Duke adds to Hokies troubles
It’s been a rough week for Virginia Tech. Last Saturday, the Hokies were embarrassed at home in a 49-35 loss to previously winless Old Dominion, which revived its football program in 2009 and made the jump from FCS to Conference USA in 2014.
PROPHET MARGIN Chris Letourneau
The once-vaunted Hokies defense allowed 495 passing yards and five touchdowns to Monarchs backup quarterback Blake LaRussa, who helped ODU outscore Virginia Tech 28-7 in the fourth quarter.
On Monday, Hokies coach Justin Fuente announced sophomore quarterback Josh Jackson, who left Saturday’s game with a leg injury, has a broken fibula and likely is out for the season. The following day, Fuente dismissed from the team starting defensive end Trevon Hill, one of the better pass rushers in the ACC.
Now the Hokies need to get their act together to face No. 22 Duke on the road. The 4-0 Blue Devils treat this as one of their biggest games each season, scoring upsets in 2013 and 2015 in Blacksburg, Va. But they haven’t won in Durham since 1981, and they are seeking revenge for last year’s 24-3 stinker on the road.
Duke’s offense is not as dynamic as it was with Daniel Jones at quarterback, but junior Quentin Harris has filled the role admirably. More importantly, coach David Cutcliffe has improved his defense, which will pose problems for Virginia Tech backup QB Ryan Willis.
We bounced back nicely last week, so let’s take Duke, favored by 41⁄2 points to pull away in the fourth quarter. In other games:
TOMORROW Texas Tech (+31⁄2) vs. West Virginia — Quarterback Alan Bowman and the Red Raiders offense are on a roll, posting 181 points the past three weeks including a win at Oklahoma State. Will Grier and the No. 12 Mountaineers are a strong opponent, but this is an even matchup. Take No. 25 Tech and the momentum as a live home underdog.
Boston College (-121⁄2) vs. Temple — The line opened at 161⁄2 and plummeted because of the Eagles’ loss to Purdue and the Owls’ blowouts of Tulsa and Maryland. Take the gift and run with it. BC will pound the ball with AJ Dillon, wearing down a suspect Temple run defense.
Kent State (+7) at Ball State — The Cardinals secondary is banged up, as cornerback Lamar Anderson and safety Mitch Larson both have shoulder injuries. That leaves the door open for Kent State QB Woody Barrett, who played well in a brutal stretch against Penn State and Ole Miss and is ready for a breakout game.
Michigan (-141⁄2) at Northwestern — Tough spot for the Wildcats, who lost to Akron two weeks ago at home and scored only seven points the previous game against Duke. They also lost top RB Jeremy Larkin. The No. 14 Wolverines have a ferocious defense and an offense that has spent the past three weeks revving its engines following a loss to Notre Dame. Blowout city.
Notre Dame (-51 ⁄2) vs. Stanford — The No. 7 Cardinal were gifted a win last week against Oregon, which dominated most of the game. They have not been able to get tailback Bryce Love in gear, and the sledding will only get tougher in a rivalry game on the road. Quarterback Ian Book and the No. 8 Irish will win by double digits.
South Carolina (+1) at Kentucky — The Gamecocks are tired of losing in this series, having dropped four straight. If you take away their loss to No. 2 Georgia, they would be favored here, and quarterback Jake Bentley played like a leader last week in a rout of Vanderbilt. The No. 17 Wildcats have a fantastic running game, but South Carolina’s defense will make key stops down the stretch.
North Texas (-7) vs. Louisiana Tech — Nice hidden value here among some marquee matchups. The 4-0 Mean Green have scored at least 44 points in every game, and QB Mason Fine is the real deal. The Bulldogs, who lost this game last year at home, will not be able to keep up.
Penn State vs. Ohio State (under 701⁄2) — Anything could happen in the “white out” in Happy Valley, where the No. 4 Buckeyes and No. 9 Nittany Lions are sure to deliver a classic. Both offenses are facing their toughest tests of the season. Only one of the past four games in this series has gone above 55 points.
California (+2) vs. Oregon — Give me the home team in an evenly matched late-night Pac 12 special. The No. 24 Bears have a terrific pass defense, which will be the difference against Justin Herbert and the No. 19 Ducks.
Last week: 6-3-1 Season: 10-14-2