Duke football is looking to bounce back after its overtime loss to Georgia Tech, 23-20, but it has a tall task ahead of itself as North Carolina comes to Wallace Wade Saturday. The Blue Zone has some can't-miss prop bets ahead of the battle for the Victory Bell:
Over/Under 68 points
If there is one surefire bet to place for the night, it would be that this game will be high-scoring. Quarterback Drake Maye and the Tar Heel offense have averaged over 42 points per game this season, putting them eighth in the FBS. Riley Leonard and Duke made the the top 50 with 32.5 points per game. On the other side of the field, however, North Carolina ranks near the bottom of the FBS in scoring defense, giving up 32.0 points per game. Leonard should be able to take advantage of a North Carolina defense that has been highly suspect this year and get the Blue Devils back on track after a disappointing loss to Georgia Tech. These two young quarterbacks should find themselves in an offensive shootout when they take the field at Wallace Wade Stadium.
Pick: Over 68
Riley Leonard over/under 1.5 passing touchdowns
For a quarterback that has seen his fair share of rushing touchdowns this season, Leonard has hit the under on his passing touchdown line in each of his past four games, making this a bit of a risk to take. But, in a game that is expected to be high-scoring due to two powerful offenses and weaker defenses, the sophomore should find himself throwing for multiple touchdowns in this matchup. In its six games this season, North Carolina has allowed 25 touchdowns. This tells us that Leonard should be able to pick the defense apart as he moves down the field, likely finding receivers in the end zone with relative ease. Take the over for Leonard in this game, and expect him to easily throw for two or more TDs.
Pick: Over 1.5
Drake Maye over/under 312.5 passing yards
Duke has put on display a bit of a bend-don’t-break defense this season. Thus far, it has allowed 240.7 passing yards per game while playing some pretty weak offenses. This stat places the Blue Devils 85th in the nation for passing defense, in the bottom half of the FBS. Maye alone, on the other hand, has dominated opposing defenses thus far this season, coming in at eighth in the nation in passing yards per game with over 317. The Tar Heels find ways to pick apart defenses and Duke may not be able to keep up, especially as the game wears on. All signs point to an offenses bout in this Tobacco Road Rivalry game, so it is safe to assume that Maye should amass over 312 yards this game.
Pick: Over 312.5
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