Thursday Night College Football Preview Virginia Tech at East Carolina For the second week in a row Virginia Tech will play in an ESPN Primetime Thursday Night game. Last Thursday the Hokies were upset by unranked North Carolina as 14.5 point favorites. They will try to avoid losing their third straight game this week on the road at East Carolina. The 22nd ranked Hokies are 5-3 this year (3-2) in the ACC and are just 3-5 against the spread. Odds makers have designated them as a lofty 13 point road favorite over East Carolina who has struggled against quality opponents so far this year. East Carolina is also 5-3 SU and only 3-4 ATS but has failed to be competitive above average opponents like West Virginia and North Carolina. They will certainly be facing one of their toughest opponents on Thursday night against the Hokies of Virginia Tech. In his first year as the clear cut starter at Va Tech, quarterback Tyrod Taylor has failed to emerge as the star that everyone thought he could be. He is only averaging around 175 yards passing per game and has thrown just 9 touchdown passes in 8 games. Taylor hasn’t really been much of a threat as a runner either as he has only rushed for 150 yards this season. For this Virginia Tech offense to really explode, Taylor has to step up and play to his athletic potential. There is no question he will have to play well in order to win this game. Expect East Carolina to load the box with defenders and force Taylor to beat them with his arm. However, despite Taylor’s failure to dominate at the quarterback position, the Hokies boast one of the top rushing attacks in the country led by freshman tailback Ryan Williams. Va Tech is averaging 190 yards per game on the ground but will be facing a stout run defense in East Carolina. The Pirates are only giving up an average of 108 yards per game on the ground and 3.4 yards per carry. A big key to who wins this game will be who wins the battle of the trenches. If East Carolina can slow down the Hokies rushing attack and put the ball in Taylor’s hands, they have a chance at pulling the upset. On the other side of the football, East Carolina is by no means an offensive juggernaut in their own right. They rank 63rd in the nation in points scored and 80th in total yards. They are a team that is built around running the ball and playing good defense. Their rushing attack is averaging right around 150 yards per game on the ground. This East Carolina offense could present a problem for the Va Tech defense who has consistently struggled stopping the run all season long. They are ranked 79th in the country in run defense, giving up more than 150 yards a game on the ground. Much like when Virginia Tech has the ball, the battle of the offensive and defensive lines will be critical when East Carolina is on offense as well. This should be a hard fought football game between two teams who pride themselves on defense and running the football. As mentioned earlier, whoever wins the battle upfront will likely be the winner of this game. The other key to this game will be which quarterback steps up and plays well. Tyrod Taylor and Patrick Pinkney have not been outstanding to say the least. Pinkney has thrown just 8 TD passes and 9 interceptions. It could come down to whichever quarterback makes the least amount of mistakes. Both will have to manage the game, protect the football, and deliver on 3rd and long situations to win the ball game.
 

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