Saturday, October 17, 2020, Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, Virginia, 8 p.m. ET
Eagles at Hokies Betting Preview: Eagles (+10), Hokies (-10)
Boston College Eagles
The unranked Eagles (3-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) will test Virginia Tech’s secondary with one of the more effective passing combinations in the conference.
Quarterback Phil Jurkovec and receiver Zay Flowers hooked up six times for 162 yards and three scores in BC’s 31-30 overtime win over Pittsburgh last week. Jurkovec passed for 358 yards despite being sacked six times. He has passed for 1,181 yards in the four games so far.
That’s the most yardage ever that a BC quarterback has thrown for in his first four games. He set a school single-game record for completions when he was 37 of 56 in a 26-22 loss to North Carolina.
“These games are coming down to the wire, but through it all, we stick together,” Jurkovec said. “Zay is one of the best receivers in the country. He made the plays; he got open.”
Flowers’ 405 receiving yards on 21 catches leads the team, but Hunter Long leads in number of receptions with 31 good for 363 yards.
Virginia Tech Hokies
The 23rd-ranked Hokies (2-1, 2-1 ACC) not only are back home after back-to-back road games at Duke (a 38-31 win) and North Carolina (a 56-45 loss) they also are looking to have several players who have missed games because of coronavirus issues available to play against Boston College.
The Hokies have been down at least 15 players for each of their first three games but welcomed back quarterback Hendon Hooker last week against the Tar Heels and will get safety Divine Diablo back this week.
Both are expected to start against the Eagles. Last week linebacker Alan Tisdale and walk-on Tyler Matheny were manning the safety positions in the secondary in the forth quarter at North Carolina.
Hooker, who started after four games last year and won the first six starts of his career, entered the game in the second half against the Tar Heels. He was 7-of-13 passing for 136 yards and two scores.
“He has a little presence about him,” Tech coach Justin Fuente said of Hooker. “He has an easily approachable and easy to talk to demeanor that the guys feel comfortable with.”
Eagles at Hokies Betting Pick for October 17, 2020
The Hokies will get a boost to their secondary with Diablo’s return, and Hooker is the guy who gave them a lift last year when he became the starter. The Eagles were within a 2-point conversion of tying North Carolina late in their game before the Tar Heels ran back a turnover to add two points to their score. Stopping Hokies running back Khalil Herbert (149.7 yards per game and 10.4 per carry average) will be crucial for the Eagles.
Eagles at Hokies Betting Pick:
Hokies 41, Eagles 24
Eagles at Hokies Best Bet for October 17, 2020
Just having more players available after being shorthanded because of coronavirus issues in the early going should be a boost for the Hokies, who won’t have to contend with the kind of running game they did last week against North Carolina. The Tar Heels ran for 399 yards against the Hokies. The Eagles have averaged only 60.2 yards rushing a game.
Eagles at Hokies Best Bet: OVER 60.5
–Field Level Media
