Vegas ACC Predictions Week 9 Highlighted by Georgia Tech-Pittsburgh
Saturday Blitz Vegas ACC Predictions Week 9
Miami Hurricanes at Virginia Tech Hokies
Line: Miami by 3
Just like Georgia Tech-Pittsburgh, it would have been laughable to consider this game a toss-up no more than a month ago. Now, Miami appears to be significantly improving, and Virginia Tech is on a dramatic downward slide. If any Miami fans are watching this Saturday (which tends to rarely happen), they’ll know that this game depends on how much Brad Kaaya has continued to develop. The defense is fine unless it’s playing an option offense the way it did against Georgia Tech, and the offense has a secure running game with Duke Johnson. How the season plays out depends on Kaaya. And recently, he’s played very well, so that’s a sign of encouragement.
Virginia Tech, meanwhile, has bigger problems. It seems like the offense has to take the good with the bad with Michael Brewer. We have said over the past few weeks that the key to winning for Virginia Tech is to make sure Brewer doesn’t turn the ball over. Scratch that. When he focuses on limiting turnovers, he can’t make plays, and they need him to do that to win games. So the key is for his good plays to outnumbers his bad plays. That’s tough to do all the time, and going up against a good Miami defense, Brewer will have to overachieve. Otherwise, this is another Hokies loss.
Prediction
Al Golden’s Hurricanes are starting to find themselves with a young quarterback who is getting better, and it will show Thursday night on the road. Kaaya will have a couple of nice touchdowns, Johnson will do what he does, and the defense will force too many mistakes from Brewer. The combination of those things will lead to a Miami victory.
Miami: 27 Virginia Tech: 17