Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

King of Props: Orange squeezers

By John Dudley | Last updated 10/22/22

With the leaves turning and Halloween fast approaching, orange has become a predominant color across the country. That will especially be the case today at Memorial Stadium when fifth-ranked Clemson hosts No. 14 Syracuse. This matchup between orange-clad ACC foes is a battle of unbeatens, but the home-standing Tigers are favored by two touchdowns — which factors into our prop play:

The bet: Under 45½ rushing yards for Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader (DraftKings)

Although he has exceeded this total in three games this season, Shrader was held way under by Virginia (11 yards) and UConn (24 yards). It’s important to remember that sacks count as negative rushing yards in college football, and each of those teams was able to get considerable pressure.

Clemson boasts the fourth-best run defense in the country, limiting opponents to 82.7 yards per game and 2.8 yards per attempt. The Tigers also rank in the top 40 for sacks, averaging about two and a half a game. Five of their 17 sacks belong to standout defensive end Myles Murphy, who recorded a pair in last week’s win over Florida State.

When these teams played last year, Shrader mustered only six rushing yards on seven attempts. His longest carry went for just four yards as the Orange fell 17-14. Today’s tilt is unlikely to be as close, and Clemson figures to aggressively rush the passer if it has a lead.

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