NC State Wolfpack vs Kentucky Wildcats Prediction, 1/2/2021 College Football Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: NC State Wolfpack vs Kentucky Wildcats

Date: Saturday, January 2, 2021

Location: TIAA Bank Field

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: NC State (+2.5)

Total/Over-Under: 51.5

TIAA Bank Field is the site where Terry Wilson and the Kentucky Wildcats (4-6) will take on the NC State Wolfpack (8-3) on January 2nd in the Gator Bowl. Kentucky opens this matchup as 2.5-point favorites. The total is set at 51.5.

In their last game, the NC State Wolfpack played the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and left there with a win by a score of 23-13. Ricky Person Jr. led the team in rushing for the game. His longest run of the day went for 20 yards and he tallied 1 touchdown for this outing. He scurried for 59 yards on 15 carries which gave him an average of 3.9 yards per carry. Emeka Emezie was the receiving yardage leader with a total of 91 yards on 6 catches. He had an average of 15.2 yards per catch for the game. Bailey Hockman went 23/36 with 309 yards by way of the pass but wasn't able to throw a ball for a TD. He finished this contest without throwing a pick.

Concerning putting the ball in the endzone, the NC State Wolfpack are averaging 31.1 points per game. As a team they are averaging 130.1 yards on the ground which ranks them 97th in the nation. The Wolfpack have earned 4,307 total yards for the year. In terms of getting the ball in the endzone, NC State has earned 23 passing touchdowns and 18 rushing touchdowns. The Wolfpack sit in 79th in the nation when it comes to the opposition scoring, conceding 29.7 points per contest. They are allowing 4.1 yards per rushing attempt and 163.5 yards on the ground per game this year. Overall, they have allowed 1,799 rushing yards through 11 games. Regarding passing yards, the Wolfpack have conceded 2,801 yards which has them ranked 128th in college football. In their 11 games played this season, they have surrendered 254.6 yards per outing through the air in addition to giving up a completion percentage of 58.5%. Overall, they are granting 418.2 yards per outing which has them ranked 86th in the nation.

For his collegiate career, Hockman has thrown for a total of 2,366 yds with 13 TD's and 12 picks. Over the course of his time in college, he has taken off and run 71 times for a total of -6 rushing yards. He has a quarterback rating of 128.7 with a TD percentage of 4.0% and an interception percentage of 3.7%. He is throwing for 147.9 yds per outing. Bailey Hockman has connected on 198 of his attempted career 323 throws for a completion percentage of 61.3%.

In their last game, the Kentucky Wildcats took the field against the South Carolina Gamecocks and notched a win by a score of 41-18. Terry Wilson went 17/26 with 201 yards via the pass but didn't get a passing TD in this game. He walked away with no picks. Chris Rodriguez Jr. paced the team in rushing for that game. He had a long run of 79 yards and he added 3 touchdowns in this outing. He scurried for 139 yards by way of 14 carries which means he ran for an average of 9.9 yards per tote. Justin Rigg was the leader in receiving yardage with a tally of 72 yards on 3 receptions. He had an average of 24.0 yards per reception for that game.

During the season to this point, the Wildcats have racked up 1,241 passing yards as well as holding an average of 124.1 throwing yards per contest, giving them a rank of 121st in D-1. The Kentucky Wildcats maintain an average of 311.5 yards/outing which has them ranked 117th in the country. They are averaging 187.4 run yards per game and have toted the ball for 1,874 yards for the season. In relation to this team's ability to score points, the Wildcats are sitting 107th in Division 1 with 21.7 PPG. The Wildcats are giving up 26.4 PPG, which has them sitting 59th in college football. This year, they have relinquished 264 total points. Kentucky has allowed a total of 1,667 rushing yards (166.7 yards per contest) in addition to 16 touchdowns by way of the ground game this season. They have allowed 17 touchdowns through the air as well as 220.3 yards per outing, ranking them 60th in the country.

In the 24 contests in his college career, Terry Wilson has completed 324 of 497 attempts for 3,341 yds. He averages 139.2 yds per game through the air with a 130.1 QB rating. Wilson has thrown for 20 TD's compared to 12 interceptions in his collegiate career. He has rushed for 1,001 yards on 250 tries. His touchdown percentage on pass attempts is 4.0% and his interception rate is 2.4%.

Who will win tonight's Wolfpack/Wildcats college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Wildcats -2.5

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