Middle Tennessee at Virginia Tech - 9/11/21 College Football Picks and Prediction
Photo by Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports
Virginia Tech Hokies (1-0) vs Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (1-0)
Game Info: Saturday, September 11, 2021 at 2:00 pm (Lane Stadium/Worsham Field)
Betting Odds: Virginia Tech Hokies -20 -- Over/Under: 54 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders will travel to Lane Stadium to take on the 19th ranked Virginia Tech Hokies this Saturday afternoon in College Football action.
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders opened their season with a victory after defeating the FCS Monmouth Hawks, 50-15, this past Saturday. Middle Tennessee was solid defensively against Monmouth and had no trouble pulling away after a 44-yard pick-six by the Blue Raiders Teldrick Ross gave Middle Tennessee a 36-15 lead early in the 4th quarter. Middle Tennessee outgained Monmouth by a 360-274 margin while also winning the turnover battle by a 4-0 margin in the victory. Offensively, Middle Tennessee was led by QB Bailey Hockman who completed 17 of 22 passes for 215 yards & 3 TD. The top receiving threats for the Blue Raiders were Jaylin Lane (4 rec, 91 yards, 1 TD), CJ Windham (5 rec, 46 yards, TD), DJ England-Chisolm (2 rec, 42 yards, TD), & Jarrin Pierce (4 rec, 38 yards). Leading the way for the Middle Tennessee backfield was the trio of Frank Peasant (5 car, 27 yards), Brad Anderson (3 car, 25 yards), & Chaton Mobley (4 car, 24 yards, TD).
Defensively, Middle Tennessee recovered 3 fumbles on top of their pick-six and held Monmouth to just 17 first downs in the game. Leading the way for the Blue Raiders defense was DQ Thomas (9 tackles, 2 TFL), Teldrick Ross (7 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD), & Jurriente Davis (4 tackles, 1 fumble recovery).
The 19th ranked Virginia Tech Hokies opened their season in impressive victory after upsetting the 10th ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, 17-10, this past Friday. Virginia Tech was outstanding defensively against UNC’s Sam Howell and the high-octane Tar Heels offense and was able to hold onto the victory late after a 48-yard FG by John Parker gave the Hokies a 17-7 lead with 14:18 left in the 4th quarter. Virginia Tech was outgained by North Carolina by a 354-296 margin, however, did win the turnover battle by a 3-2 margin in the victory. Offensively, Virginia Tech was led by QB Braxton Burmeister who completed 12 of 19 passes for 169 yards, 1 TD, & 1 INT while also rushing for 42 yards & 1 TD. The top receiving threats for the Burmeister and the Hokies were Raheem Blackshear (3 rec, 66 yards), Tre Turner (4 rec, 64 yards), & James Mitchell (3 rec, 36 yards, TD). Leading the way for the Hokies backfield was Jalen Holston who had 49 rushing yards on 13 carries.
Defensively, Virginia Tech was outstanding throughout the game as they racked up 6 sacks and 3 INT against the Tar Heels. Leading the way for the defense was Chamarri Conner (8 tackles, 1 INT), Alan Tisdale (7 tackles, 1 sack), & TyJuan Garbutt (5 tackles, 2 sacks).
The Blue Raiders are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 September games and just 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight up win. The Hokies are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games and 11-5 ATS in their last 16 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
I’m not reading too much into Middle Tennessee’s victory over Monmouth as this is still a team that has struggled over the past two years and in my opinion, not much better defensively than the team that finished last season ranked t-102 in scoring defense & 100th in total yards allowed. Virginia Tech was outstanding in their 1st game and although the offense can be a bit inconsistent, there is no doubting that the Virginia Tech defense is going to have an outstanding year after seeing them dominate what will be one of the better offenses in the country. Lane Stadium is one of the toughest places for opponents to play at and as I think the defense keeps Middle Tennessee offense to under 10 points, I think the Hokies do enough in this one to cover this large spread. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Virginia Tech Hokies -20
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Mitch's Take...
