Thursday, October 27, 2016

Heinz Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The Virginia Tech Hokies take on the Pittsburgh Panthers on Thursday, October 27, 2016 at Heinz Field. The opening line for this game has Virginia Tech as 4 point favorites. This season the Hokies are 4-3-0 against the spread and their over/under record is 4-3-0. The Panthers have an over/under record of 6-1-0 and they are 2-5-0 against the spread.

Jerod Evans finished with 259 yards through the air for Virginia Tech last week. He completed 21 passes out of 33 attempts for a 64% completion percentage. The Hokies were led in rushing by Travon McMillian, who finished with 131 yards on 18 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 7 yards per carry. Sam Rogers was the team leader in receiving with a total of 72 yards and 2 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 36 yards per reception. As a team in that game Virginia Tech got a total of 28 first downs. Of those first downs, 11 came on the ground while 14 came through the air. They ran 78 total plays for 523 yards for the game. The Hokies ran for 251 yards on 44 attempts.

Nathan Peterman finished with 137 yards passing for Pittsburgh last week. He went 11 for 21, resulting in a 52% completion percentage. The Panthers were led on the ground by James Conner, who finished with 90 yards on 20 carries. He ended the game with an average of 5 yards per rush. Jester Weah led the team in receiving with 54 yards and 2 catches. He finished the game with an average of 27 yards per reception. Pittsburgh had 19 first downs total. 10 came from running the ball and 6 came from a pass. They ran 70 total plays for 346 yards for the contest. The Panthers ran for 209 yards on 49 carries as a team.

Virginia Tech scores 35.9 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 31st in Division 1. In the passing department, they average 17.9 passes on 29 attempts for a 61.6 percent completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 238.3 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 56th in college football. The Hokies run for an average of 197.6 yards per game on 48.1 attempts for an average of 4.1 yards per carry. That ranks them 44th in the nation. They also run 77.1 plays per contest and average 5.7 yards per play for an average of 435.9 yards per game, ranking their offense 45th overall this season. The Hokies average 22.1 first downs per game which ranks them 48th in the country. They accumulate 46.3 penalty yards per game via 5.3 penalties, which ranks 104th in the nation.

Virginia Tech allows 198.4 passing yards per game, ranking 32nd in D-1, and they allow 17.9 points per contest on defense, which ranks 16th. They give up 15.9 completions on 33.6 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 47.2. The Hokies allow 103.6 rushing yards per game on 35.3 carries for an average of 2.9 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 11th in the country. Virginia Tech allows 302 total yards per game including 4.4 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 11th in terms of yards per game. They force 2 turnovers per contest and get flagged for 8.3 penalties for 62.4 yards per game, ranking them 96th among D-1 teams.

Pittsburgh averages 38.4 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 23rd in the country. In the passing department, they complete 14.3 passes per game on 23 attempts for a 62.1 percent completion percentage. They throw for 178.9 yards through the air per game, ranking them 107th in Division 1. The Panthers run for an average of 239.1 yards per game on 47.3 attempts for an average of 5.1 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 20th on the ground. They also run 70.3 plays per game and average 5.9 yards per play for a total of 418 yards per game, ranking them 60th in the country on offense. The Panthers get an average of 21.1 first downs per game, which ranks 69th in the nation. They average 50 penalty yards per game via 5.4 penalties, ranking them 89th in college football.

Pittsburgh allows an average of 298.9 passing yards per game, which ranks 122nd in Division 1. Their defense overall allows 31.4 points per contest, which has them ranked 90th in the nation. They give up 21.1 completions on 35.1 attempts for a completion percentage of 60.2 per game. The Panthers allow 96.6 rushing yards per contest on 31.3 carries for a 3.1 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 5th in the country. Pittsburgh allows 395.4 total yards per game for an average of 6 yards per play, which ranks 60th in D-1. They force 1.6 turnovers per contest and 6.3 penalties for 52.3 yards in each contest, ranking 51st in the nation.

Virginia Tech Betting Trends

Virginia Tech is 4-3-0 against the over/under this season

Virginia Tech has an ATS record of 4-3-0 this season

Pittsburgh Betting Trends

Pittsburgh is 6-1-0 against the over/under this season

Pittsburgh has an ATS record of 2-5-0 this season

Injuries to Watch

Virginia Tech

10/23/16 DE Ken Ekanem Shoulder "?" Thursday vs. Pittsburgh U
10/23/16 DT Nigel Williams Ankle "?" Thursday vs. Pittsburgh U
09/17/16 RB Deshawn McClease Lower Body out for season
09/12/16 LB Trent Young Knee out for season

Pittsburgh

10/23/16 DB Avonte Maddox Elbow "?" Thursday vs. Virginia Tech
10/23/16 LB Mike Caprara Lower Body "?" Thursday vs. Virginia Tech
10/23/16 WR Zach Challingsworth Upper Body "?" Thursday vs. Virginia Tech
10/14/16 TE Chris Clark Knee out for season
10/14/16 OL Mike Grimm Hip out for season
10/14/16 DL Zack Gilbert Heart out for season
09/16/16 WR Dontez Ford Collarbone out indefinitely
09/16/16 LB Elijah Zeise Ankle out for season
09/16/16 DE Dewayne Hendrix Foot out for season
08/31/16 WR Chris Wuestner Personal has left team

Guy's Pick: Take Virginia Tech

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