No. 5 Virginia Tech Huge Favorites At Home Against Boston College

NFL News - October 8th, 2009 - Written by John

After losing many starters to graduation last year, Boston College was not expected to be a powerhouse in the ACC this year. The Eagles, 4-1, are proving to be a factor in the conference this year and now will look to keep their dream season alive as they travel to play No. 5 Virginia Tech Hokies. Boston College Eagles almost blew a lead against Florida State last week, but pulled out a 28-21 win which improved their ACC record to 2-1. Virginia Tech squeezed by Duke last week 34-26.

The Eagles and Hokies have played in the ACC title game the past two seasons and Virginia Tech has won both matchups. However, Boston College has won their regular season matchups during the past two seasons. The Hokies stand alone in first place in the Coastal division, while Boston College is in second in the Atlantic division behind Maryland.

The Hokies will need to improve this week after their lackluster performance against the Blue Devils. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor had a career high game last week and threw for 327 yards and 2 touchdowns. On the year, he has 869 yards passing and 6 touchdowns. Their running game was halted last week and will need to get back on track against Boston College. Running back Ryan Williams is their leader with 575 yards and 8 touchdowns. Taylor has found his favorite targets in receivers Jarrett Boykin and Danny Coale. Both have combined for 528 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns. Their defense last week was abused through the air, but they did limit Duke to just 38 yards rushing. They will need to stay solid this week against the run and force the Eagles to beat them through the air with their freshman quarterback.

Against Clemson three weeks ago, the Boston College offense was held to just 54 yards total offense. Since then, their offense has come alive and has averaged 27.5 points per game in their past two wins. Quarterback Dave Shinskie has been solid in his first two starts and has thrown for 624 yards and 7 touchdowns on the year. One of the best running backs in the conference is Montel Harris and he has rushed for 449 yards and 5 touchdowns. Shinskie has a pair of talented receivers to throw to in Collin Larmond and Rich Gunnell and they have combined for 457 yards receiving and 5 touchdowns. One area of concern for the Eagles is their defensive letdowns in the second half the past two games. They have let their opponents inch their way back into the game after having big leads. The key for Boston College defensively this weekend will be containing quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

According to Bodog Sportsbook, the Hokies will be favored at home by 13 1/2. Find all your favorite College Football Betting Lines at Bodog Online Sportsbook.

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