Duke Blue Devils vs North Carolina Tar Heels Matchup

Check out our free North Carolina Tar Heels vs Duke Blue Devils pick and preview for this CFB week 5 game in Durham. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this week 5 CFB matchup.

Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham is the site for this week five matchup between the North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils. Kick-off is set for 4:00 ET, and ESPN2 will be handling the broadcast. The Tar Heels come in with a 3-1 record, while Duke is 4-0. The over/under line is at 55.5 points, and Duke is the -2.5 point favorite at home. The current money line odds are +115 for the Tar Heels and -138 for the Blue Devils.

Tar Heels vs. Blue Devils Matchup At A Glance

Sport: CFB
Teams: North Carolina Tar Heels at Duke Blue Devils
Where: Durham at Wallace Wade Stadium
Date: Saturday, September 28th
Betting Odds DUKE -2.5, NCAR +115 | DUKE -138 O/U 55.5

Tar Heels Preview:

North Carolina is looking to bounce back after a surprising 70-50 loss to James Madison. The Tar Heels, who were 3-1 heading into the game, were favored by -11 but ended up losing by 20 points. The combined score of 120 points easily surpassed the over/under line of 48.5 points.

North Carolina fell behind early, with James Madison leading 25-14 after the first quarter. The Tar Heels then struggled in the second quarter, being outscored 28-7, and trailed 53-21 at halftime. North Carolina made a push in the third quarter, outscoring James Madison 17-7, but they couldn't fully recover, adding 12 points in the fourth quarter to James Madison's 10.

Tar Heels Offense Breakdown

North Carolina's offense, led by quarterback Jacolby Criswell, put up 616 yards and 50 points in their last game. Criswell threw for 475 yards and three touchdowns, connecting on 58.3% of his passes. He also threw two interceptions and ended the game with a passer rating of 95.4. His top target, Kobe Paysour, caught four passes for 93 yards.

The Tar Heels' ground game produced 141 yards, with Omarion Hampton leading the way. Hampton ran for 139 yards on 19 carries and scored three rushing touchdowns. North Carolina's offense found the end zone a total of six times, with three touchdowns coming on the ground and three through the air.

Tar Heels Team Defense

North Carolina's defense had a tough time in their last game, giving up 612 total yards and 70 points. The Tar Heels were particularly vulnerable through the air, allowing 388 passing yards and five touchdowns. Their secondary will need to improve after giving up big plays in the passing game. On the ground, North Carolina gave up 224 yards and two rushing touchdowns.

Blue Devils Preview:

Blue Devils Offense Breakdown

Quarterback Maalik Murphy led Duke's offense to a 45-17 win, throwing for 216 yards and three touchdowns, completing 66.7% of his passes. His top target, Nicky Dalmolin, caught four passes for 100 yards, leading the team in receiving.

The Blue Devils' offense totaled 346 yards, with 130 yards coming on the ground. Star Thomas led the rushing attack with 111 yards on 17 carries, scoring two of Duke's three rushing touchdowns.

Blue Devils Team Defense

Duke's defense will be looking to improve after allowing 295 yards of total offense in their most recent game. Middle Tennessee found success on the ground, rushing for 168 yards, but Duke's defense was able to limit their scoring, allowing just one touchdown. In the passing game, Duke gave up 127 yards and one touchdown on 21 completions.

Tar Heels vs Blue Devils Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Through their last ten road contests, the North Carolina Tar Heels offense has averaged 28 points per game while allowing an average of 31. North Carolina posted an overall record of 5-5 while going 3-6-1 ATS.
When looking at their past five home matchups, Duke has an ATS record of 3-2 while averaging 28 per game. The team went 2-3 overall in these games.
Looking back on the team's last five games as the underdog, the North Carolina Tar Heels have a straight up record of 1-4. Their record vs the spread in these games was 2-3.
Over the team's last three games as the favorite, the Duke Blue Devils struggled vs the spread going just 1-2. However, they still had a straight up mark of 3-0.