The Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-5) face off against the Virginia Tech Hokies (6-6) on Friday, January 3rd. This game will be played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte and televised on ESPN. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Kickoff is set for 7:30 ET.

Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Virginia Tech Hokies

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Minnesota Offense Breakdown

Minnesota’s offense ranks 57th in scoring, averaging 26.3 points per game, and they are 56th in our offensive power rankings heading into week 11. Their passing game is their strength, ranking 32nd in completions and averaging 221 yards per game. They convert 46.2% of their third downs, the 19th best mark in the country, and rank 13th in completion percentage.

Max Brosmer leads the team with 2,617 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, and five interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 96. Darius Taylor has rushed for 873 yards and nine touchdowns, while Daniel Jackson has 75 catches for 863 yards and four touchdowns.

Virginia Tech Offense Breakdown

Virginia Tech’s offense is centered around their rushing attack, ranking 37th in rushing attempts and averaging 187.8 yards per game on the ground. Bhayshul Tuten leads the way with 1,158 rushing yards, 15 touchdowns, and an impressive 6 yards per carry. The Hokies are averaging 29.7 points per game, placing them 41st nationally, and they are ranked 59th in our offensive power rankings heading into this week.

Kyron Drones has thrown for 1,562 yards with 10 touchdowns and 6 interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 85. Virginia Tech ranks 101st in passing yards per game. Stephen Gosnell leads the receiving corps with 497 yards and one touchdown.

Minnesota Team Defense

Heading into their matchup with Wisconsin, Minnesota’s defense ranked ninth nationally, allowing just 17.5 points per game. They also ranked 24th in the country, giving up 178.3 passing yards per game, and 28th in rushing yards allowed, at 113.7 yards per game.

Against Wisconsin, Minnesota’s defense allowed just seven points, giving up only 167 total yards. Wisconsin managed just 37 rushing yards on 23 attempts, while completing 15 of 32 passes for 130 yards.

Minnesota Team Defense

Virginia Tech’s defense has allowed an average of 22.8 points per game this season, ranking 31st nationally. In their latest game, a 37-17 win over Virginia, they gave up 17 points and forced two interceptions. The Hokies allowed 274 total yards, including 96 rushing yards on 32 attempts and 178 passing yards.

Opponents have averaged 147.2 rushing yards per game and 214.2 passing yards against Virginia Tech. Quarterbacks have completed 55.1% of their passes, which is the 17th-lowest completion rate in the country, with a passer rating of 79.3 against the Hokies.

Minnesota vs Virginia Tech Trends

• Minnesota has played well in their previous three road games, going 2-1 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 22 points per game while allowing 16. The team also performed well vs the spread at 2-1.
• In their last ten games at home, the Virginia Tech Hokies have a straight up record of 5-5 while going 6-4 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 33 points per game in these contests.
• Looking back on the team’s last five games as the underdog, the Virginia Tech Hokies have a straight up record of 1-4. Their record vs the spread in these games was 3-2.
• The Minnesota Golden Gophers have played well in their last three games as the betting favorite, going 2-1 straight up and 2-1 against the spread.

Golden Gophers vs Hokies Prediction

Our projections have Virginia Tech winning their week one matchup against Minnesota, with a final score of 25-22. Virginia Tech is the home underdog, but we like their chances to cover the spread, as they are currently at +5.5.

With the over/under line set at 42.5 points, we see a lot of value in taking the over, as our projections have these teams combining for 47 points.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.