South Carolina Gamecocks vs North Carolina Tar Heels Prediction, 9/2/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: South Carolina Gamecocks vs North Carolina Tar Heels

Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023

Location: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Tar Heels (-2)

Total/Over-Under: 63.5

The North Carolina Tar Heels (9-5 last year) are hosting the South Carolina Gamecocks (8-5 last season) at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday, September 2, 2023. North Carolina opens this matchup as 2-point favorites. The over/under is set at 63.5.

The South Carolina Gamecocks wrapped up their year with a 8-5 record. The last time they stepped onto the field, the Gamecocks took the field against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and took a loss by a final of 45-38. Juju McDowell was the best rusher for the Gamecocks with 6 carries for 28 yards (4.7 yds per carry). Spencer Rattler connected on 29/46 with 246 yards through the air and 2 TDs. He had a QB rating of 118 and finished the game with 1 pick. When it came to stopping the run, the Gamecocks gave up 265 yards on 46 tries, which is an average of 5.8 yards per run allowed. South Carolina conceded 19 pass completions on 34 attempts for 293 yds, and a completion percentage of 55.9%. When all was said and done, they ran 71 plays which converted into 352 yards. The South Carolina Gamecocks ended up rushing 22 times and accumulated 65 yards, which came out to an average of 3.0 yards per attempt.

In terms of scoring, the South Carolina Gamecocks held an average of 32.2 points per game. As a unit they maintained an average of 118.8 yards rushing, ranking them 105th in the nation. The Gamecocks earned 4,924 total yards for the previous season. South Carolina amassed 23 touchdowns through the air and 27 rushing touchdowns. South Carolina amassed 247 1st downs as an offense, and they were hurt by 90 penalties for 829 yards. They turned the football over 27 different times.

The Gamecocks were ranked 88th in the nation when it comes to team defense, allowing 28.8 points per game. The opposition ran for an average of 4.9 yards per rush and 198.0 rushing yards per contest last season. During the campaign, they conceded 2,574 rushing yards through 13 games. Regarding yards through the air, the Gamecocks gave up 2,687 yards which put them in 45th in Division 1. In their 13 games played last year, they allowed 206.7 yards per game via the pass in addition to surrendering a completion percentage of 53.7%. They granted 404.7 yards per game which had them sitting 89th in Division 1. They allowed 23 passing touchdowns as well as 23 touchdowns on the ground.

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The Tar Heels ended the year having a 9-5 record. When they last stepped on the gridiron, the Tar Heels took a loss by a score of 28-27 when they played the Oregon Ducks. Elijah Green ran the ball 17 times for 50 yards, walking away from the game with 2.9 yds per carry for North Carolina. Drake Maye (3 touchdowns) finished the contest with 206 yards on 18/35 through the air while his quarterback rating was 129.2. He didn't throw any picks and his Y/A was 5.9. North Carolina gave up 32 running attempts for 209 yards (6.5 yards per rush). The Tar Heels secondary gave up a completion rate of 76.7%, surrendering 205 yds on 23 out of 30 through the air. The Tar Heels finished with 322 yards and they ran 69 plays (4.7 yds per play). North Carolina ended up running for 3.4 yds per attempt, finishing the game with 116 yards on 34 attempts.

In relation to the points being put on the board, the Tar Heels ranked 26th in D-1 with 34.4 PPG. For the previous season, the Tar Heels had a total of 4,330 yards through the air in addition to an average of 309.3 passing yards per outing, which ranked 11th in college football. The North Carolina Tar Heels averaged 462.8 yards/contest, which had them ranked 20th in D-1. The North Carolina offense had 774 penalty yards on 85 infractions, which was good for 35th in the nation in terms of helping out the opposition.

North Carolina conceded a total of 2,313 yards rushing (165.2 yards per contest) and 29 touchdowns on the ground last season. They conceded 27 touchdowns via the pass and 271.3 yards/game, which put them in 116th in the nation. The Tar Heels defense took part in 995 plays, which ranked them 126th in Division 1. The Tar Heels surrendered 30.8 points per game, which had them in 102nd in D-1. Last year, they allowed 431 points in total.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Gamecocks +2

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