Louisville vs Virginia Tech Preview and Prediction

This is the best that Virginia Tech football has looked in a couple of years. The offense, defense and special teams all appear to be getting the job done right now. The last three wins have not come against great competition but it has been an opportunity for the Hokies to build some confidence. They looked like a very confident team on Thursday against Syracuse.

SP+ Rankings

Virginia Tech

Overall: 59th
Offense: 80th
Defense: 37th
Special Teams: 22nd

Louisville

Overall: 24th
Offense: 32nd
Defense: 19th
Special Teams: 41st

Louisville’s offense is predicated on the run. They lean on star RB Jawhar Jordan to do the heavy lifting. The one game where he went out early is the only game they have lost this season. Virginia Tech should focus on bottling up Jordan and make QB Jack Plummer beat them with his arm. This should be a good test for the Virginia Tech defense that has had trouble stopping the run against talented running backs this season.

Louisville is top-10 in the nation at stopping the run. If the Hokies hope to move the ball against this defense, it will have to be through the air. This is a game where Tech will need Jaylin Lane and Da’Quan Felton to show up huge in the passing game. Louisville is not going to let Tech’s running game have a day like they did against Syracuse.

Louisville is an extremely well-coached team. This team has done an exceptional job of handling their business this year. They have talent, they are well-coached and have a good gameplan each week. On paper, Louisville should be the clear #2 team in the ACC right now behind Florida State. Virginia Tech has a chance in this game. They need to come in an play their best game of the season. They need a clean game defensively where they do not give up big runs to Jawhar Jordan. And they need to be turnover-free on offense. Based on how Tech has been playing recently, I think they can keep this a competitive game but Louisville is clearly one step ahead of where the Hokies are right now.

Prediction: Louisville 33, Virginia Tech 23