Miami at Clemson Betting Odds & Pick: Tigers Defense Can Contain D’Eriq King (Saturday, Oct. 10)

Miami at Clemson Odds

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The Hurricanes have looked as stellar as possible heading into their biggest game of the season. Rhett Lashlee has rebuilt the Miami offense into an up-tempo and explosive unit. D'Eriq King has helped propel the U to the best rushing offense from an expected points perspective while sustaining drives. Miami has scored on 100% of trips to the red zone, with 10 touchdowns in 13 attempts.

Since the 1980s, the strength of the Miami defense has always been Havoc. Currently ranked second, the Hurricanes have generated 31 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles. Defensive end Quincy Roche already has eight quarterback hurries on the season.

Considering all the good Miami has done to this point, it's no surprise it's a popular underdog this week against a Clemson team that's in cruise control. Dabo Swinney has yet to play a full second half, leading Wake Forest 72-0, The Citadel 49-0 and Virginia 24-10. Despite the limited first-string playing time, Clemson sits sixth in defensive rushing success rate. The Tigers have allowed just one rush of 20-plus yards. This may be one of the few defenses that can contain King.

Meanwhile, Clemson's offense is humming better than ever. Trevor Lawrence has yet to throw an interception and holds a completion rate of 73%, currently 8% higher than his career average at the FBS level. The offensive line has played at max protection, with only Jackson Carman giving up a sack through 414 combined pass blocking snaps between the starters.

In games against UAB and Florida State, the Miami secondary didn't break a sweat. In the Hurricanes' matchup against Louisville, there may have been results that should have Clemson fans salivating. Malik Cunningham threw for over 300 yards, with seven different receivers hauling in a pass over 10 yards. On top of the holes in the passing defense, missed tackles are starting to pile up. Bubba Bolden, Zach McCloud and Bradley Jennings Jr. have combined for 13 missed tackles so far this season.

Miami does great things on both sides of the ball, as King can bust runs in broken plays, and the defense can cause havoc. Clemson's defensive front seven may be one of the best in the nation at tackling in open space, as no defender on the roster has missed more than two tackles.

On the offensive side, Lawerence and Travis Etienne are playing at the highest level of college football behind a dominant offensive line. As of writing, the best available point spread is Clemson -13.5, but I expect the public underdog to continue to rake tickets and present an even better number for Clemson.

The Bet: Clemson -13.5 or better.

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