3 bold Virginia Tech football predictions against Rutgers

Through the first three weeks of the college football season, things have gone smoothly for Rutgers, while Virginia Tech has had some bumps in the road. The Scarlet Knights come in at 2-0 and off their first bye of the season. The Hokies are 2-1 after a disappointing season-opening loss at Vanderbilt followed by wins over Marshall and Old Dominion.

Saturday afternoon at Lane Stadium, the two teams will square off in the best non-conference game for each team who would love to get a statement victory. Rutgers comes in as an underdog according to most betting sites, but the line has gone down as many people are picking the visitors to come in and get a victory. We are one day away from kickoff and here are three bold predictions for the 3:30 game.

Rutgers RB Kyle Monangai rushes for over 175 yards

Some say that the Scarlet Knights have the best player on the field and they may be correct. Running back Kyle Monangai rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns last season on the Hokies and after watching the Tech run defense through the first three weeks, it’s hard to see them containing Monangai.

Virginia Tech’s defensive line transfer additions should help defend the run better, but they have shown leaks at times, and for Rutgers to exploit that. If the Hokies can do a better job against Monangai this season, and that’s a big if, then it improves their chances of winning. You get the feeling Monangai is going to be the difference, again. He has the capability of breaking off multiple big plays.

Virginia Tech wins, but doesn’t cover again

This is going to be a battle for the full 60 minutes. This season, the Hokies are more prepared for the physical play that Rutgers is going to bring and you get the feeling the offensive line will play better and is more prepared. It is vital that Virginia Tech gets Bhayshul Tuten going who is capable of breaking a big run at any time.

This will come down to the game’s final possession and the feeling here is a late John Love field goal ends up being the difference with a 3.5-point spread according to DraftKings. This is a huge game and result for both teams with each team facing a difficult conference schedule coming up.

Take the over

This one is the boldest of them all. The over/under is 45 points according to DraftKings and a lot of experts are leaning toward the under. Not me. Both offenses will be able to move the ball and put up points. For some reason, the gut says take the over.

Ultimately, this will be a smashmouth battle between two teams looking to take the next step in 2024. Whoever wins will begin conference play with a lot of momentum and a signature win in late September.