ACC crown up for grabs in clash between Eagles and Hokies

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12/03/2008 - Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An automatic bid to the Orange Bowl will be on the line Saturday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, as the Boston College Eagles and the Virginia Tech Hokies duke it out for the ACC title.

This game is a rematch of last season's league championship bout which was won by Virginia Tech, 30-16. Earlier this season, however, the Eagles beat the Hokies by a 28-23 final in front of the home crowd in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

Boston College, currently ranked 18th in the country, has never earned a BCS bowl bid, but don't expect the Eagles to enter this tilt short on confidence. After all, they won 11 games a year ago and have nine victories to their credit so far this season under the guidance of head coach Jeff Jagodzinski. They are currently riding a four-game win streak that includes a thrilling 28-21 triumph over Maryland last weekend.

Virginia Tech captured the ACC Coastal Division crown with a 17-14 decision over Virginia last Saturday. "Some years, putting this on means more than others," said head coach Frank Beamer, who was wearing the ACC championship game patch on a lanyard around his neck after the win over the rival Cavaliers. "But this one is about as special as it gets."

The Hokies are making their third appearce in the ACC title contest and will attempt to retain their conference crown. Tech finished 8-4 in the regular season, including 5-3 in league play, and while those records aren't particularly impressive, the ACC has more parity than any other conference in the nation, so every game seemed to be a challenge. The Hokies were 6-0 at home during the regular season, key to their success.

Although Virginia Tech owns a 10-6 series lead over Boston College, the Eagles beat the Hokies earlier this season as mentioned above.

Boston College is scoring a solid 26.7 ppg despite the fact that the offense is generating a lackluster 319.3 total ypg. Last season, the Eagles were guided by quarterback Matt Ryan, who is now starring for the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL. With Ryan gone, senior Chris Crane has taken the majority of the snaps this season with modest results. Unfortunately for Crane, he broke his collarbone two weeks ago and will miss the remainder of this season. His replacement, freshman Dominique Davis, threw a pair of touchdowns last weekend against Maryland, including a 45-yard strike to Rich Gunnell.

A versatile performer, Gunnell has caught 42 passes for 437 yards and three touchdowns while also excelling in the return game. The ground attack is paced by Montel Harris, who has rushed for 798 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 5.1 ypc. Boston College almost landed on its average exactly with 318 total yards against the Terps, and Davis threw for 134 yards without an interception. He will certainly be tested this weekend by the Virginia Tech defense, and it will be interested to see how the inexperienced quarterback responds. "He managed the game," said Jagodzinki of Davis last week. If he does the same against the Hokies, the Eagles may very well earn a trip to the Orange Bowl.

Opponents are only generating 17.6 ppg against a tough Boston College defense. The unit has been tremendous against the run, holding foes to 87.3 ypg and 2.9 ypc. The fact that the Eagles have 25 interceptions through 12 outings suggests that they have been equally strong against the pass. They have 32 sacks to their credit, so the big-play ability of this defense is off the charts and is rivaled by few teams in the nation. Mark Herzlich leads the Eagles with 98 total tackles, and he has 10 TFLs to his credit. The fact that Herzlich has intercepted six passes and forced two fumbles helps explain why many feel he is the top defender in the ACC this season. "He's a special player," said coach Jagodzinski of his junior linebacker. "He has really stepped up and I think that the defense really feeds off of him and what he does out there."

B.J. Raji has seven sacks for Boston College, and Paul Anderson has five interceptions.

Boston College allowed Maryland to score three touchdowns last weekend, and all those scores came on drives of 60 or more yards. The Terps finished with 360 passing yards but just 354 total yards, as they had minus-six yards on 26 rushing attempts. The Eagles did come up with a pair of interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

Virginia Tech has struggled to move the ball and score points this season. The team is only averaging 21.6 ppg and 301.3 total ypg, low figures for a squad that has reached its conference title game. The Hokies have scored only 24 offensive touchdowns this season, 18 of which have come on the ground. Tech is led by quarterback's Tyrod Taylor and Sean Glennon. Taylor has seen more snaps, and while he isn't quite as good a passer as Glennon, Taylor is much more capable of making plays in the running game. He has rushed for 661 yards and four scores, second only to the 998 yards and nine touchdowns of Darren Evans.

In the thrilling victory over Virginia last weekend, the Hokies ran the ball 52 times and finished with 216 rushing yards. Taylor was tremendous, as he rushed for 137 yards while also completing 12-of-18 passes for 137 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Jarrett Boykin hauled in that scoring strike, and he finished with six catches for 65 yards.

The Hokies seem to play strong defense every year, and this season has been no different. They are limiting opponents to 17.9 ppg and 274.5 total ypg, impressive numbers by any standard. Foes are gaining a mere 112.2 rushing ypg and 3.3 ypc. The pass defense has been solid as well for the most part, although the Hokies are yielding 13.2 yards per pass completion. A strength of the defense has been its play on third down, as Tech is limiting its opponents to 32 percent success on conversion attempts. Purnell Sturdivant leads the Hokies with 87 total tackles, and Jason Worilds has recorded 16.5 TFLs, including seven sacks. As for Victor Harris, he has six interceptions to his credit.

Against Virginia last weekend, the Hokies allowed only 12 first downs and 249 total yards. The Cavs were able to post 172 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground, but Virginia Tech was much better against the pass.

Give a narrow edge to Virginia Tech, as defensive coordinator Bud Foster will find a way to rattle Boston College's freshman quarterback. "Coach Foster is the best coordinator in the nation,"said Tech cornerback Macho Harris. "I say that proudly."