The ACC’s top receiver, Isaiah Ford (564 yards, 7 TDs), will be on display when the Virginia Tech Hokies play the Boston College Eagles. Going into this game, Boston College (3-5) and Virginia Tech (3-5) are both in search of a much-needed win. The game will begin Saturday, Oct 31 at 12:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESP3 and ACCN.
Boston College lost a close one to Louisville 17-14 last week. Thadd Smith had a solid outing in the loss, registering four receptions for 40 yards. Virginia Tech also fell short, losing a close one to Duke 45-43. Bucky Hodges had a big game for the Hokies, totaling five receptions for 101 yards and three TDs. Michael Brewer had a big game as well, totaling 270 yards and three TDs through the air.
The Eagles are slim underdogs with Virginia Tech favored by one in the game. For this contest, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable.
The Eagles enter the game with records of 3-5 Straight Up (SU) and 4-3-1 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. In the past five games, Boston College is 1-4 SU and 3-1-1 ATS. The Eagles run the ball frequently. They rush 44.8 times per game, which is the 23rd best in the nation. Transitioning to the Boston College defense, there are some things to keep in mind when it is on the field. The Hokies could have a difficult time running the ball against the No. 1 run defense in the nation. The Eagles give up 62.1 yards per game on the ground. One of the keys to the game will be whether the Hokies can protect the quarterback against Boston College’s aggressive pass rush. The defense ranks 16th in the nation in sacks with 3.1 per game.
On the other side, the Hokies have a record of 3-5 for both ATS and SU. In the previous five games, Virginia Tech has a record of 1-4 both SU and ATS. Opponents have had headaches with Virginia Tech’s 23rd-ranked pass defense, which gives up just 183.5 passing yards per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Boston College, ATS Winner – Boston College
Notes
Boston College is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston College’s last 6 games.
Boston College is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston College’s last 5 games at home.
Boston College is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Virginia Tech.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Boston College’s last 8 games when playing Virginia Tech.
Boston College is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Boston College.
Each team is 3-0 SU when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter.
Remarkably, Boston College is winless (0-3) SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet 3-2 SU when losing the turnover battle.
The Boston College defense has forced an average of 2.0 turnovers over its last five games. Virginia Tech is 0-3 SU this season when turning the ball over at least 2.0 times in a game.
Dating back to last season, Boston College is only 4-9 SU against ACC opponents, while Virginia Tech is just 4-8 SU against in-conference foes.
According to overall FBS team rankings, Boston College is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its 59th-ranked rushing attack will face the 86th-ranked run defense of Virginia Tech, while its first-ranked rush defense will look to contain the 67th-ranked running game of the Hokies.
