Virginia Tech needed a strong road performance. That performance against Boston College was about as good as you could ask for. The Hokies appear to be hitting their stride right now. They need one win in the next two games to be bowl eligible. Getting a win at home on Senior Day would be the best way to get there.
SP+ Rankings
Virginia Tech
Overall: 62nd
Offense: 71st
Defense: 43rd
Special Teams: 15th
NC State
Overall: 42nd
Offense: 75th
Defense: 16th
Special Teams: 17th
The NC State offense has had some real struggles this season. This offense reminds me of Virginia Tech’s offense last season. Brennan Armstrong, former UVA QB, has given the NC State offense a bit of a boost since MJ Morris decided to redshirt for the rest of the season. Brennan Armstrong is the type of QB that usually gives the Hokies trouble. He’s an accurate QB, completing nearly 60% of his passes, and is also a run threat. The Hokies will have to be focused on bottling him up the same way they did Thomas Castellanos last week. The NC State running backs don’t really scare me but they need to be accounted for in a run-first offense. Tech should make Armstrong have to throw the ball since he’s been known to throw an interception or two. This offense looks a lot like Syracuse and Boston College’s offenses.
The NC State defense is just as good as Florida State and Louisville’s. If NC State is going to win, it’s going to be with the old BeamerBall formula. Play good defense and run the ball. This is a defense that is capable of putting Virginia Tech behind the chains and make it difficult to convert first downs. The Hokies need to run their offense, which is run first to set up the pass. I like what they did against Boston College using Tuten as a lead blocker for Drones. That has the potential to work against the NC State defense. The Hokies will win if they can hit on a couple of deep balls down the field. The passing game is where you have a shot to hit on some big plays against this defense.
Virginia Tech has not played well against defenses of this caliber. They scored 17 points against Florida State and 3 points against Louisville. However, both of those games were on the road. Virginia Tech can have more success at home. The Hokies are averaging over 30 points per game at home this season. I’m not expecting them to score over 30 this week but they should score more than 17 like they did against Florida State. To win, Tech will need to find some big plays in the pass game or via a turnover or a special teams play. NC State isn’t going to give them a lot on the ground so they are going to have to find another way.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 27, NC State 20
treadmillhorse 