Virginia Tech at East Carolina Picks

Rocky Atkinson continues to impress with his college football picks, check to see who he is taking this weekend if you want to pad your bankroll.

For the second week in a row Virginia Tech will play in an ESPN Primetime Thursday Night game. Last Virginia Tech was upset by unranked North Carolina as 14.5 point favorites. They will try to avoid losing their third straight game this Thursday as they visit East Carolina. The 22nd ranked Hokies are 5-3 this season (3-2 in the ACC) and are just 3-5 at the pay window. Sportsbooks have designated them as a lofty 13 point road chalk over East Carolina who has sputtered against top-notch foes so far this season. East Carolina is also 5-3 SU and only 3-4 ATS but has failed to be competitive versus above average opponents like West Virginia and North Carolina. They will certainly be facing one of their hardest opponents on Thursday night against Virginia Tech.

In his first year as the clear cut starter at Va Tech, QB Tyrod Taylor has failed to emerge as the star that everyone believed he could be. He is only averaging about 175 yards passing per game and has thrown just 9 TD passes in 8 games. Taylor hasn’t really been much of a menace as a runner either as he has only rushed for 150 yards this year. For this Hokie offense to really burst, Taylor has to step up and play to his athletic potential. There is no wonder 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 by throwing the ball.

However, despite Taylor’s failure to dominate at the quarterback spot, Virginia Tech boasts one of the best rushing attacks in the country led by freshman tailback Ryan Williams. The Hokies averaging 190 yards per game on the ground but will be facing a stout rush defense in East Carolina. The Pirates are only yielding an average of 108 yards per game on the ground and 3.4 yards per carry. A strong factor to who wins this game will be who wins the battle of the trenches. If the Pirates can slow down Virginia Tech’s 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, the Pirates are nowhere near an offensive juggernaut in their own right. They rank 63rd in the country in total points and 80th in total yards. East Carolina is a team that is built around running the ball and playing strong defense. Their running attack is averaging right around 150 yards per game on the ground. This Pirate offense could present a problem for the Va Tech defense who has consistently struggled checking the run all year long. They are ranked 79th in the nation in rush defense, yielding more than 150 yards a game on the ground. Much like when Virginia Tech has the ball, the battle in the trenches 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 cited previously, whoever wins the battle of the lines will potentially be the victor of this game. The other crucial factor to this contest will be which field general steps up and plays well. Tyrod Taylor and Patrick Pinkney have not been great to say the least. Pinkney has tossed just 8 touchdown passes and 9 INTs. It could boil down to whichever one makes the fewest errors. Both will have to handle the game, protect the football, and come through on 3rd and long positions to win the ball game.