Pittsburgh at Duke NCAA Football Picks & Predictions 10/5/2019

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Wallace Wade Stadium

Wallace Wade Stadium is the venue where Quentin Harris and the Duke Blue Devils will take on the Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday. The odds on this game have Duke as 7-point favorites. The Panthers are 3-1-0 ATS and 1-3-0 when betting on the total. The Blue Devils are 2-1-0 when wagering on the over/under and 2-1-0 against the spread.

Key Pittsburgh Panthers Injuries

09/29/19 RB A.J. Davis Undisclosed is questionable Saturday vs Duke
09/29/19 LB Albert Tucker Undisclosed is questionable Saturday vs Duke
09/29/19 LB Chase Pine Undisclosed is questionable Saturday vs Duke
09/29/19 LB Elias Reynolds Undisclosed is questionable Saturday vs Duke
09/29/19 DB Jason Pinnock Undisclosed is questionable Saturday vs Duke
09/29/19 QB Kenny Pickett Shoulder is questionable Saturday vs Duke
09/29/19 RB Kyle Vreen Undisclosed is questionable Saturday vs Duke
09/29/19 RB Vincent Davis Undisclosed is questionable Saturday vs Duke
09/29/19 WR Will Gipson Undisclosed is questionable Saturday vs Duke
09/23/19 WR Tre Tipton Knee is out for season
09/04/19 DL Keyshon Camp Knee is out for season
08/11/19 DL Rashad Weaver ACL is out for season

Key Duke Blue Devils Injuries

09/06/19 TE Jake Marwede Knee is out indefinitely
09/06/19 RB Marvin Hubbard III Achilles is out indefinitely
08/23/19 LB Koby Quansah Thumb is out indefinitely

The last time they took the field, the Pittsburgh Panthers played the Delaware Blue Hens and earned the victory by a score of 17-14. Todd Sibley Jr. paced the team in rushing for the game. He tore off a long run of 20 yards but he never crossed the endzone by way of the rush. He ran for 106 yards on 22 carries which gave him an average of 4.8 yards per carry. Taysir Mack led the team in receiving yardage by earning 124 yards on 5 catches. He notched an average of 24.8 yards per catch for the game. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Panthers was Nick Patti who went 23/37 with 271 yards through the air and completed 2 TD's. He tossed 1 interception during the game. The Pittsburgh Panthers rushed the ball a total of 39 times and racked up a total of 172 yards which earned them an average of 4.4 yards per attempt. For the contest, the Panthers earned 21 1st downs and they had a total of 13 penalties for 115 yards which is telling in terms of discipline. On the day, they finished with a total of 76 plays which gave them a total of 443 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, Pittsburgh conceded 14 catches on 31 throws for a total of 127 yards, and a completion percentage of 45.2%. Against the run, the Panthers conceded 43 yards on 31 attempts which gave them an average of 1.4 yards per run allowed. On the day, they allowed a total of 170 yards but didn't add to their total of forced turnovers.

The Panthers head into this game 3-2 this season. For total yardage, they rank 6th in the ACC and 40th in the nation with 2,022 yards. In terms of scoring, they are one of the worst in the country averaging 19.2 points per game, putting them 118th in the nation. As a team, they have an average of 126 yards on the ground per contest which is 12th in the conference. The Panthers have one of the best defenses in Division 1, giving up 21 points per contest putting them 6th in the ACC. When it comes to yards through the air, the Panthers have allowed 1,392 yards. Opponents are completing 53.7% of the throws they are attempting against them and averaging 6.4 yards per attempt. In discussing yards rushing, Pittsburgh is allowing 91.8 yards per contest which has them at 3rd in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 18th in the nation. Opposing teams are running for an average of 2.9 yards per rush which has them at 5th in the ACC and 19th in the nation overall. Overall, they have conceded 459 yards rushing through 5 games.

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The last time they took the field, the Duke Blue Devils went up against the Virginia Tech Hokies and notched a win by a score of 45-10. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Blue Devils was Quentin Harris who went 20/27 with 163 yards through the air and completed 2 touchdowns. He finished the game without throwing an interception. Quentin Harris led the team in rushing for that game. He broke a long run for 42 yards and he ran for 1 TD for the game. He ran for a total of 100 yards by way of 17 carries which gave him an average of 5.9 yards per carry. Mataeo Durant was the receiving yardage leader by racking up 53 yards on 3 receptions. He averaged 17.7 yards per catch for that game. The Duke Blue Devils ended up rushing 41 times and earned 234 yards which earned them an average of 5.7 yards per attempt. In the game, the Blue Devils earned a total of 24 first downs and they totaled 8 infractions for 62 yards which shows us how undisciplined this team can be. For the game, they ran 69 plays which gave them a total of 422 yards. When it comes to their defensive performance, Duke conceded 8 completions on 20 throws totaling 120 yards, and a completion percentage of 40.0%. For this contest, they gave up 259 yards and earned 2 takeaways. In the running game, the Blue Devils conceded 139 yards on 43 carries which gave the opponent an average of 3.2 yards per rushing attempt allowed.

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The Blue Devils head into this game 3-1. In terms of offensive proficiency, the Blue Devils have one of the top tier offenses in Division 1. Duke has made teams respect their running game by averaging 194.3 rushing yards per game, which has them at 43rd in the nation. As a unit, they have compiled a total of 777 rushing yards through 4 contests, so they will want to continue to try to improve on the run game so opponents will have to respect all facets of the game. The Blue Devils average 415.8 yards per contest overall putting them 65th in college football and 8th in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Blue Devils are allowing 20.8 points per game ranking them 4th in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 36th in the nation. In regard to points given up, they have allowed 83 points in total. In regard to yards on the ground, they are allowing 140 yards per game which puts them at 57th in the nation and 7th in the ACC. For 2019, they have conceded 560 yards rushing and 3.2 rushing TDs. Their passing defense is one of the elite groups in the country. They are giving up 199.8 passing yards per game. For yards through the air allowed per game, the Blue Devils are ranked 5th in the ACC.

Who will win tonight's Panthers/Blue Devils college football game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Panthers +7

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