South Carolina (2-1) vs Akron (1-2)
Game Info: Saturday, September 21, 2024 at 7:30 pm (Williams-Brice Stadium)
Betting Odds: South Carolina -28 / Akron +28 --- Over/Under: 47.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Akron Zips and the South Carolina Gamecocks meet in week 4 college football action from Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday night. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s an Akron vs. South Carolina prediction.
Akron Recap
The Akron Zips come into this one looking to build on their first win of the season, improving to 1-2 after a 31-20 win over Colgate last time out. After this game, Akron will head on the road for a conference tilt against Ohio.
Zips Have Steady QB Play Under Finley
Ben Finley has thrown for 549 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions on 56.8% passing while Jordon Simmons leads Akron with 160 rushing yards. Adrian Norton has a team-high 180 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns while Bobby Golden has 168 receiving yards and Jake Newell has 13 grabs to lead Akron in receptions along with 100 receiving yards. On defense, Bryan McCoy leads Akron with 23 total tackles while Darrian Lewis and Antavious Fish each have 20 total tackles with Lewis logging a team-high 11 solo tackles. As a team, Akron’s defense has combined for 2 sacks and 2 interceptions this season.
Why the Akron Zips will win
- The road team has won three of South Carolina's last four games.
- South Carolina has failed to cover the spread in five of its last six games against non-conference opponents.
- The road team has covered the spread in three of South Carolina's last four games.
South Carolina Recap
The South Carolina Gamecocks come into this one looking to rebound from their first loss of the season in a 36-33 loss to LSU last time out. After this matchup, South Carolina will welcome Ole Miss to town for a big SEC showdown.
Gamecocks Leaning On Defense Early On
LaNorris Sellers has thrown for 393 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions on 54.7% passing while also rushing for 145 yards and 3 scores. Raheim Sanders leads the Gamecocks with 285 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns while Jared Brown leads South Carolina’s receiving group with 7 grabs for 98 yards as well this season. On defense, Nick Emmanwori leads the Gamecocks with 21 total tackles including 16 solo tackles along with a pair of interceptions. Kyle Kennard has a team-high 5 sacks while Dylan Stewart has 2.5 sacks and Jalon Kilgore has 2 interceptions of his own as well.
Why the South Carolina Gamecocks will win
- Akron has lost each of its last 14 road games against non-conference opponents.
- South Carolina has won each of its last six September games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Akron has failed to cover the spread in each of its last four road games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- South Carolina has covered the spread in five of its last six September games against non-AP-ranked teams.
Akron vs. South Carolina Prediction
I’m on the under here. I get that South Carolina’s the far better team here and it wouldn’t surprise me if they blew out Akron, but this has been a South Carolina team that’s flexed defensive muscle more so than their offense this season, and I don’t know how hard South Carolina will go with a matchup against Ole Miss on deck. On the other side, Akron doesn’t have a whole lot going for them offensively and I could see this being a 31-6 kind of game so give me the under here.
Chris’s Pick Under 47.5
AUTHOR: Chris Ruffolo
Mitch's Take...
