The Virginia Tech Hokies stroll into Heinz Field to take on the Pittsburgh Panthers on Thursday, October 27th at 7:00 p.m. ET. The match-up will be shown on the ESPN Network for your viewing entertainment. As of today, the Hokies are -4.5 favorites and the total rests at 57.
The last time these two teams met up, the Panthers tail back Qadree Ollison stepped in for the injured James Connor. Against a pretty good defense, the replacement galloped his way to 122 yards on just 19 carries and a score. As a result, Pittsburgh walked away with a 17-13 road win. big day on the ground to victory. He ran for 122 yards on just 19 carries, filling in for the injured Conner in a 17-13 road victory.
#25 Virginia Tech (5-2):
With last week’s victory over the Miami Hurricanes, Virginia Tech is now a top the ACC Coastal division. Quarterback Jerod Evans tossed for two scores and scampered his way to another, as the Hokies put down the Miami Hurricanes 37-16.
This year, Jerod Evans has accumulated over 1,600 yards on just under 120 attempts. The accurate passes have went for 19 touchdowns. More impressively, the man-under-center is responsible for only two interceptions this season.
Virginia Tech got a stellar performance from their running back Travon McMillian last week against Miami. He ran for over 130 yards on just 18 carries (7.8 ypc). In 2016, the back field threat has carried the rock 92 times for over 450 yards and three touchdowns. It’s important to note, quarterback Jerod Evans has ran the ball 85 times for over 400 yards and three more scores.
Three receivers catch the majority of the passes from Jerod Evans. Together they have collected almost 90 catches for over 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns. Full back Sam Rogers is starting to become a favorite target of Evans. The stout player has 8 catches for over 150 yards and three trips to pay-dirt.
It’s pretty obvious that the defense in Blacksburg is back in 2016. Against Miami, the Hokies sacked Brad Kaaya eight times and held the Hurricanes to 42 rushing yards on 29 carries. Against the run this year, the unit is ranked 11th in the country allowing a tad over 100 yards a contest. In fact, Virginia Tech is 17th in the country, allowing only 17.9 points per game.
Pittsburgh (5-2):
Pittsburgh has scored at least 36 points in six straight football games. Believe it or not, that is a new school record. They snapped the old record with a 45-31 win at Virginia last week. A big reason why, is they’re getting smart play from the quarterback position. Signal-caller Nathan Peterman, has 100 completions for over 1,200 yards with 11 touchdown tosses and only two picks.
Running back James Connor is healthy and taking the majority of the carries for the Panther’s offense. This season, he has advanced the ball over 120 times for over 500 yards and seven trips to the promised land. As a whole, the Panthers rank 20th in the nation, running for 239 yards a game.
Nathan Peterman spreads the ball around to three different wide outs. altogether, they have nabbed almost 55 balls out of the air for over 800 yards and seven scores. Running back James Connor is also a threat catching the ball. He has totaled 15 catches for almost 200 yards and two more touchdowns.
Running the ball against Pittsburgh’s defense hasn’t been easy for opposing schools in 2016. Their rugged front seven is ranked 5th in the country, giving way to only 96 yards a contest. Unfortunately, they have had their troubles getting pressure on quarterbacks and the secondary has suffered for it. The Panthers are 122nd in the nation against the pass.
Trends and Notes:
The Hokies are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
The Panthers are 5-17 ATS in their last 22 home games.
The Under is 6-0 in the Hokies last 6 road games.
The Over is 6-0 in the Panthers last 6 games overall.
The Hokies are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 meetings.
Game Prediction:
The Panthers have struggled all year to put pressure on quarterbacks so Virginia Tech will look to get duel-threat quarterback Jerod Evans some down field passes. If he get’s the time, he could expose that 122nd Panthers secondary.
Pittsburgh hopes to keep running the ball effectively, giving quarterback Nathan Peterman manageable third downs. He doesn’t tend to make many mistakes so I expect Pittsburgh to keep it simple and try to control the time of possession.
The one thing the Panthers do well is move the ball via the ground. That being said, the Hokies are murderous against the run. The Hokies have the advantage of a strong secondary and a passer that can make plays downfield. Those combinations should be to tough for the Panthers to overcome.
For whatever reason, the totals just keep rolling in when the Panthers take the field for four quarters. Their offensive out-put on paper doesn’t point to that though. This week, they face a defense that could expose that, but why take the chance. We at Get More Sports suggest taking the more well-rounded squad in this game. Place your pick on the Hokies to cover the -4.5. They should win by a touchdown in this one.
