Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images. Pictured (left to right): Shake Heyward, Rocky Shelton II, Marquis Waters, DeWayne Carter, and Jeremiah Lewis.
North Carolina A&T vs. Duke Odds
| North Carolina A&T Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
|
+20.5
|
55.5
-110o / -110u
|
+769 |
| Duke Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
| -20.5 |
55.5
-110o / -110u
|
-1256 |
North Carolina vs. Duke. A rivalry for the ages. Countless legends coming from the storied programs. Instant classics every time they play. Wait… this is North Carolina A&T?
With both teams coming off losses last weekend, the Blue Devils and the Aggies both look to turn things around in a showdown at Wallace Wade Stadium. Last facing off on Sept. 7, 2019, Duke routed the Aggies by a score of 45-13.
Will North Carolina A&T be able to contain Duke’s offense this time around? Let’s find out.
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North Carolina A&T Aggies
In 2019, North Carolina A&T pulled off an upset when it beat East Carolina. It will be looking to pick up an early-season upset again as it travels to Durham as an underdog.
This will come with challenges as the Aggies struggled last week against the Furman Paladins, losing 18-29.
Struggling with the run game last week, the Aggies look to reestablish the run against a weak Duke front seven. The Aggies possess weapons all over on the offensive end, looking to exploit Duke’s defense.
The Blue Devil defense looked less than stellar last week, which could potentially lead to a large upset.
Aggies Offense
Last week, the Aggies dropped their game against Furman.
The Aggies had to rely on redshirt junior quarterback Jalen Fowler to keep them within striking distance. Fowler completed 14-of-29 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns.
Wide receiver Ron Hunt caught 146 of those yards with five catches and two touchdowns. Korey Banks also did some damage, hauling in five catches for 66 yards.
A successful passing attack is what hurt Duke last week, as Charlotte quarterback Chris Reynolds torched the Blue Devils secondary all game. If the Aggies want to stay in this game, they will have the opportunity to do so by beating Duke’s secondary.
I haven’t even mentioned North Carolina A&T’s best player. The Aggies return star running back Jah-Maine Martin, who finished the 2019 season with 1,446 yards and 23 touchdowns.
A constant threat every time he has the ball in his hands, he was tamed last week. Furman held Martin to just 33 yards on 12 carries last week. Not good.
Martin will have to get it going against a more athletic defense in Duke this week. If Reynolds can continue his passing success, this will give Martin more opportunities for explosive plays as the Blue Devils defense will be scrambling.
Aggies Defense
For North Carolina A&T to stay in what is expected to be an offensive game, it will need to do a much better job of limiting the passing attack.
Furman quarterback Hamp Sisson torched the Aggies all game for 362 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Ryan Miller had 124 of those yards along with one touchdown.
The Aggies rushing defense had a modest outing, limiting Furman’s lead rusher to 4.2 yards per carry. No Furman running backs found pay dirt, as all touchdowns came through the air.
Linebacker Joseph Stuckey posted a solid outing. He registered 12 tackles while flying around the field. He will have his hands full as he needs to contain Mataeo Durant’s rushing ability.
Virginia Tech transfer defensive end Robert Porcher generated some pressure, tallying a sack. The Aggies will need more of this, as they have to disrupt Duke’s offense to ease the burden on their secondary.
Duke Blue Devils
Opening the season with a win total of 3.5, the Duke Blue Devils had low hopes going into the season. They didn’t help any of those hopes as they dropped the season opener to the Charlotte 49ers in the final seconds, 31-28.
Not all is lost, though, as Duke showed success on the ground and could move the chains with its passing game.
The defense was the problem. If the Blue Davils want to avoid an 0-2 start, the front line will need to show improvement that ranked on the wrong end of Rushing Success Rate and Stuff Rate — especially with 1,000-yard rusher Martin looking to bounce back.
Blue Devils Offense
Whatever Durant did before his game last week against Charlotte, he better do it again. The running back was a man possessed, as he torched the 49ers defense all game, finishing with 255 yards and three touchdowns.
Averaging 8.8 yards per carry, the bulk of his rushing success came on two explosive plays — one for 55 yards and another for 59 yards, both resulting in touchdowns.
He wasn’t the only one who found success on the Blue Devils offense. Quarterback Gunnar Holmberg ended the game throwing for 228 yards and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Jake Bobo hauled in seven catches and 88 yards while Jordan Waters had the lone receiving touchdown on top of 40 yards. Durant added 37 receiving yards to go along with his rushing success.
With Holmberg gaining more experience at the quarterback position, the game plan will be to ride Durant’s rushing success. The Aggies did have success limiting the Furman rushing attack, but this is a step up in talent and experience.
If Duke can get the run game going again. then this offense will be tough to stop for the Aggies.
Holmberg plays it relatively safe with his throws, barely stretching the field. He won’t have to if his pass-catchers can eat up small yards on top of Durant running wild.
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Blue Devils Defense
While the Blue Devil offense found success all game, the defense was a different story. Charlotte kept pace with the explosive offensive game, narrowly pulling out the win at the very end.
Reynolds threw for 324 yards, and three touchdowns on 19-of-30 passing. Duke’s secondary had no answers to stop Charlotte’s passing game.
The 49ers wide receiver duo of Victor Tucker and Grant DuBose feasted all game. Tucker hauled in eight passes for 133 yards, while DuBose had 118 yards and two touchdowns.
If the Blue Devils want to avoid the upset, they will have to shore up the secondary. Fowler proved he is capable of leading a passing attack and will look to exploit the defense.
One thing that the Blue Devils did show last week was the ability to stuff the run. They limited all Charlotte running backs to under 50 yards. This is still a very weak front seven.
They will need to keep this success up as Martin looks to bounce back after his disappointing opener.
North Carolina A&T vs. Duke Betting Pick
Expecting a run-heavy attack from both ends, the clock should keep on ticking all game.
Durant had a solid outing and will look to build on his successful start, while the A&T’s Martin looks to hit the ground running after last week’s disappointment.
If Martin can’t pick up where he left off in the 2019 season, the Aggies are more than capable of airing it out on this weak Duke secondary.
This gives me some insurance on taking the Aggies at a spread of three scores, as they would rely on the passing game if they fall behind early.
Pick: North Carolina A&T +21 (1 unit) | Under 58 (0.5 units)
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