Duke at Virginia Tech NCAA Football Picks 9/27/2019
Friday, September 27, 2019
Lane Stadium
Lane Stadium is the site where Ryan Willis and the Virginia Tech Hokies will play the Duke Blue Devils on Friday. Virginia Tech opens this matchup as 9.5-point favorites. The Blue Devils are 2-1-0 ATS and 2-1-0 when betting on the total. The Hokies are 1-2-0 when wagering on the over/under and 0-3-0 against the spread.
Key Duke Blue Devils Injuries
09/22/19 RB Brittain Brown Shoulder is questionable Friday vs Virginia Tech
09/06/19 TE Jake Marwede Knee is out indefinitely
09/06/19 RB Marvin Hubbard III Achilles is out indefinitely
08/23/19 LB Koby Quansah Thumb is out indefinitely
Key Virginia Tech Hokies Injuries
09/22/19 WR Damon Hazelton Hamstring is questionable Friday vs Duke
09/22/19 OL T.J. Jackson Foot is questionable Friday vs Duke
09/22/19 DL TyJuan Garbutt Shoulder is questionable Friday vs Duke
09/02/19 RB Jalen Holston Undisclosed is out indefinitely
08/16/19 RB Cole Beck Collarbone is out indefinitely
The last time they played, the Duke Blue Devils played the MTSU Blue Raiders and ended up getting the victory by a score of 41-18. Quentin Harris led the team in rushing during the game. His longest run of the day went for 65 yards but he wasn't able to run one in for a touchdown. He ran for 107 yards via 11 carries which gave him an average of 9.7 yards per run. Aaron Young led the team in receiving yardage with a total of 106 yards on 6 receptions. He earned an average of 17.7 yards per catch during the game. Leading the way at QB for the Blue Devils was Quentin Harris who went 24/27 with 237 yards passing and tossed 4 touchdowns. He finished the game without throwing an interception. The Duke Blue Devils ended up running the ball 45 times and racked up 226 yards giving them an average of 5.0 yards per carry. On the day, they ran 72 plays for a total of 463 yards. In the game, the Blue Devils racked up 26 1st downs and they totaled 3 penalties for 20 yards which means they were extremely disciplined in this game. In terms of defense, Duke gave up 19 completions on 27 throws for a total of 201 yards, and a completion percentage of 70.4%. Overall, they allowed 339 yards and earned 0 turnovers. Against the run, the Blue Devils gave up 138 yards on 32 runs giving the other team an average of 4.3 yards per attempt allowed.
The Blue Devils come into this matchup with a record of 2-1 for this year. They are in the middle of the pack in regard to scoring in the nation with an average of 29.7 points per contest, which has them at 70th in college football. As a unit, they are averaging 181 yards on the ground per game which is 6th in the conference. For total yards, they sit in 12th in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 101st in college football with 1,241 yards. The Blue Devils have one of the middle tier defenses in the country, giving up 24.3 points per contest putting them 9th in the Atlantic Coast Conference. When it comes to passing yards, the Blue Devils have allowed 698 yards. Opponents are completing 64.8% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 7.7 yards per try. When talking about rushing yards, Duke is giving up 140.3 yards per contest which has them at 8th in the ACC and 62nd in Division 1. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 4.1 yards per rush putting them 10th in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 73rd in the country overall. Overall, they have conceded 421 rushing yards through 3 contests.
Related: Gambling 101 Series on How Odds are Calculated - Watch Tony George Explain
In their last outing, the Virginia Tech Hokies went up against the Furman Paladins and won 24-17. Leading the way at QB for the Hokies was Ryan Willis who went 17/21 with 123 yards through the air and tossed 1 TD. He threw 1 pick during the game. Keshawn King led the team on the ground for that contest. He had a long run of 54 yards but he wasn't able to rush for a TD on the day. He racked up a total of 119 yards on 12 carries which meant he averaged 9.9 yards per tote. Tayvion Robinson was the receiving yardage leader by racking up 31 yards on 4 catches. He earned an average of 7.8 yards per catch for that contest. The Virginia Tech Hokies ran the ball 43 times and generated 227 yards which had them averaging 5.3 yards per carry. For the game, they ran 64 plays which added up to 350 yards. In the game, the Hokies racked up a total of 18 first downs and they had a total of 6 penalties for 40 yards which tells us their heads weren't always in the game. In terms of defense, Virginia Tech allowed 9 completions on 16 tries for a total of 68 yards, and a completion percentage of 56.3%. On the ground, the Hokies allowed 163 yards on 42 carries allowing their opponent an average of 3.9 yards per attempt allowed. On the day, they allowed 231 yards and forced 2 turnovers.
Related: Get college football picks & tips on all of today's games
The Hokies step onto the field holding a record of 2-1. In discussing the offensive production, the Hokies have one of the middle tier offenses in Division 1. Virginia Tech is having a year to forget in the ground game by averaging 152 rushing yards per contest, ranking them 78th in the country. As a unit, they have compiled a total of 456 rushing yards through 3 contests, so they are going to want to make some changes to the ground game if they want to make teams respect them. The Hokies average 398.3 yards per contest overall ranking them 75th in D-1 and 10th in the ACC. The Hokies are allowing 23 points per game which puts them at 8th in the ACC and 53rd in college football. Their pass defense is one of the elite units in Division 1. They are giving up 155 passing yards per contest. For yards through the air allowed per game, the Hokies sit in 3rd in the conference. In terms of points given up, they have allowed 69 points in total. In regard to rushing yards, they are conceding 174.3 yards per contest ranking them 94th in the country and 11th in the conference. This year, they have conceded 523 yards on the ground and 6.9 rushing touchdowns.
Who will win tonight's Blue Devils/Hokies college football game against the spread?
Josh's Pick: Take the Blue Devils +9.5
Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here
Read more articles by Josh Schonwald
Get all of this Weeks Free College Football Picks
Get all of this Weeks Expert College Football Picks