Purdue at Virginia Tech

Purdue was victimized by poor execution in short-yardage situations as it was 4 of 16 on third and fourth downs while losing 39-35 to Fresno State last week. Hudson Card was 17 of 30 for 254 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions and the Boilermakers finished with 364 total yards of offense, but they were stymied in some crucial situations. Purdue's defense still expects to be good with new coach Ryan Walters, who is a former defensive coordinator with the Boilermakers and was at Illinois last year. Purdue started 8-4 in 2022 before running into juggernauts Michigan and LSU, and finished 8-6. Virginia Tech beat Old Dominion with Grant Wells completing 17 of 29 for 251 yards and three TDs, but the Hokies gained only 109 yards on the ground and that is a problem that has carried over from last season when they had trouble running the ball. Virginia Tech is 8-4 UNDER its past 12 games and it has gone UNDER four in a row after allowing more than 200 yards rushing its previous game. The Boilermakers came close in their opener and just need to take better advantage on short-yardage plays and they still are the better team in this matchup. Take Purdue to win straight-up, and grab the UNDER as a Max Play.