Free Pick: Virginia Tech at West Virginia 9/18/21

This is another non-conference game featuring the ACC against the Big12. The Hokies pulled off an upset of North Carolina in Week 1 and beat Middle Tennessee to go to 2-0. The Mountaineers lost at Maryland in a close game before routing out-manned Long Island last week. The Hokies come in as a slight underdog.

Scouting Virginia Tech: The Hokies have been very balanced on offense and have only committed 2 turnovers while forcing 4 from their opponents. Quarterback, Braxton Burmeister has thrown for 311 yards in two games with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. He has been efficient but hasn’t had to make many plays to win games. He also is the leading rusher with 94 yards. Jalen Holston is the leading running back with 82 yards on 18 carries. The leading receivers have 4 catches so there have been very few standouts. There is nothing flashy about this offense and they will have to be better in Morgantown on Saturday. Virginia Tech has been outstanding on defense led by Alan Tisdale and Nasir Peoples who have combined for 32 tackles. Amare Barno and TyJuan Garbutt have put pressure on opposing quarterbacks and have combined for 4 sacks. Cornerback, Jermaine Waller has picked off two passes. This is a solid bunch and they will play well on Saturday.

Scouting West Virginia: The Mountaineers are going to have better stats than Virginia Tech because of Game 2 against a weak opponent. Jarret Doerge has completed 38 of 62 passes for 536 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Leddie Brown is the leading rusher with 32 carries for 115 yards. Four receivers have combined for 23 catches and 346 yards. So, it would appear that the Mountaineers have an advantage on offense. Defensively, they are led by Josh Chandler-Semedo, Sean Mahone, and Akheem Mesidor who have 38 tackles between them. They didn’t play very well against Maryland and were gashed for 501 yards. They will need to step up against the Hokies.

We have some idea of who Virginia Tech but not as much about West Virginia. The Hokies have the big win over North Carolina and that is much better than what West Virginia has accomplished. However, the Mountaineers play very well in Morgantown and the Tech offense has not shown much to be afraid of. This is going to be a close one and even though Virginia Tech is ranked, they are a 3 point underdog.

Aaron’s Pick: West Virginia -3

Papa Dudes Pick: Virginia Tech +3