North Carolina vs. Virginia Tech Line has Hokies at -11
The North Carolina vs. Virginia Tech line was coming in at Hokies -11. This is an important ACC Coastal Division game. You can bet it here at Sportsbook.com and claim up to $250 in cash!
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Virginia Tech -10.5 & 47
Opening Line & Total: Hokies -11 & 47
No. 8 Virginia Tech goes for its sixth straight win when it hosts North Carolina on Thursday night. The Hokies now control their own destiny in the ACC Coastal Division, leading Virginia by one game with two games left on the schedule. Virginia and Virginia Tech meet next week in what could determine the division champion.
The Hokies were impressive in beating then-No. 20 Georgia Tech last Thursday, 37-26, but that was just their second ATS win over an FBS school this year (2-7 ATS). UNC had a terrible day at NC State in its last game on Nov. 5, losing 13-0 and watching starting QB Bryn Renner get knocked out of the game with a concussion. But the bye week gave Renner time to recover and he will start on Thursday night. And history shows that the Tar Heels are usually able to get their offense back on track after a low scoring game, going 13-2 ATS (87%) after playing a game where 24 total points or less were scored, since 1992. And the last time UNC visited Blacksburg in 2009 as a 14.5-point underdog, not only did the Heels cover, but they also won the game outright, 20-17.
Renner leads the ACC and ranks seventh in the nation in passing efficiency (164.70), thanks mostly to completing 71.4% of his passes. His last game was the first time he had failed to throw a touchdown pass all year, totaling 19 TD and 11 INT on the year. Senior WR Dwight Jones has been his go-to receiver, gaining 80+ yards in eight of 10 games this year and totaling 63 catches for 913 yards and 8 TD. Jones has been kept out of the end zone in three straight games though. Freshman RB Giovani Bernard has 1,012 rushing yards (5.4 YPC) and 11 TD, but has been limited to 91 yards on 29 carries (3.1 YPC) in his past two road games.
Defensively, UNC has been strong in stopping the run (108 YPG, 18th in nation), but has struggled in the passing game (248 YPG, 90th in nation). The Heels have a brutal turnover margin of minus-8 in their past three defeats.
Although Carolina won its last trip to Blacksburg, the Hokies prevailed in each of the other six meetings (4-2 ATS) as ACC foes. Tech RB David Wilson rushed for 175 yards in last week’s win at Georgia Tech and now leads the nation with 1,360 yards on the season. He is riding a streak of seven consecutive games of gaining at least 120 rushing yards. Junior QB Logan Thomas has also played outstanding football during the five-game win streak, throwing for 1,257 yards (251 YPG), 10 TD and 2 INT. Thomas has orchestrated five straight 400-yard performances for this offense.
Despite allowing 26 points and 243 rushing yards to Georgia Tech, the Hokies still rank eighth in the country in scoring defense (16.5 PPG) and 11th in total defense (303 YPG). A big part of this success has come from the relentless front four. Virginia Tech, despite numerous key injuries, ranks fifth in the nation in sacks, tallying 3.2 per game. That’s not good news for UNC and Renner, who has been sacked 22 times this year, including 14 times in the past five games.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
