NC State Wolfpack vs Connecticut Huskies Prediction, 8/31/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: NC State Wolfpack vs Connecticut Huskies

Date: Thursday, August 31, 2023

Location: Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, CT

TV: CBSSN

Odds/Point Spread: Huskies (+16)

Total/Over-Under: 46.5

The NC State Wolfpack (8-5 last season) are headed to Pratt & Whitney Stadium on Thursday, August 31, 2023 where they will attempt to beat the Connecticut Huskies (6-7 last year). NC State is 16-point favorites. The total is 46.5.

The NC State Wolfpack finished the season holding a 8-5 record. In their last game, the Wolfpack faced off with the Maryland Terrapins and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 16-12. Jordan Houston was the rushing leader for the Wolfpack with 9 attempts for 14 yds (1.6 yds per attempt). Ben Finley went 22/48 with 269 yards through the air. He had a QB rating of 84.6 and finished the contest with 2 picks. When it came to stopping the run, the Wolfpack conceded 76 yds on 41 tries, which is an average of 1.9 yards per run allowed. NC State gave up 20 pass completions on 38 tries for 266 yds, and a completion percentage of 52.6%. On the day, they ran 66 plays which totaled 296 yds. The NC State Wolfpack ran the rock 18 times and totaled 27 yards, which had them averaging 1.5 yards per attempt.

The Wolfpack earned 4,417 total yards for the prior campaign. NC State earned 23 touchdowns through the air and 8 touchdowns via the ground. They surrendered the football 16 times. NC State amassed 265 1st downs as an offense, and they were called for 95 penalties for 748 yds. As a unit they held an average of 113.8 yds via the ground game, which ranked them 110th in Division 1. Concerning scoring, the NC State Wolfpack averaged 24.3 points per contest.

The Wolfpack were ranked 13th in college football concerning team defense, allowing 19.2 points per contest. Opposing teams ran for an average of 3.4 yards per rush and 100.7 rushing yards per contest last season. For the year, they gave up 1,309 rushing yards through 13 games. When talking about passing yards, the Wolfpack gave up 2,941 yds which had them ranked 77th in D-1. During their 13 games, they gave up 226.2 yards per game through the air as well as allowing a completion percentage of 57.2%. They allowed 326.9 yards per game which ranked them 20th in the country. They relinquished 16 throwing touchdowns as well as 13 rushing touchdowns.

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The Huskies ended the season with a 6-7 record. In their last game, the Huskies went home defeated by a final of 28-14 against the Marshall Thundering Herd. Zion Turner finished the contest with 166 yds on 9/27 passing while his QB rate was 62.8. He threw 3 picks and his average yards per pass attempt was 6.1. Victor Rosa carried the ball 16 times for 75 yds, finishing the game with 4.7 yards per attempt for Connecticut. The Huskies ended up finishing with 316 yards while they ran 68 plays (4.6 yards per play). Connecticut ran the ball for 3.8 yards per carry, totaling 144 yards on 38 attempts. Connecticut surrendered 45 run attempts for 210 yards (4.7 yards per carry). The Huskies secondary allowed a completion rate of 50.0%, surrendering 93 yards on 10 out of 20 through the air.

The Connecticut Huskies maintained an average of 303.2 yards/outing, ranking them 124th in the country. The Connecticut offense accrued 780 yards of penalties on 92 violations, which was good for 19th in Division 1 in terms of making mistakes. Last season, the Huskies compiled 1,459 yards through the air together with averaging 112.2 throwing yards per contest, which ranked 127th in Division 1. Concerning their scoring prowess, the Huskies sat 117th in the nation with an average of 19.4 points per game.

Connecticut conceded a total of 2,206 yards rushing (169.7 yards per game) as well as 23 touchdowns by way of the ground game last year. They conceded 16 touchdowns through the air as well as 210.8 yards/outing, which had them sitting 43rd in D-1. The Huskies defense took part in 898 plays, which was good for 85th in D-1. The Huskies surrendered 26.2 points per contest, which had them sitting 62nd in D-1. Last season, they allowed 341 points in total.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Huskies +16

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