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Virginia Tech Hokies (1-2, 0-0) at Boston College Eagles (2-0, 0-0)
Time: Noon EDT
Date: Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010
Place: Alumni Stadium (44,500), Chestnut Hill, Mass.
TV: ACC Network (The Artist Formerly Known as Raycom)
Boston College: The Eagles are 2-0 with wins over Weber State and Kent State ... the BC ground game has struggled with inconsistency as Montel Harris as averaged 4.1 yards per carry and reached the end zone once in his first two games ... on defense, the Eagles never let Weber State or Kent State establish anything on the ground, holding them to 1.9 ypc ... Dave Shinskie appears to be ensconced as the BC quarterback as his backup, Mike Marscovetra, attempted just six passes in the first two games.
Trends: The Hokies have lost their last two trips to BC and last won there in 2002 ... BC has lost two consecutive ACC openers ... since joining the ACC in 2004, Virginia Tech is 19-5 in road conference games ... Tech is 4-4 in its last eight ACC road games after winning 15 of its first 16 ... since joining the ACC in 2005, BC is 15-5 in home conference games ... the Hokies are 6-0 in ACC openers.
History Lesson: Virginia Tech is 12-6 all-time against Boston College, with the first meeting taking place in 1993 ... the Hokies are 5-4 all-time in Chestnut Hill ... in their last meeting, the Hokies jumped out to a 34-0 halftime lead on their way to a 48-14 win ... in their last meeting at BC, the Hokies struggled on offense and converted 5 of 17 third downs en route to a 28-23 defeat ... this is the second consecutive season the Hokies and Eagles have played on ACC Network (formerly known as Raycom) ... prior to last year's Noon start on Raycom, the Hokies and Eagles had played four consecutive regular season night games.
What to Expect
- Don't expect Ryan Williams. I have absolutely no inside information, but I'll be surprised if he plays after the hamstring injury he suffered against ECU. Now that the national title is out of the question, this season becomes a marathon, not a sprint. We don't want the injury to become a nagging one for Williams.
- Expect Darren Evans and David Wilson to split carries, but expect Wilson to get them when it matters. It seems crazy that the veteran Evans wouldn't be the guy in the clutch, but with the way Wilson is running with the ball and Evans' troubles with fumbles, I think Wilson will be the guy getting the fourth quarter touches.
- Expect mistakes. This is the first true road game a lot of the Hokies' defense and I wouldn't be surprised if the first half against BC looks like a lot of the bad halves we saw earlier this year. The key will be to keep the game close and have a second half that mirrors the second half against ECU.
- Expect a lot more Antone Exum. The kid has played well when given the chance and the resulting lineup shuffling will probably leave Jeron Gouveia-Winslow on the bench.