The Oregon Ducks will play the North Carolina Tar Heels on Wednesday night in the Holiday Bowl at Petco Park in San Diego, California.
The Oregon Ducks are 9-3 this season after they lost to Oregon State by a score of 38-34 in their last game. Oregon out gained Oregon State by a total of 470-328, but they had five turnovers on downs in the loss. Oregon lost two of their last three games and they allowed at least 37 points in the two losses. The Oregon offense is averaging 39.7 points per game with 291.5 passing yards per game and 216.3 rushing yards per game. Bo Nix has thrown for 3,389 yards, 27 touchdowns, and six interceptions, while also rushing for 504 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Ducks this season. Bucky Irving has rushed for 906 yards and three touchdowns, while Troy Franklin has caught 56 passes for 867 yards and eight scores for Oregon. The Oregon defense is giving up 27.4 points per game and 386.1 yards per game. Oregon is missing a few key pieces on their defense for this game.
The North Carolina Tar Heels are 9-4 this season after they lost to Clemson in the ACC Title game by a score of 39-10. North Carolina out gained Clemson by one yard, but turned the ball over three times in the loss. North Carolina started the season playing very well, but they lost their final three games of the season, as their offense went cold. The North Carolina offense is averaging 35 points per game with 317.2 passing yards per game and 156.4 rushing yards per game. Drake Maye has thrown for 4,115 yards, 35 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, while also rushing for 653 yards and seven touchdowns for the Tar Heels this season. Elijah Green has rushed for 508 yards and eight scores, while Antoine Green has caught 43 passes for 798 yards and seven touchdowns for UNC. The Tar Heels top receiver, Josh Downs, has opted out of this game. The North Carolina defense is allowing 31 points per game and 438.2 yards per game.
Oregon is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 bowl games and 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games. The over is 4-1 in Oregon’s last 5 non-conference games. North Carolina is 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 games against the PAC-12 and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 neutral site games. The under is 4-1 in North Carolina’s last 5 games.
Both of these teams finished the season on a bad note, but will be looking to finish with a victory in this bowl game. North Carolina had one of the better offenses for most of the season, but they only scored 10, 17, and 27 points in their final three games. Both defenses struggled all season, but North Carolina is allowing 31 points against per game. I like the under in this game, as a total around 75 just seems too high, especially with some players sitting out.
AUTHOR: David Racey
