After a disappointing 34-3 loss at then #13 Louisville, Virginia Tech heads on the road to Boston College looking for their first road win of the season to get back on track in their pursuit of a bowl game. With that said, here are our picks for the Hokies vs. the Eagles.
Tim Thomas
Neither team has set the world on fire with their offenses this season so I'm expecting a low-scoring game. Virginia Tech will have to be sharp monitoring BC QB Thomas Castellanos and his immense rushing ability, though Castellanos has started to cool off lately.
Tech will find their offensive groove enough in this game with Bhayshul Tuten and Jaylin Lane leading the charge. Meanwhile, Tech's defense will slow down the Eagles 1-2 punch of Castellanos and Ky Robicheaux to take down the Eagles.
Pick: Virginia Tech 20, Boston College 17
Raza Umerani
A big part of me wanted to pick BC in this game for a very simple reason – until Virginia Tech proves that it is capable of winning on the road, it’s extremely difficult to predict it to do so. However, this feels like one the Hokies should be able to pull out.
For starters, I think this is a tremendous opportunity for the Hokies offense to bounce back from its disaster of a performance a week ago in Louisville. The Eagles don’t get much of a push up front – in fact, they rank second to last in the FBS in tackles for loss. Tech’s offensive line may have had its struggles thus far in 2023, but they’ll be up against a much softer front than they did a week ago. In turn, the running game should open up for both Bhayshul Tuten and Kyron Drones. The latter might see some huge opportunities, as BC has struggled to stop quarterback runs.
On the flip side, not many teams have had more success running its signal-caller than Boston College itself. Thomas Castellanos has been one of the most effective runners of the football in the ACC at any position, and Tech will have their hands full defending him, as they have also struggled against mobile quarterbacks. However, Castellanos has been dealing with some injuries that could limit him in that capacity, which would be massive for a Hokies defense that got gashed all day long on the ground last week.
All in all, while the Eagles are a solid team that poses a decent threat, the Hokies should have the edge when you look at how these two squads match up. If Tech’s defense can contain the big run against a BC offense led by a hobbled Castellanos, all their offense will have to do is simply score enough points. Against a lackluster defense, I like the odds of that.
Pick: Virginia Tech 22, Boston College 19
Ryan Duvall
The Hokies have another challenge in week 11 - Boston College. Typically the Eagles aren’t a power house, but at 6-3, Jeff Hafley’s squad has clinched bowl eligibility through just nine games.
What’s pretty remarkable about this BC team is the fact that the Eagles started an abysmal 1-3, before going on a five game stretch in which the team took down Virginia, Army, Georgia Tech, Connecticut, and Syracuse.
Like the Hokies, the Eagles hold a 3-2 conference record - with just one difference.
Boston College has shown its ability to win games on the road both in ACC play (@GT, @UVA) and out of it (@Army), while Virginia Tech has yet t0 go into enemy territory and come back to Blacksburg victors.
The Hokies inability to win on the road, in addition to a bad run defense and stagnant play calling when losing could lead to Boston College getting its seventh win - which would be its most since 2018, and the most in the Hafley era.
This game should be a shootout, with both teams making up for what they lack in defense with a solid offense. Boston College will just edge the Hokies out on a late Thomas Castellanos breakaway rushing touchdown.
Excited to see two dual-threat QB’s showdown in Chestnut Hill this Saturday. Big question for this game: Can the Eagles keep it rolling, or can Brent Pry and the Hokies claim their first road victory of 2023?
