Duke Blue Devils vs North Carolina Tar Heels Prediction, 10/2/2021 College Football Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Duke Blue Devils vs North Carolina Tar Heels

Date: Saturday, October 2, 2021

Location: Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, NC

TV: ESPN2

Odds/Point Spread: Tar Heels (-16)

Total/Over-Under: 70

The Duke Blue Devils (3-1) are headed to Kenan Stadium on Saturday where they will take on the North Carolina Tar Heels (2-2). North Carolina opens this matchup as 16-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The over/under is 70.

The Duke Blue Devils step onto the field holding a record of 3-1 for this season. In their last contest, the Blue Devils took the field against the Kansas Jayhawks and notched a win by a score of 52-33. Gunnar Holmberg finished 22/29 with 328 yards through the air and 1 touchdown. He had a QB rating of 175.4 and walked away from the game with 1 pick. Mataeo Durant was the leader on the ground for the Blue Devils with 21 totes for 124 yards (5.9 yds per carry). The Duke Blue Devils ended up running the ball 52 different times and accumulated 279 yards, which came out to an average of 5.4 yards per carry. Overall, they had 81 plays which gave them a total of 607 yds. Duke relinquished 19 pass completions on 32 attempts for a total of 323 yards, and a completion rate of 59.4%. Against the run, the Blue Devils conceded 207 yards on 40 attempts, which calculates to 5.2 yards per rush allowed.

When it comes to scoring points, the Duke Blue Devils are sitting at 38.8 points per outing. As a unit they maintain an average of 251.0 yards in the run game ranking them 11th in D-1. The Blue Devils have tallied 2,193 total yards for the year. When it comes to distribution of touchdowns, Duke has earned 3 passing touchdowns and 17 touchdowns via the ground. Duke has compiled 100 1st downs as a unit, and they have been flagged for 28 penalties for 273 yards. They have surrendered the ball 7 different times.

The Blue Devils are ranked 93rd in D-1 regarding their opponents scoring, conceding 26.0 points per game. They are allowing an average of 4.5 yards per attempt on the ground and 181.5 rushing yards per contest on the campaign. For the year, they have allowed 726 rushing yards through 4 games. Regarding yards via the pass, the Blue Devils are giving up 963 yds which has them sitting in 100th in Division 1. They have relinquished 240.8 yards per game through the air as well as conceding a completion percentage of 56.7%. Overall, they are giving up 422.3 yards/contest which ranks them 111th in D-1. They have granted 7 touchdowns via the pass in addition to 6 touchdowns pounding the rock.

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The Tar Heels head into this matchup 2-2 this year. The last time they took the field, the Tar Heels took a loss by a score of 45-22 against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Sam Howell (2 TDs) finished the game with 306 yds on 25/39 through the air while his quarterback rating was 146.9. He didn't throw any picks and his average yards per attempt was 7.8. Ty Chandler carried the rock 17 times for 48 yds, finishing the game with 2.8 yds per carry for North Carolina. The Tar Heels ended up finishing with 369 yds on 74 plays (5.0 yards per play). North Carolina rushed for 1.8 yards per attempt, finishing the contest with 63 yards on 35 attempts. North Carolina conceded 43 rushing attempts for 261 yards (6.1 yds per rush). The Tar Heels passing defense allowed a completion percentage of 68.4%, relinquishing 133 yards on 13 for 19 passing.

The North Carolina Tar Heels average 507.3 yards per outing, which ranks them 14th in Division 1. The North Carolina offense has accrued 207 penalty yards on 22 infractions, which is good for 84th in D-1 in terms of helping out the opposition. During this campaign thus far, the Tar Heels have racked up 1,227 passing yards as well as an average of 306.8 passing yards per game, ranking them 19th in D-1. When looking at this team's ability to score points, the Tar Heels are sitting 29th in the nation maintaining an average of 37.5 PPG.

The Tar Heels are allowing 29.5 points per game, which has them sitting 109th in college football. North Carolina has yielded a total of 590 rushing yards (147.5 yards/game) as well as 8 touchdowns on the ground this year. This year, they have given up 118 total points. They have conceded 6 touchdowns from the passing game in addition to 236.3 yards/outing, which puts them in 96th in Division 1. The Tar Heels defense has taken part in 278 plays, which ranks 94th in Division 1.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Tar Heels -16

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