Tag: college-football

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Georgia Tech vs Virginia Tech Preview and Prediction

Virginia Tech looks like the team we expected in the preseason. Bhayshul Tuten is a special player and will be playing on Sundays next year. APR is the best pass rusher since Daryl Tapp. This team is still only 4-3 but they look like they’ve turned the corner. They are playing good football even if they still can’t string together four quarters of quality football.

SP+ Rankings

Virginia Tech

Overall: 25th
Offense: 30th
Defense: 40th
Special Teams: 26th

Georgia Tech

Overall: 48th
Offense: 28th
Defense: 67th
Special Teams: 121st

Georgia Tech has a good, balanced offense this season. GT’s regular starting QB, Haynes King, is likely out for this game. Meaning his backup, Zach Pyron, will probably get the start. Pyron is a solid QB. He started the game in Blacksburg in 2022 and got a win. The Tech defense he will be playing this weekend doesn’t look much like the defense two years ago. Expect the GT offense to take a slight step back with Pyron under center instead of King.

Georgia Tech’s defense reminds me a lot of BC’s. Generally stout against the run and susceptible to passes downfield. The Hokies should follow the same game plan as the BC game. Establish Bhayshul Tuten early and often which will open up plays downfield. This offense is at it’s best when they are running the ball with Tuten and Drones. The threat of the run game from both of those guys opens opportunities for others to get involved in the offense. When Tech is running the ball, that’s when this offense is clicking.

Georgia Tech is a solid team. The Hokies need to be ready to play in this one. Even at full strength, I still think I’d pick the Hokies in this game. But going against Georgia Tech without Haynes King, I like VT even more. The most important thing is to keep the momentum going from the last two games. The Hokies still have all their goals in front of them if they can keep winning but that involves not taking any weeks off. They gotta keep this good momentum going.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 31, Georgia Tech 21

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Boston College vs Virginia Tech Preview and Prediction

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.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 31, Boston College 17

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2024 Virginia Tech Midseason Review

At this point, I thought the Hokies would be 5-1. Instead they are 3-3. It’s a disappointment but their three losses have been in one-score games. Good teams win close games. Virginia Tech feels close to getting over the hump where they start winning those one-score games. The expect-to-lose mentality is still present in this program and that’s one of the toughest things to overcome when you are building a program.

Virginia Tech is good enough to win all of their remaining games. Will they? Probably not. But they’ve got a good chance in every remaining game including Clemson. The biggest thing they need to do is to play a full 60 minutes like they did against Miami and Stanford. If they can do that, they can play with anyone. It makes me wonder why it takes this coaching staff a full month before this team is ready to play 60 minutes. But that’s an issue for next year I guess.

Let’s gauge the remaining slate against preseason expectations.

Final 6 Game RecordRegular Season RecordVs preseason expectations
2 wins or less5-7 or worseThis would be a catastrophe and fans would call for heads to roll including the head coach’s.
3-36-6This would match last year’s regular season win total and would be a big disappointment considering the returning starters and transfer additions in the offseason.
4-27-5Still a bit of a disappointment but a slight improvement over last season’s regular season record.
5-18-4Probably where most realistic fans would have set their expectations in the preseason. A 5-1 finish would make most VT fans feel good going into the offseason.
6-09-3Exceed preseason expectations. A win over Clemson and a 6-0 finish with a chance at an ACCCG appearance.

Offensive MVP: Bhayshul Tuten

One of the national leaders in rushing yards and touchdowns. Hard to have a better first half than he has. Feed him the rock.

Defensive MVP: Antwaun Powell-Ryland

APR is ranked 4th in the nation with seven sacks on the season. Safe bet that he’ll get to double-digit sacks his year. It’s been a long time since someone did that in Blacksburg.

Special Teams MVP: John Love

He is 9-of-10 on his field goals this year and has connected twice from over 50 yards. Reminds me of the kickers that Tech had during the Beamer era.

If the Hokies continue to play the brand of football they’ve played in the last two weeks, the second half slate looks very manageable. The first two games are at home against teams that look beatable in Boston College and Georgia Tech. Next is the trip to Syracuse. That looks like a REALLY tough game to me. Syracuse is playing well and they have a very good QB. And Tech never wins up there unless they have Michael Vick at QB. Then it’s Clemson. I think it’s a winnable game but Tech needs to bring their A-game. Anything less and that game is a loss. Duke and Virginia both look better than expected but those are both games Tech should win. A 4-2 record seems likely but the Hokies shouldn’t overlook any of their remaining opponents. It feels like the Hokies are starting to hit their stride this season.

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Stanford vs Virginia Tech Preview and Prediction

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.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 31, Stanford 21

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Miami vs Virginia Tech Preview and Prediction

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.

Prediction: Miami 38, Virginia Tech 17

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Rutgers vs Virginia Tech Preview and Prediction

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.

Prediction: Rutgers 31, Virginia Tech 17