 yards per game on 36.8 attempts for an average of 3.8 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 107th on the ground. They also run 66.7 plays per game and average 5 yards per play for a total of 336.4 yards per game, ranking them 117th in the country on offense. The Gamecocks get an average of 17.8 first downs per game, which ranks 116th in the nation. They average 47.6 penalty yards per game via 5.2 penalties, ranking them 91st in college football.

South Carolina allows an average of 204.3 passing yards per game, which ranks 34th in Division 1. Their defense overall allows 24.8 points per contest, which has them ranked 45th in the nation. They give up 18.3 completions on 30.9 attempts for a completion percentage of 59.3 per game. The Gamecocks allow 202.8 rushing yards per contest on 41.9 carries for a 4.8 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 89th in the country. South Carolina allows 407.2 total yards per game for an average of 5.6 yards per play, which ranks 62nd in D-1. They force 2.1 turnovers per contest and 6.5 penalties for 56.7 yards in each contest, ranking 84th in the nation.

South Florida Betting Trends

South Florida is 9-3-0 against the over/under this season

South Florida has an ATS record of 8-4-0 this season

South Carolina Betting Trends

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

South Carolina has an ATS record of 5-6-1 this season

Injuries to Watch

South Florida

10/08/16 OL Glen Bethel Eligibility out indefinitely
10/03/16 G Billy Atterbury Leg out indefinitely
09/26/16 RB Darius Tice Ankle out indefinitely
09/10/16 S Malik Dixon Shoulder out for season
08/29/16 QB Asiantii Woulard Personal quit the team

South Carolina

12/05/16 RB A.J. Turner Knee "?" Thursday vs. South Florida
11/01/16 TE Robert Tucker III Neck out for season
10/07/16 WR Randrecous Davis Hamstring out indefinitely
10/06/16 QB Lorenzo Nunez Redshirt out for season
09/30/16 DB Toure Boyd Personal has left team
08/29/16 WR Christian Owens Personal has left team
08/29/16 DB Rico McWilliams Personal out for season

Tony's Pick: Take South Carolina +11

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