Virginia Tech at Duke
Time: 6 PM CT
Spread: DUKE -5
Total: 50
Odds c/o 5dimes
Duke has been on the ascent the past several seasons, but now it finally finds itself with a legitimate No. 22 AP Ranking. The Blue Devils are 4-0 as it enters Week 5 hosting Virginia Tech as 5-point favorites.
The over/under is set at 50 points according to college football oddsmakers at bookmaker 5dimes.
DUKE
The biggest difference between this year’s Blue Devils and past failures is that Duke finally boasts a strong, stingy, fast and exciting defense. Duke is No. 16 in points allowed, giving up just 15.3 points per game while its offense has continued to roll with 37.5 points per game (T-No. 37).
The Blue Devils are, however, without starting quarterback Daniel Jones most likely. He sustained a broken clavicle in Week 2, but it remains possible he plays this week if he is medically cleared. Jones is vital as an experienced junior, and he threw for 2,691 yards last season. His backup Quintin Harris struggles with accuracy (49.2 percent passing), but he has yet to throw a pick and still has a decent passer rating of 138.0 due to his six TDs thus far.
Harris is also a rushing threat, with his 26 carries for 141 yards and a touchdown. The top passing targets have been Jonathan Lloyd and TJ Rahming, who have caught for 243 and 158 yards, respectively, and each has scored three TDs already. Duke’s backfield is also deep, with three big options in Brittain Brown, Deon Jackson, and Marvin Hubbard III. Jackson and Brown both average better than five-yards per-carry, and have scored five TDs between them. Duke averages five yards-per-carry as a team, as well, with eight rushing TDs and three backs with 30-plus yard attempts on the season.
The offensive line has been creating great holes and blocking well, but one cannot ignore just how good Brown is. He rushed for 701 yards last year as a true freshman and seems to have only improved.
The next step will be using him more as a receiver, but with Duke’s wide receiving core proving to be so strong, it has hardly proved necessary to option Brown that much thus far, with his one catch on the season being a 44-yard reception.
VA TECH
Virginia Tech is 2-1 on the season. It defeated then- No. 19 FSU in Week 1, trounced William and Mary in week 2, and lost to Old Dominion 35-49 last week. Week 3 saw its matchup against Eastern Carolina University get canceled due to Hurricane Florence.
Defensive issues abounded last week against Old Dominion. The Friars racked up 495 passing yards and 137 rushing yards as Blake LaRussa threw 30 of 49 and Jeremy Cox rushed 20 times for 130 yards. The Hokies combination of Josh Jackson and Ryan Willis threw 17 of 34, but Jackson threw an interception. Steven Peoples was superb at running back, with 156 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns. Damon Hazelton did most of the receiving work with 154 of the 282 total passing yards, including a long catch of 72-yards.
The Hokies still have solid defensive standing at No. 54 in the nation in allowing 23 points per game, but it needs the unit to replicate its greatness in the upset it pulled on FSU, rather than the lackluster effort it showed against the Friars last week. The Hokies have enough offense to win games, but it cannot surrender 49 points as it did a week ago.
The good news is that its conference hopes remain alive since it has yet to dive into the ACC portion of its schedule. However, chances are the results may be far less favorable than the likes of its 62-17 win over William and Mary.
