When Boston College and Virginia Tech meet in the ESPN Thursday night game in Alumni Stadium at Chestnut Hill, MA, one team will continue to be in contention for an ACC Divisional Title while the loser will find itself in an uphill battle the second half of the season. Both BC and Tech can ill afford another league loss after each team tanked in their last conference game, Virginia Tech losing badly at home to Georgia Tech, 38-27 and Boston College losing on the road at North Carolina State 17-15. At least BC had a chance to get the loss out of its system by defeating Maine 22-0 in a non-league match-up Sept 30. Virginia Tech had an open-date on its schedule allowing the loss to Georgia Tech to fester on the player’s minds.
The Hokies should be pleased to be able to hit the road following a loss since their road record in the two-plus seasons in conference games is a perfect 9-0. In 2004 the Hokies went 4-0 on the road, including a win at Miami to clinch the ACC crown as well as wins at North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Wake forest. Last year Tech again went 4-0 in hostile territory, with wins at NC State, Duke, Maryland and Virginia. The Hokies downed North Carolina earlier this year in Chapel Hill.
Picking up a road win at Chestnut Hill will not be easy as the Eagles are no slouch on their home turf. Already this year Boston College knocked off Clemson 34-33 and traditional Mountain West Conference powerhouse BYU 30-23.
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The Hokies are averaging a respectable 33.0 points per game but that average is a bit deceiving. There aren’t a whole lot of explosive playmakers on the offensive side of the football for Virginia Tech. Still the unit has been efficient at times averaging 347.6 yards of total offense this year, with 103.4 yards coming on the ground and 244.2 yards passing. Quarterback Sean Glennon has completed 57.4 percent of his passes for 1,116 yards with seven touchdowns and the interceptions. It certainly doesn’t help that the team h as lost leading receiver David Clowney for a few weeks following a recent appendectomy. In Clowney’s absence, Josh Hyman and Eddie Royal will need to step up downfield. With the passing game suspect right now, tailback Brandon Ore will be needed more than ever. The sophomore running back leads the team in rushing with 458-yards and averaging 5.3 yards per carry. He has scored seven of the team’s 10 rushing scores to date.
Prior to the Georgia Tech game, Virginia Tech had compiled impressive numbers on both offense and defense but against very questionable competition. The Hokies had gone 4-0 putting up lopsided scores against a group of Division 1A competition that has put up a combined record of 2-12.
The Eagles try to keep good balance offensively. The Team is averaging over 375 yards per game with nearly 130 coming on the ground and almost 250 through the air. Quarterback Matt Ryan has distinguished himself as one of the better signal-callers in the ACC this year. He has completed just over 60 percent of his passes in 2006 for 1,225 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. He has spread the ball around t his year with five different pass catchers hauling in double-figure catches thus far. The best of the bunch have been Kevin Challenger and Tony Gonzalez. The backfield has a two-headed monster in running backs L.V. Whitworth and Andre Callender.
Virginia Tech is coming into the game as a 2.5-point favorite according to most Las Vegas and Offshore sportsbooks, which could be a bargain for Boston College supporters. Tech is probably the third best team to come to Chestnut Hill this season. The Eagles have been very impressive at home this year covering the line against Clemson and Virginia Tech. The Eagles should cover +2.5 against the Hokies.
