Virginia Tech finally looks like they are getting back on track. Flying to the West Coast and getting a 24 point win on the road is impressive. Now they need to prove they can take care of business like that at home.
SP+ Rankings
Virginia Tech
Overall:36th Offense: 44th Defense: 42nd Special Teams: 33rd
Boston College
Overall: 49th Offense: 67th Defense: 35th Special Teams: 48th
Offense has been a bit of a struggle for Boston College this year. QB Thomas Castellanos has looked a little banged up this year so he hasn’t been his normal dual-threat self. A fully healthy Castellanos would give Tech a lot of trouble since we know they have issues with running quarterbacks. Luckily, in this game, it seems like Castellanos is less likely to run around as he has in the past. If the Hokies are able to stop the run, it’s unlikely that BC can put up big yards through the air.
Boston College is pretty stout defensively. They are one of the better run-stopping teams the Hokies will play this season. They also need to stop DE Donovan Ezeiruaku. He is a defensive end who likes to wreak havoc in the backfield. Tech needs to try to run the ball away from him and be prepared to block him in passing situations. Like the Stanford game, this would be a good game to get the run game going with Tuten and use play action to find open receivers downfield.
Boston College has had a good year thus far and been competitive in every game they’ve played. But if you look at the two most recent games, they look like a team that’s slowing down a bit. I’m not sure if that’s because of an injured Castellanos or if the wear and tear of the season is starting to catch up with them. Either way, Tech looks like they are starting to gain momentum at the same time that BC is starting to lose it. Especially on a Thursday night at home, I like the Hokies to take care of business like they did last year against Syracuse. Get things going early and ride that momentum to victory.
Virginia Tech got robbed against Miami. We can argue all day about whether it was a catch or not. The reality is that they called it a catch on the field. Saying they had enough evidence to overturn the call is nonsense. The ACC officials were just making up rules at that point. Either way, life isn’t fair. Use it as motivation and move on to the next one. The best Virginia Tech teams I can remember used heartbreaking games as motivation to achieve bigger goals.
SP+ Rankings
Virginia Tech
Overall:43rd Offense: 47th Defense: 43rd Special Teams: 43rd
Stanford
Overall: 83rd Offense: 79th Defense: 90th Special Teams: 19th
Stanford has had moments where their offense shows a spark but they aren’t consistent. This is a team that likes to move the ball on the ground. Tech has had a lot of trouble stopping the run so far this season. Stanford’s leading rusher is QB Ashton Daniels. However, he suffered a leg injury at the end of the Clemson game so we’re not sure about his status for Saturday. If he can’t go there isn’t a lot of experience behind him. One of the backups, Justin Lamson, played some last season and is more of a runner than a passer. The Hokies need to be ready to stop a running QB regardless of who starts on Saturday. Another player to watch is WR Elic Ayomanor. He catches everything thrown to him and can break a big play if you give him space.
Stanford doesn’t give up many yards on the ground. This is a game where Drones has to be on his game and let is receivers make plays. Stanford ranks 124th in the country in passing yards allowed. The Hokies are going to have to air it out this week. A conservative game plan is a good recipe for a loss in this game. If this passing offense is going to get right, it needs to be in this game.
The line for this game opened at Virginia Tech by 4. It has since moved to Virginia Tech by 9. I think someone in Vegas knows something about the health of Stanford’s QB. Either way, Tech needs to be able to stop the run. They’ve already been burned by two running QBs this year. They need to figure out a solution for stopping a running QB. Since Stanford is good at stopping the run, they are going to force Tech to do something they aren’t as good at which is throwing the ball. If Drones can throw the ball like he did against Miami, they should be okay. I tend to agree with Vegas. If Ashton Daniels were healthy, I would think this is a close game. If he’s hurt, I like the Hokies in this one.
The season so far has been a disappointment. It’s not that 2-2 is a terrible record. It’s not. But when the expectation was 8+ wins and competing for a conference title, it’s a disappointing start. There is no way around it. As conference play starts, this team gets a clean slate with a 0-0 conference record. But they are going to need a serious turnaround if they want to make some noise in a much improved ACC.
SP+ Rankings
Virginia Tech
Overall: 40th Offense: 51st Defense: 37th Special Teams: 42nd
Miami
Overall: 7th Offense: 6th Defense: 21st Special Teams: 64th
Miami is a different team with QB Cam Ward under center. Anyone paying attention saw that Cam Ward was a special player at Washington State. Now he has a lot of skill talent around him at Miami to make the most of his elite skillset. Miami’s big play guy is WR Xavier Restrepo. He’s like Miami’s version of Jaylin Lane. Give me the ball in space and let him do his thing. At running back, keep an eye on Jordan Lyle who has the ability to break off big runs if given space. The only good news for Virginia Tech is that Cam Ward doesn’t normally run a lot. He can. They just don’t like to run him a lot in this offense.
Miami’s defense is elite. They stop the run and the pass and are ranked in the top 10 in the nation in total defense. DE Tyler Baron (brother of VT DE Woody Baron) plays for Miami. He can get after the QB and cause havoc in the backfield. Miami also has a strong LB core who do not give up a lot of yards on the ground. Miami is a little more susceptible in the passing game but having such a strong pass rush makes their jobs a little easier in coverage.
I don’t feel good about this game. Tech has the ability to turn this season around but that’s a tough order in a short week on the road. There isn’t much opportunity to change anything or try anything new in a shortened week. Maybe Tech will come out with a little more fire this week after they’ve heard all the criticism all week. Even so, I still like Miami to win by multiple scores. The only way this one stays close to the end is if Miami has a turnover fest that leads to short fields and scores for the Hokies. Otherwise, Miami wins this one comfortably.
Virginia Tech has had good moments this season. There are times in each game where the defense is getting stops and the offense is scoring points. The issue is that the Hokies still haven’t been able to put together a full 60 minute game. They got close last week but the offense went into a coma in the 2nd quarter. Let’s see if this is the week they can put it all together.
SP+ Rankings
Virginia Tech
Overall: 35th Offense: 44th Defense: 35th Special Teams: 53rd
Rutgers
Overall: 41st Offense: 77th Defense: 21st Special Teams: 35th
Rutgers is a very physical team. The Hokies have yet to play a team this season with this level of physicality. If Tech wants to win, they need to be able to match Rutgers’ intensity. RB Kyle Monangai is one of the most physical runners in the country. You need to bring your lunchpail if you’re going to meet him in the hole. I’m not sure if Tech is ready for a physical game like this. Rutgers has played Howard and Akron so far, so maybe Tech will be a big step up in competition for them too. For Tech to win, they need to be able to stop the run. If Monangai goes for 150, it’s going to be tough for the Hokies to win.
It’s tough to get a read on Rutgers’ defense based on who they have played. You’d expect a Greg Schiano coached team to play good defense. But it’s hard to gauge quality based on who they’ve played so far. If Tech can bring their physicality to the run game, they may give this defense some problems. Once again, this is a game where Tech needs to establish the run game and then bring in the play action passing game downfield. This offense works best when they are able to run the ball first.
This is a game where Tech either wins by one possession or loses by multiple touchdowns. There is no in between. If Tech can’t stop the run, they are going to get blown out. But if they can find gameplan to stop Monangai, they should be okay. This isn’t the scariest offense outside of one guy. I said that about Diego Pavia too and we all remember how that turned out. I’ve been going back and forth on this one all week but I feel like I’m trying to talk myself into a Tech win when it’s not really there in the numbers. I’d pick VT if I felt like they could consistently stop the run but I don’t think they’ll be able to.
It’s beyond bizarre how this offense can only seem to score 3 offensive points in the first half of games. Especially when they follow that up with 24 and 21 respectively in the 2nd half of games. Weird. Pry needs to give the halftime speech pre-game. I can’t imagine Tech scoring 3 points or less in the first half for a third week in a row.
Slandering Kyron because of bad play calling is wild. Kyron’s stats clearly reflect Bowen’s change in play calling over the course of the game. If Bowen called like he does in 2nd half, Kyron would have roughly 500 yards, 4 TDS, 0 Ints, and an average pass of 14.2 yds this season https://t.co/SrsAocdx6dpic.twitter.com/jjap3MyOhM
Overall: 45th Offense: 49th Defense: 44th Special Teams: 51st
Old Dominion
Overall: 103rd Offense: 103rd Defense: 95th Special Teams: 79th
The big question of the week will be if QB Grant Wilson will play. He injured his wrist at the end of last week’s game. If he isn’t able to go, expect a QB without much experience to come in. I think it’s reasonable to expect the backup to play similar to Wilson, which means he can run or throw. ODU runs an offense similar to Vanderbilt’s so the Hokies will once again need to be ready for a running QB. Although Wilson has not put up big numbers on the ground so far this season. ODU has some good pass catchers and the like to spread the ball around to a lot of receivers. RB Aaron Young gets the majority of the carries but expect former Virginia Tech RB Bryce Duke to get some carries too. This is an offense that can definitely put up points against quality opponents but don’t expect them to light up the scoreboard.
Will Grant Wilson play Saturday? We probably won’t find out until the Monarchs take the field for warm-ups Saturday.@WTKR3#ODUhttps://t.co/sCCPXubBdx
Old Dominion has been impressive defensively so far this season. They held South Carolina to 288 total yards on the road and forced former Miami QB Jake Garcia into 4 interceptions in their home game against ECU. The numbers suggest that this is a bend but don’t break defense. They have given up yards but not a lot of points. It’s critical for Tech to finish drives against ODU. This appears to be a team you can run on. This is a week where Tech needs to line up and run the ball like they did in the 2nd half against Marshall. Let Drones, Tuten and Thomas get carries and move the ball down the field on the ground. No need to get cute with the passing game. RUN. THE. BALL.
I’m not going to kid myself, G5 road games are always tough. Nothing comes easy. In the 2018 game, Virginia Tech couldn’t seem to pull away and then had a defensive meltdown in the 4th quarter. In 2022, the Hokies gifted ODU 7 points off a bad snap on a field goal and four Grant Wells INTs later the Monarchs won by 3. If the Hokies can avoid the self-inflicted wounds, this is a game where Tech should win by the Vegas line of 14. But Tech has to play at least their C-level game to get there. Which means score more than 3 points in the first half and avoid the sloppiness they’ve had in the last two visits there. This is a good opportunity for Pry to show that he can get his guys ready at kickoff and not let the last two weeks’ special teams oopsies show up.
I still think Virginia Tech is a 9-3 / 8-4ish team. In the second half, they looked like that kind of team. The first half was a burn-the-tape kind of half. Everyone was bad. If the Hokies can be ready to play at kickoff, they should be fine. That’s not to say this team doesn’t have issues. All teams do. But this is still a good team that got off to an exceptionally bad start to begin the season.
SP+ Rankings
Virginia Tech
Overall: 51st Offense: 55th Defense: 51st Special Teams: 78th
Marshall
Overall: 81st Offense: 79th Defense: 89th Special Teams: 61st
Marshall has two quarterbacks who can scoot. If Marshall watched any film from last week, expect their running QBs to play. We’re just not exactly sure who since all three of their quarterbacks got snaps against Stony Brook. RB AJ Turner had a huge game against Stony Brook running for 119 yards on 8 carries. They have some good receivers that have transferred in from Power 4 schools. Any of their three QBs should have good targets to throw to in the passing game. Since Marshall is likely to play their running QBs, the Hokies have to do better against the run this week.
Marshall struggled with run defense last season. If you remember, last season Marshall finished ranked 80th in rushing defense but Tech only gave Bhayshul Tuten 8 carries. Even though he was posting 9.8 yards per carry. The best bet this year is for the Hokies to stick to the run game. Last year, they averaged 6.1 yards per carry and still lost. They lost because they gave up on the run game when they shouldn’t have. This year, they need to run the ball and stick to it. This will also open up opportunities downfield in the passing game. Notice I said downfield. Not this dink and dunk behind-the-line of scrimmage stuff. Put the ball in your playmakers’ hands and make Marshall have to make a tackle. That should be enough to win this week.
Sometimes my picks are based on vibes alone. I’ve watched enough Virginia Tech football to know that after a loss like Vandy we either win close or lose. I don’t remember coming back after a loss like that and putting the beatdown on the next opponent. That being said, I do believe this is a different team at home. Tech just plays better within the confines of Lane Stadium. Everybody knows that. And while Marshall is a decent team, they don’t have the horses to come into Lane and pull an upset. It also helps that Tech played a real opponent last week and Marshall played a bad FCS team. But if I could bet on this game, I’d be taking Marshall +20.5 — a nice little note for our out of state readers. We get a win this week but closer than the experts think. In a manner where nobody is satisfied but it’s a win nonetheless.
Brent Pry is out to prove that the last nine games of last season were no fluke. It’s been more than a decade since Virginia Tech went into a season with this much preseason hype. Preseason hype can be a blessing or a curse. Once the season kicks off, it doesn’t matter how many preseason accolades your team got. It’s time to prove it on the field.
SP+ Rankings
Virginia Tech
Overall: 36th Offense: 43rd Defense: 35th Special Teams: 14th
Vanderbilt
Overall: 89th Offense: 68th Defense: 104th Special Teams: 72nd
Vanderbilt is not very SEC-like. They usually recruit below their SEC peers and they have only won 2 SEC games in the past 3 years. Head coach Clark Lea is trying to save his job this season so he is pulling out all the stops to try and show some progress. He brought Fuente-era savior Jerry Kill from New Mexico State as a consultant as well as his QB Diego Pavia. Pavia put up impressive numbers last season against less-than-stellar competition. Although, he did have a 3 touchdown game against Auburn last season. So he has shown he can get it done against good competition. The issue for Vanderbilt is they are switching from a pass-heavy offense to a run-heavy offense under new OC Tim Beck. That’s going to be a tough transition without major personnel changes on offense. Especially with their top wide receivers transferring out in the offseason. This offense may start the season looking like a square peg in a round hole. But keep an eye on Pavia. He’s a guy who can make plays with his arm and his legs.
Vanderbilt has some talent on the defensive side of the ball. They have a couple of safeties and linebackers who will cause the Hokies issues in the run game. Early in the season, Tech needs to keep things simple for Kyron Drones and run the ball. The Hokies were at their best last season in games when they established the run. The running game opened up the passing game downfield. The Hokies should follow the same philosophy from the UVA and Tulane games last season and pound the rock. This is a game plan that should wear down the Vanderbilt defense over the course of four quarters. Those linebackers and safeties will make it tough but the Hokies need to stick to the game plan.
Opening games are tough to predict. The Hokies have the talent advantage but opening week games are almost always weird. There can be special teams snafus, missed assignments and turnovers. So if you are expecting the Hokies in midseason form, you might be disappointed. Having said that, the Hokies should go on the road and get a solid dub. They have the horses to put this one away in the fourth quarter.
This week we are doing ACC preseason predictions from our favorite Hokie podcast and Twitter personalities. We have preseason picks from Twitter personality OXVT (@OX_VT), Brian Seigla (@seigs5052) from the Boundary Corner Podcast, and Pete B. (@petebvt) from the Two Deep Podcast. We are also joined by ACC contributors Casey (Clemson) and Dirty Bird (Miami) with their picks for the 2024 ACC football season.
Virginia Tech got back to a bowl game after its worst season in 30 years. Things are trending in the right direction under Brent Pry.
Coaching Staff:
Brent Pry is entering his third season in Blacksburg. After a 3-win campaign in 2022, his team bounced back to win 7 games in year 2. Including going 6-3 down the stretch. It feels like Pry has the right coaches and players in place to have the program he envisioned when he arrived in Blacksburg.
Last season was a make-or-break year for Tyler Bowen. When Grant Wells suffered an ankle injury against Purdue, Bowen found lightning in a bottle in the form of Kyron Drones at quarterback. Having Drones solidify the QB position gave Bowen the opportunity to build out a run-heavy offense that fit his personnel.
Offense:
Kyron Drones is the straw that stirs the drink for this offense. The offense became more dynamic with him behind center. With Drones and Bhayshul Tuten at running back, it allowed the Hokies to establish a run-based offense that opened up the passing game. A heavy and consistent run game gave the Hokies deep-play threats room to operate downfield.
Once again, the Hokies should lean on a run-heavy attack. This fits best with their personnel. On an offense that includes Drones, Tuten and RB Malachi Thomas, you want to get the ball into your playmakers’ hands. This is also the best way to create space in the passing game for your wide receivers and tight ends.
The offense should benefit from having WR Ali Jennings back. He looked great in the ODU game and went out with a broken ankle against Purdue. Having him back along with WR Jaylin Lane, WR Da’Quan Felton and WR Stephen Gosnell should give Drones a lot of options in the passing game. Don’t forget TE Nick Gallo who should provide another nice downfield option for Drones.
The biggest concern on the offensive side of the ball is the offensive line. Particularly their ability to pass block. They had moments last year where they looked capable but they also had some pretty ugly moments too. For this offense to take another step forward, the offensive line has to prove they can protect Drones. This offense never looked at their best in passing situations last year.
Defense:
There were times last season where I had no idea what the safeties and linebackers were doing in the run game. They always seemed to be filling the wrong gap. It wasn’t a talent issue. It was an assignments issue. My hope is with another year under their belt they should be able to get it right more often that not this season.
Brent Pry has done a great job through the transfer portal of filling gaps on this defense. Bringing in Aeneas Peebles, Sam Brumfield and Kemari Copeland strengthens what was already a pretty strong group.
The strength of this group will be the defensive line. Antwuan Powell-Ryland is ready to have an all-conference year. Aeneas Peebles was already an all-conference player for Duke last season. Those two should wreak havoc on opposing offenses all season.
The Hokies have one of the best starting corner tandems in the ACC. Dorian Strong was one of the national leaders last season in PFF grades for cornerbacks with Mansoor Delane not too far behind him. If both can stay healthy, this should be a lockdown corner combo.
For this defense to take the next step, this group needs better contributions out of their safeties and linebackers. There were too many missed assignments last year leading to big plays. The addition of Sam Brumfield at mike linebacker will help a lot. So will the development of Jalen Stroman and Mose Phillips at the safety spots. Those guys are ready to take the next step forward.
Key Players to Watch
Quarterback Kyron Drones: Drones is a star and this team will go as far as Drones takes them. This was a completely different team last season with Drones under center.
Running Back Bhayshul Tuten: When was the last time that Tech had a chain mover like Tuten? David Wilson?
Defensive End Antwuan Powell-Ryland: APR came in with a lot of hype as a former 4-star recruit transferring in from Florida. He met and exceeded that hype. He’s a Daryl Tapp clone who likes to get after the quarterback.
Non-Conference Matchups:
Virginia Tech has a very manageable non-conference slate. Vanderbilt is one of the worst teams in the Power 4. Marshall is a solid team but one that Tech should handle at home. Old Dominion is close to their talent level from last season although Virginia Tech has yet to win in Norfolk after two appearances there. Rutgers is a rugged team under Greg Schiano but that game is at home this season. The team most likely to upset the Hokies from this slate is Rutgers.
ACC Outlook:
Virginia Tech is picked to finish 6th in the ACC preseason poll. That sounds about right to me. Virginia Tech is in the group right behind Clemson and Florida State who have a chance to get to Charlotte.
Conclusion:
Brent Pry looks well on his way to rebuilding Virginia Tech after 2 seasons at the helm. It finally feels like he has his coaches and players in place with a chance to make a run. This is the show-me year where he can prove that Virginia Tech can be a real contender for the ACC and a spot in the CFP.
Tough games (<40% chance to win)
Clemson and Miami. These both look like losses in the preseason. Both of these teams have more talent than the Hokies currently have.
Toss-up games (50-50 games)
Rutgers. Georgia Tech. Syracuse. These games are the difference between 10-2 and 7-5.
Should win games (>60% to win)
Vanderbilt. Marshall. Old Dominion. Stanford. Boston College. Duke. Virginia. The Hokies should make a bowl game on these games alone.
Key games for the Hokies: Clemson, Miami, Georgia Tech
Upset Alert: Georgia Tech
Game By Game Predictions
at Vanderbilt
Marshall
at Old Dominion
Rutgers
at Miami
at Stanford
Boston College
Georgia Tech
at Syracuse
Clemson
at Duke
Virginia
Virginia Tech Game by Game Predictions
Final Regular Season Record: 9-3 (5-3 in the ACC) Expected finish: 4th in the ACC
The goal for this season was always to make a bowl game. The Hokies had to go 6-3 down the stretch to make one but they got here. This season is exactly what Tech fans were hoping for. Get back to respectability and build momentum going into 2024. After a three-win season last year, that’s all you could really hope for. Now the goal is to close the season with a bowl win to go into next year with a winning record and momentum.
SP+ Rankings (take these with a grain of salt since there are roster changes on both sides)
Virginia Tech
Overall: 50th Offense: 64th Defense: 46th Special Teams: 10th
Tulane
Overall: 43rd Offense: 58th Defense: 36th Special Teams: 52nd
First, let’s get out of the way who is NOT playing this game.
Tulane will be missing:
Head Coach Willie Fritz Defensive Coordinator Shiel Wood Defensive Backs Coach Josh Christian-Young Wide Receivers Coach Derrick Sherman Starting QB Michael Pratt Starting OL Prince Pines Starting WR Chris Brazzell II Starting WR Jha’Quan Jackson Starting DL Darius Hodges Starting CB Jarius Monroe Starting S D.J. Douglas DB Kentrell Webb ST Kiland Harrison
Virginia Tech will be missing:
Starting S Jalen Stroman Starting S Nasir Peoples Starting TE Dae’Quan Wright
The biggest loss for Tulane in this game is star QB Michael Pratt. This is the same quarterback who knocked off #10 USC in the Cotton Bowl last year. He had a great career and now is off to try and get a shot at the NFL level. That means that Tulane will be playing one of their two backups, either Kai Horton or Justin Ibieta or both. Neither has a ton of experience and they would both be relative unknowns going into this game. They player to watch while Tulane is on offense is RB Makhi Hughes. He has gone over 100 yards seven times this season. With Tulane having to go to a backup and their top WR being out, expect him to get a heavy load. The Hokies would be smart to focus on stopping the run and making Makhi Hughes a non-factor in this game.
Tulane has a stout rush defense this season. A big part of that was the contributions of Devean Deal and Keith Cooper. The game plan for this game needs to be the same as the Boston College and UVA games, run the ball with Bhayshul Tuten and Kyron Drones. An effective run game opens up the pass game for Dae’Quan Felton and Jaylin Lane. The Hokies should establish the run early to control clock and try to get up a score or two to force Tulane into passing situations.
This feels like teams going in different directions. Tulane is at the end of a great two-year run where they just lost their coach and starting QB. The Hokies are building momentum off a good 2nd half of the season and what looks like an even brighter 2024. Seems like the Hokies have the motivation / momentum edge in this game. While Tulane is not quite a 2021 Pinstripe Bowl situation, they are definitely lacking some of their big pieces going into this game. Not to mention a skeleton coaching staff. Unless this game turns into a turnover fest, looks like one that the Hokies should be able to win comfortably.
treadmillhorse 
