Let’s take a look back at my preseason predictions for the first half of the season:
As you can see, I had Tech at 2-4 at this point in the season but I had Tech beating Purdue and losing to Pitt. Either way, so far the Hokies have met expectations. They need to finish the season strong to a) make a bowl or b) improve upon last year’s 3-win record.
The second half slate seems very manageable. Louisville is a tough road game. Syracuse may be a bit better than expected. But other than that, the rest of the games are winnable. The Hokies have to avoid shooting themselves in the foot — something they’ve been very good at in the first half of the season.
What will it take to get there? First, stop the run. The Hokies do not have a natural middle linebacker on the roster but they need to find something that works. Even if it means playing somebody out of position. Right now, it’s too easy to find running room against this defense. The Hokies are going to have to go trial-and-error until they find someone who can play that position.
Second, the Hokies need to embrace being a run-first team. That is their identity. The Hokies should be running 2/3rds of the time on offense. Tuten is a game-breaker. Thomas can get tough yards after contact. And Drones is an effective runner. An offense built around those three with Lane and Felton as deep threats can be effective. The Hokies offense needs to lean into this philosophy on offense.
Offensive MVP: Bhayshul Tuten
Defensive MVP: Antwaun Powell-Ryland / Pheldarius Payne
Special Teams MVP: Tucker Holloway / Bhayshul Tuten
I’m going to go ahead and stick with my second half preseason predictions. Wake and Syracuse are winnable at home. Louisville will be tough on the road. We never seem to play well up at Boston College. NC State is tough with a new QB but Tech can win that one at home and UVA is the worst team in the league this season. The Hokies finish the schedule either 3-3 or 4-2. That means either a bowl game or a 5-win season which is a 2-game improvement over last year. Get moving in the right direction, recruit and try again next year.
treadmillhorse 