Tennessee vs. North Carolina State Best College Football Prop Bets for Week 2

Reed Wallach | Sep 4, 2024

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) during Tennessee's Orange & White spring football game at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, April 13, 2024. / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Tennessee and North Carolina State meet in Charlotte on Saturday night as each team looks to enter the College Football Playoff discussion.

Instead of focusing on who will win this game, let's hit the player prop market to analyze the budding Tennessee offense, which may be at its best with Nico Iamaleava at the helm. It's a small sample size, but is Iamaleava being underrated in the player prop market?

Here's our three best player props for Saturday's matchup.

Best Player Props for Tennessee vs. North Carolina State

• Nico Iamaleava OVER 250.5 Passing Yards
• Justin Joly OVER 38.5 Receiving Yards
• Ethan Davis Anytime Touchdown Scorer (+410)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Nico Iamaleava OVER 250.5 Passing Yards

The ceiling can’t be quantified with Iamaleava just yet, the former five-star recruit who looks primed to do big things in Knoxville. 

He looked the part in his first regular-season start, completing 22-of-28 passes for 314 yards with three touchdowns against Chattanooga. Yes, NC State presents a far more challenging test, but with the tempo in which the Vols play, the team was top 10 in seconds per play last season, and the efficiency at which Iamaleava has shown, this number is underrating his ability. 

While the Wolfpack defense is sturdy, it’s more bend-don’t-break than anything, ranking outside the top 50 nationally in yards per play allowed last season. Further, the team allowed Western Carolina to average more than six yards per play in Week 1. 

Justin Joly OVER 38.5 Receiving Yards

Joly made an instant impact in his first game with the Wolfpack, hauling in five catches for 69 yards. 

The UConn transfer is set to be one of Grayson McCall’s favorite targets this season and can test the Tennessee linebackers. Offensive coordinator Robert Anae loves to deploy tight ends in passing routes, which can lead to plenty of usage for Joly in a projected high-scoring affair.  

Ethan Davis Anytime Touchdown Scorer (+410)

The redshirt freshman caught the first touchdown of the game in Week 1, and I believe he can be a bit of a mismatch for a Wolfpack linebacker group that is replacing its best player in Peyton Wilson. 

At 6’5”, Davis can be split out wide and used as a red zone threat, as he was in Week 1 where simply boxed out the Chattanooga defender for an easy four-yard touchdown. 

Maybe he doesn’t find the end zone for a second game in a row, but he played with the first team in Week 1 and figures to be part of the offense moving forward. 

With a 19.61% implied probability, I’ll take the flier on Davis. 

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Follow Reed on Twitter @ReedWallach and get all his college football bets on betstamp @rw33

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