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Duke vs. UConn Prediction, Odds, Trends and Key Players for College Football Week 4

Full betting preview for the No. 18 Duke Blue Devil and UConn Huskies in college football Week 4.

By Josh Yourish

Duke Blue Devils quarterback Riley Leonard (13)
Duke Blue Devils quarterback Riley Leonard (13) / James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
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This is a matchup that you’d typically expect to see on the hardwood in March, but instead the 3-0 No. 18 Duke Blue Devils and 0-3 UConn Huskies will meet on grass. Right now, the Huskies have the upper hand in hoops, but on the football field it’s advantage Blue Devils. 

Junior quarterback Riley Leonard led Duke to a big win in Week 1 against Clemson and he’ll look to keep his team perfect in Week 4. For a look at the rest of the CFB landscape, check out BetSided college football betting analyst Reed Wallach’s weekly column and preview. 

If you’re betting college football in Week 4, make sure to take advantage of this great promo from Caesars Sportsbook. Just sign up below and bet $50 to get $250 in bonus bets win or lose.

Now, let’s take a look at the odds for Duke and UConn. 

Duke vs. UConn Odds, Spread and Total

UConn vs. Duke Betting Trends

  • UConn is 1-2 ATS
  • The UNDER is 3-0 in UConn games
  • Duke is 2-1 ATS
  • The OVER is 1-1-1 in Duke games

Duke vs. UConn How to Watch

  • Date: Saturday, September 23
  • Time: 3:30 PM EST
  • Venue: Rentschler Field
  • How to Watch (TV): CBSSN
  • Duke Record: 3-0
  • UConn Record: 0-3

Duke vs. UConn Key Players to Watch

Duke

Riley Leonard, QB: The junior QB has been the biggest reason for Duke’s hot start to the year. He’s thrown for 530 yards and a touchdown and ran for 208 and three more scores. He went 15-20 for 219 yards in Duke’s 38-14 win over Northwestern in Week 3. 

UConn

Justin Joly, TE: The 6-foot-3 sophomore has been impressive as a receiving threat through three games. In his freshman year he finished the season with 18 catches, but he’s already up to 11 grabs for 109 yards this year. He could create some mismatches against Duke after four catches for 36 yards last week against FIU. 

Duke vs. UConn Prediction and Pick

Duke has a really impressive rushing attack. The Blue Devils are fifth in rushing offense this season, not just because of Riley Leonard’s legs, but also Jordan Waters and Jaquez Moore. Waters has run for 240 yards on 32 carries which is an average of 7.5 yards a carry and he’s found the end zone five times. Moore has been a bit less efficient, but is still ripping off 6.3 yards per carry on his 28 carries and he has two scores. 

Their 12 rushing touchdowns as a team lead the country. Duke is also seventh in the country in yards per rush, 6.3. 

Even against Clemsons’s perennially stout defense, Duke ran for 175 yards and gained 5.8 yards per play. Teams that can run the ball like this are typically teams that end up covering a lot as a favorite because even when it’s garbage time they’re handing the ball off for five or six yards a play and often find themselves stumbling into extra touchdowns to run up the score and cover.

This theory is backed up by the fact that Duke is 8-2 against the spread in its last 10 games. 

UConn ranks 117th in run defense this season, allowing 182.0 rushing yards per game so far. Last season, the Huskies were 94th in rushing yards allowed per game at 177.3, so this isn’t just an early season aberration. 

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change

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