Free Daily Lock Pick: MLB: Atlanta vs. Philadelphia – September 13th – (100% Confidence Release)
Click to see the pick now
The (1-1 SU and 1-1 ATS) Virginia Tech Hokies and (2-0 SU and 2-0 ATS) Rutgers Scarlet Knights will play Saturday at SHI Stadium. Kickoff from Piscataway, NJ, is at 3:30 p.m. ET.
The Scarlet Knights are 6.5-point spread favorites and the game total is 39.5 points.
Virginia Tech has an over/under win total of 5.5 victories. It lost its last game 24-17 at home to Purdue. The Hokies were 3-8 overall and 1-5 on the road in 2022.
Rutgers has an over/under win total of four victories. It beat Temple 36-7 at home last week. The Scarlet Knights were 4-8 overall and 2-4 at home last season.
VT tight end Nick Gallo (30 receptions for 256 yards in 2022) is out for the season with a knee injury and wide receiver Ali Jennings (54 receptions for 959 yards and nine TDs in 2022 at Old Dominion) is o ut for Saturday's game with a foot injury. Starting quarterback Grant Wells (2,171 passing yards, nine TDs, and nine INTS in 2022) is questionable with an ankle injury, WR Jaylin Layne (69 receptions for 940 yards and three TDs in 2022 at Middle Tennessee) is questionable with an undisclosed injury, and safety Nasir Peoples (59 tackles in 2022) is questionable with an undisclosed injury.
RU running back Aaron Young (56 carries for 205 yards and five rushing TDs in 2022), WR Chris Long (15 receptions for 200 yards in 2022), WR Naseim Brantley (53 receptions for 903 yards and nine TDs in 2022 with Western Illinois), WR Rutgers Scarlet Knights0, offensive tackle Rutgers Scarlet Knights1 and linebacker Rutgers Scarlet Knights2 are all questionable with undisclosed ailments.
Michael Briggs is your trusted college football expert at W&W! Rutgers Scarlet Knights3 at Mike's daily packages and seasonal subscriptions for all his best bets. You should also Rutgers Scarlet Knights4 on Twitter!
The Hokies endured a six-hour weather delay last week in their seven-point loss to the Boilermakers. VT rallied from a 17-point deficit to tie the game at halftime but was shut out in the second half, allowing Purdue to win with just one score.
The Hokies' ground game was pathetic, rushing 22 times for 11 yards. It was also ineffective against Old Dominion in week one (2.5 yards per carry). The passing game wasn't electric either, as Wells completed 16 of 33 passes for two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was relieved by Baylor transfer Kyron Drones, who completed one pass for eight yards and rushed three times for two yards.
The defense couldn't get off the field, as Purdue held the ball for 16 minutes longer than Virginia Tech. A week after surrendering over 200 rushing yards to the Monarchs, the VT defense was lackluster again, allowing 427 total yards of offense.
Whoever is taking snaps under center on Saturday will need a complementary rushing attack. The VT ground game was MIA in 2022, averaging 3.1 rushing yards per attempt for 110.8 yards per game. The run blocking will need to improve — can a young but experienced group accomplish that? If it can't, the hobbled Wells or inexperienced Drones will be in dire straits with at least one of VT's top receivers sidelined.
Second-year head coach Brent Pry, who came to Blacksburg after a successful stint as the Penn State DC, has to rally his defense to take a stand this week. The Hokies return a ton of experience and acquired plenty of talent via the portal, but the results aren't there yet.
The D-line penetrated the backfield often enough last year but didn't record too many sacks. The VT defensive backs also didn't get their hands on the football enough in 2022 and will be un reliable on Saturday against an improving Rutgers passing attack without a pass rush.
Free Daily Lock Pick: MLB: Atlanta vs. Philadelphia – September 13th – (100% Confidence Release) Click to see the pick now