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Virginia Tech at East Carolina Picks

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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 on the road at East Carolina. The 22nd ranked Hokies are 5-3 this year (3-2 in the ACC) and are just 3-5 at the pay window. Sportsbooks have designated them as a lofty 13 point road favorite over East Carolina who has sputtered against quality opponents so far this year. 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 when they face off with Virginia Tech.

In his first year as the clear cut starter at Virginia Tech, quarterback Tyrod Taylor has failed to emerge as the star that everyone thought he could be. He is only averaging about 175 yards passing per game and has thrown only 9 TD passes in 8 games. Taylor hasn’t really been much of a threat on the ground either as he has only rushed for 150 yards this season. For this Virginia Tech 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 matchup. Expect East Carolina to stuff the box with defenders and force Taylor to beat them with his arm.

However, despite Taylor’s failure to dominate at the quarterback position, Virginia Tech boasts one of the leading running attacks in the nation led by freshman running back Ryan Williams. The Hokies averaging 190 yards per game via the run but will be facing a steady rush defense in East Carolina. The Pirates are only yielding an average of 108 yards per game via the rush and 3.4 yards per carry. A big factor to who comes out on top with this game will be who wins the battle of the trenches. If the Pirates can hamper Virginia Tech’s rushing attack and put the ball in Taylor’s hands, they have a chance at pulling out the win.

On the other side of the football, the Pirates are by no means an offensive steamroller in their own right. They rank 63rd in the land in points scored and 80th in total yards. East Carolina is a team that is developed around rushing the ball and playing good defense. Their ground attack is averaging right around 150 yards per game via the ground. This East Carolina offense could pose a problem for the Va Tech defense who has consistently struggled containing the run all season long. They are rated 79th in the land in rush defense, giving up more than 150 yards a game on the ground. Much like when the Hokies have the ball, the battle of the offensive and defensive lines 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 rushing the football. As cited in the beginning, whoever wins the battle upfront will likely be the winner of this game. The other key to this contest will be which quarterback steps up and plays well. Tyrod Taylor and Patrick Pinkney have not been top-notch to say the least. Pinkney has tossed just 8 TD passes and 9 interceptions. It could come down to whichever quarterback makes the least amount of errors. Both will have to handle the game, protect the football, and deliver on third and long spots to win the ball game.

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November 4, 2009

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