Seminoles and Hokies In Early Season ACC Play
The Virginia Tech Hokies and the Florida State Seminoles play their season openers on Monday. Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium has the Week 1 contest. This game could do a long way in determining who plays in the ACC Championship Game. Oddsmakers opened the Seminoles as -6.5-point favorites versus the Hokies, while the game’s total opened at 52. The line is now Florida State -7 and the total is at 54. ESPN will televise the game at 8 pm EST. No. 19 Florida State begins the Willie Taggart era tonight. The 20th ranked Virginia Tech Hokies come to Tallahassee for an ACC showdown. Taggart coaches his third team in three years as he comes over from Oregon to replace Jimbo Fisher. The Seminoles look to build off a four-game winning streak that ended 2017. They extended their streak of winning seasons to 41. Virginia Tech begins play after going 19-8 in the first two years under coach Justin Fuente.Seminoles Have Lots of Question Marks
Taggart hands the quarterback reins to junior Deondre Francois. He beat out sophomore James Blackman for the job after missing most of 2017 with a knee injury. Sophomore running back Cam Akers told reporters of the Seminoles’ offense: “A lot of weapons, a lot of big plays, a lot of touchdowns, and a lot of points. That’s all you can expect.” Akers is back after rushing for 1,024 yards. That was the most ever by a Florida State freshman. Akers also had seven touchdowns in 2017. The Seminoles are experienced along the offensive line as well. Francois threw for 210 yards against Alabama in last year’s opener before going down with the injury. He will look to senior receiver Nyqwan Murray who had 40 catches and 604 yards. Junior Keith Gavin chipped in 27 catches and 278 yards.Hokies Return Some Key Starters
The Hokies will lean on talented quarterback Josh Jackson. He threw for a freshman school record 2,991 yards along with 20 touchdowns last year. They also boast a load of talent that they are excited to test on the big stage early on.Jackson looks to take a step forward after registering 3,315 yards of total offense. He completed 59.6 percent of his passes last year. He will have plenty of weapons at his disposal.
Sophomore Deshawn McClease had 530 yards and three TDs last season. He is the leading rusher that returns. Junior Eric Kumah and sophomore Sean Savoy combined for 67 catches for 778 yards in 2017.
Long-time defensive coordinator Bud Foster must introduce seven new starters on his unit. Senior defensive tackle Ricky Walker had 4.5 sacks last year. Junior defensive back Reggie Floyd had 72 tackles and three interceptions return to lead the way.
PREDICTION: Florida State 34, Virginia Tech 27
Recent Form
| Name | Record | ATS | Offense | Defense | Diff | ATS Home | ATS Away | OU Record | OU Home | OU Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Tech | 9-4 | 6-7 | 40.00 | 14.77 | 25.23 | 4-3 | 2-4 | 3-9-1 | 1-5-1 | 2-4 |
| Florida State | 7-6 | 4-8-1 | 14.00 | 21.23 | -7.23 | 3-4 | 1-4-1 | 6-7 | 4-3 | 2-4 |
Power Stats
Yards Per Point
| Name | Offense | Defense | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
| VTECH | 12.68 | 21.64 | -8.96 |
| FLAST | 22.57 | 15.59 | 6.98 |
Yards Per Pass
| Name | Offense | Defense | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
| VTECH | 15.01 | 14.96 | 0.05 |
| FLAST | 11.90 | 10.46 | 1.44 |
Yards Per Rush
| Name | Offense | Defense | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
| VTECH | 4.55 | 3.39 | 1.16 |
| FLAST | 2.72 | 3.78 | -1.06 |
Team Records
Virginia Tech Hokies
| Name | Record | Home | Away | ATS | ATS Home | ATS Away | Offense | Defense | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 9-4 | 6-1 | 3-3 | 6-7 | 4-3 | 2-4 | 28.15 | 14.77 | 13.38 |
| vs Conf | 5-3 | 3-1 | 2-2 | 3-5 | 2-2 | 1-3 | 23.13 | 15.13 | 8.00 |
| Last 3 | 2-1 | 1-0 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 17.00 | 14.67 | 2.33 |
Florida State Seminoles
| Name | Record | Home | Away | ATS | ATS Home | ATS Away | Offense | Defense | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 7-6 | 4-3 | 3-3 | 4-8-1 | 3-4 | 1-4-1 | 27.85 | 21.23 | 6.62 |
| vs Conf | 3-5 | 1-3 | 2-2 | 0-7-1 | 0-4 | 0-3-1 | 19.50 | 25.13 | -5.63 |
| Last 3 | 3-0 | 2-0 | 1-0 | 3-0 | 2-0 | 1-0 | 40.67 | 15.00 | 25.67 |
Supergrid
| Title | Stat | Rank | Stat | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Away Team Overall Scoring vs Home Team Overall Defense | 28.15 | 69 | 21.23 | 30 |
| Awy Team Road Passing vs Home Team Home Passing Defense | 245.50 | 44 | 221.00 | 75 |
| Away Team Road Rushing vs Home Team Home Rushing Defense | 175.50 | 44 | 117.00 | 28 |
| Home Team Overall Scoring vs Away Team Overall Defense | 27.85 | 71 | 14.77 | 4 |
| Hme Team Home Passing vs Away Team Road Passing Defense | 219.71 | 79 | 219.83 | 51 |
| Home Team Home Rushing vs Away Team Road Rushing Defense | 204.86 | 35 | 136.50 | 26 |
Head To Head Summary
| Name | Record | ATS | OU | Score | Rush | YPR | PA | CP | PY | TY | TO +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Tech | 2-5 | 3-4 | 6-1 | 27.71 | 128.29 | 3.10 | 30.43 | 54.46 | 251.14 | 379.43 | 1.86 |
| Florida State | 5-2 | 4-3 | 6-1 | 30.71 | 60.57 | 2.07 | 31.43 | 56.82 | 257.71 | 318.29 | 1.43 |
Head To Head Detail
| Date | Away | Home | Score | Line | Total | OU Result | ARY | APY | ATY | ATT | HRY | HPY | HTY | HTT | Away Team Attempts | Home Team Attempts | Away Team Completions | Home Team Completions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 8, 2012 | FLAST | VTECH | 28-22 | -15 | 326 | 311 | 2 | 87 | 298 | 385 | 3 | |||||||
| Dec 4, 2010 | FLAST | VTECH | 33-44 | 53 | 288 | 341 | 2 | 179 | 263 | 442 | 0 | |||||||
| Oct 25, 2008 | VTECH | FLAST | 20-30 | 82 | 161 | 243 | 2 | 89 | 159 | 248 | 0 | |||||||
| Nov 10, 2007 | FLAST | VTECH | 21-40 | 116 | 151 | 267 | 3 | 188 | 207 | 395 | 1 | |||||||
| Dec 3, 2005 | FLAST | VTECH | 27-22 | 47 | 225 | 272 | 0 | 41 | 335 | 376 | 2 | |||||||
| Jan 1, 2002 | VTECH | FLAST | 17-30 | 43 | 269 | 312 | 2 | 104 | 326 | 430 | 2 | |||||||
| Jan 4, 2000 | VTECH | FLAST | 29-46 | 278 | 225 | 503 | 3 | 30 | 329 | 359 | 1 |
College Football Betting Odds & Trends
| Virginia Tech Hokies | ||
|---|---|---|
| Virginia Tech is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games | ||
| VTech is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games | ||
| The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Virginia Tech’s last 6 games | ||
| VTech is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road | ||
| Virginia Tech is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games on the road | ||
| The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Virginia Tech’s last 5 games on the road | ||
| Virginia Tech is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Florida State | ||
| The total has gone OVER in 5 of Virginia Tech’s last 5 games when playing Florida State | ||
Florida State Seminoles |
||
|---|---|---|
| FState is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games | ||
| Florida State is 4-8-1 ATS in its last 13 games | ||
| FState is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games | ||
| Florida State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home | ||
| FState is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Virginia Tech | ||
| The total has gone OVER in 5 of Florida State’s last 5 games when playing Virginia Tech | ||
Team Last 5 Games
Virginia Tech Hokies
| Date | Opponent | score | Result | line | ATS Result | offensive rush yards | offensive passing yards | offensive total yards | defensive rush yards | defensive passing yards | defensive total yards | turnovers | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 28, 2017 | OKLAST | 21-30 | L | 6.5/60.5 | L/U | 248 | 270 | 518 | 141 | 351 | 492 | 2 | A |
| Nv 24, 2017 | VIRGNA | 10-0 | W | -6.5/48.5 | W/U | 202 | 143 | 345 | 5 | 186 | 191 | 0 | A |
| Nov 18, 2017 | PITT | 20-14 | W | -14/48.5 | L/U | 157 | 218 | 375 | 55 | 311 | 366 | -1 | H |
| Nv 11, 2017 | GATECH | 22-28 | L | -3/47.5 | L/O | 105 | 153 | 258 | 261 | 140 | 401 | -1 | A |
| Nov 4, 2017 | MI-FL | 10-28 | L | 2.5/49.5 | L/U | 102 | 197 | 299 | 219 | 210 | 429 | 1 | A |
Florida State Seminoles
| Date | Opponent | score | Result | line | ATS Result | offensive rush yards | offensive passing yards | offensive total yards | defensive rush yards | defensive passing yards | defensive total yards | turnovers | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 27, 2017 | S.MISS | 42-13 | W | -11.5/48 | W/O | 214 | 238 | 452 | 131 | 129 | 260 | -1 | H |
| Dec 2, 2017 | UL.MON | 42-10 | W | -25.5/63.5 | W/U | 305 | 199 | 504 | 38 | 262 | 300 | 2 | H |
| Nov 25, 2017 | FLA | 38-22 | W | -5/43.5 | W/O | 88 | 128 | 216 | 96 | 184 | 280 | -3 | A |
| Nv 18, 2017 | DELAST | 77-6 | W | -51/ | 246 | 236 | 482 | 15 | 177 | 192 | -2 | H | |
| Nov 11, 2017 | CLEM | 14-31 | L | 16/44.5 | L/O | 21 | 208 | 229 | 227 | 151 | 378 | 0 | A |