Duke Blue Devils vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish Prediction, 9/12/2020 College Football Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Duke Blue Devils vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Date: Saturday, September 12, 2020

Location: Notre Dame Stadium

TV: NBC

Odds/Point Spread: Duke (+20.5)

Total/Over-Under: 55.5

Notre Dame Stadium is the venue where Ian Book and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will play the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday. The odds on this game have Notre Dame as 20.5-point favorites. The total is set at 55.5.

The last time they played last year, the Duke Blue Devils faced the Miami Hurricanes and earned the win by a score of 27-17. Leading the way at QB for the Blue Devils was Quentin Harris who went 10/24 with 156 yards by way of the pass and completed 1 TD. He finished this contest without throwing a pick. Mataeo Durant paced the team in rushing in this outing. He broke a long run for 42 yards but wasn't able to convert a rushing touchdown. He racked up a total of 59 yards via 7 carries which meant he was running for 8.4 yards per run. Jalon Calhoun led the team in receiving yardage with a tally of 82 yards on 3 catches. He earned an average of 27.3 yards per reception in this outing.

The Blue Devils come into this matchup after finishing with a record of 5-7 in 2019. They were in the middle of the pack in regards to scoring in the nation with an average of 25.3 points per game, putting them 92nd in D-1. As a unit, they had an average of 150.3 rushing yards per contest which was 10th in the ACC. For total yardage, they ranked 13th in the ACC and 119th in D-1 with 3,956 yards. This team was one of the more average teams in terms of scoring in the Atlantic Coast Conference and I wouldn't expect it to change too much in this matchup.

The Blue Devils had one of the middle tier defenses in Division 1 allowing 29.2 points per game, ranking them 9th in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 76th in Division 1. In discussing rushing yards, Duke gave up 180.8 yards per game which had them at 10th in the ACC and 86th in college football. Opposing teams ran for an average of 4.4 yards per carry ranking them 10th in the ACC and 73rd in the country overall. Overall, they allowed 2,170 yards rushing through 12 contests. When it comes to yards through the air, the Blue Devils conceded 2,152 yards. Teams completed 52.4% of the passes they threw against them and averaged 6.8 yards per try.

The last time they played, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish faced the Iowa State Cyclones and earned the win by a score of 33-9. Running the show from under center for the Fighting Irish was Ian Book who went 20/28 with 247 yards through the air and completed 1 touchdown. He walked away from this game with no interceptions. Tony Jones Jr. led the team in rushing for that contest. His longest run of the day went for 84 yards and he tallied 1 touchdown in this outing. He ran for a total of 135 yards via 11 carries which meant he was running for 12.3 yards per carry. Chase Claypool was the leader in receiving yardage with a total of 146 yards on 7 receptions. He averaged 20.9 yards per catch for that contest.

The Fighting Irish step onto the field after holding a record of 11-2. Notre Dame made teams respect their running game by averaging 179 yards per game, which had them at 46th in D-1. As a unit, they had a total of 2,327 yards rushing through 13 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 Fighting Irish averaged 431.2 yards per game overall putting them 43rd in college football and 2nd among D-1 Independent teams. When looking at their ability to score points, the Fighting Irish sat at 1st among Independent teams and 13th out of all the teams in the nation with an average of 36.8 points per contest.

The Fighting Irish allowed 17.9 points per contest ranking them 1st among Independent teams and 12th in the nation. In terms of points given up, they allowed 233 total points. When it comes to yards on the ground, they gave up 152.5 yards per game ranking them 60th in Division 1 and 1st among Independent teams. For 2019, they allowed 1,983 yards on the ground. Their pass defense was one of the most dominate units in the nation. They gave up 168.5 passing yards per contest. For passing yards allowed per game, the Fighting Irish were ranked 1st among D-1 Independent teams.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Blue Devils +20.5

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