Tag: tigers

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Duke vs Virginia Tech Preview and Prediction

The Hokies missed a big opportunity to get their season back on track against Clemson. The defense played pretty well but the offense couldn’t do anything. To salvage the rest of this season, the Hokies have to go 2-0 in their last two games. Even then, this season would still be considered a pretty big disappointment. But it would likely keep Brent Pry and maybe his coordinators off the hot seat going into the offseason.

SP+ Rankings

Virginia Tech

Overall: 29th
Offense: 37th
Defense: 33rd
Special Teams: 37th

Duke

Overall: 43rd
Offense: 70th
Defense: 25th
Special Teams: 89th

Duke has a pretty strong passing offense led by QB Maalik Murphy. He’s been consistent about putting up good numbers in just about every game this season. The good news for the Hokies is that he is not a running quarterback. If Tech’s talented secondary can slow down Duke’s passing attack, that would go a long way toward the Hokies getting a win in this game.

Duke’s defense is the strength of their team. Particularly by stopping the pass game. They have a talented secondary that is only giving up 191 yards through the air per game. This is a game where Tech needs to stick to the run game. If Tech can run the ball consistently, they should have good results against this defense. This is a game where Tech should be able to move the ball on the ground regardless of who is available at running back.

Duke is 7-3 against a pretty soft schedule. They are certainly better than a lot of people expected this year but it looks like they are over-performing against a weak schedule. That’s not to say Duke isn’t a good team because I think they are. But they might be getting more credit than they deserve. If the Hokies can run the ball and stop the pass, they should be able to get out of Durham with a win. The Hokies are 7-1 in Durham since joining the ACC. This is a good opportunity for Brent Pry to get his first one-score victory this season.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 23, Duke 20

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Clemson vs Virginia Tech Preview and Prediction

A couple of things before we move on to Clemson. First, it is completely unacceptable to blow a 21 to 3 lead halfway through the third quarter. Doesn’t matter if you’re playing an FCS team or the #1 team in the country. Secondly, no one will take this coaching staff seriously until they can win a one-score game. They are 1-11 in one-score games and that one win wasn’t REALLY a one score game. If you remember, Virginia Tech kneeled the ball against Liberty on the goal line for the win. They could’ve easily score to win by two touchdowns. These coaches need to prove they can win a one-score game or they’ll be gone from Virginia Tech sooner than later.

SP+ Rankings

Virginia Tech

Overall: 27th
Offense: 31st
Defense: 37th
Special Teams: 24th

Clemson

Overall: 15th
Offense: 11th
Defense: 25th
Special Teams: 124th

Clemson RB Phil Mafah is a beast and the Hokies will have a tough time tackling him. He is a big back with good speed. He’s Clemson’s version of Derrick Henry. And for a team that has trouble tackling at times, he should look like a nightmare for the Hokies. This offense looks a lot like the Syracuse offense that torched the Hokies defense last week. This is a good opportunity for the Hokies to show that they’ve improved on that performance from last week. The biggest task this week is stopping the run.

This isn’t the Clemson defense of old. In fact, it looks like they’ve taken multiple steps back from the Brent Venables days. At this point, I’d call them an average ACC defense but that doesn’t mean they don’t still have a couple of All-ACC talents. If Tuten and Drones are healthy, I definitely think they can move the ball against this defense. The biggest thing is don’t get behind big or early on the scoreboard. If Tech is able to run the ball and doesn’t have to chase the game from behind. They’ve got a good shot in this game.

Clemson is the best team the Hokies will play this year despite their issues this year. If I felt good about a 100% healthy Kyron Drones and Bhayshul Tuten, I might feel better about thinking Tech could win in a shootout. But with lingering injury concerns and even questions about if they will actually play, I’m leaning Clemson here. I’m also leaning Clemson because I don’t think the Hokies defense will be able to stop Phil Mafah. I think he will have 100+ yards on the ground this week. That should make life easier on QB Cade Klubnick. The Hokies will hang around in this game and it’ll be close. But ultimately I think Phil Mafah and the Clemson running game will be able to wear out the Hokies defense late in the game. I also have ZERO faith in this coaching staff to win a one-score game.

Prediction: Clemson 31, Virginia Tech 24

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ACC Championship Game Preview and Prediction

Hokies took care of business in a big way against UVA. There were some who had serious discussions last year about which school had the better hire. I think the early returns are pretty lopsided. At this point it seems like both programs are going in very different directions.

The Hokies are back to the ACC Championship Game for the first time since 2011. That’s a big deal in Justin Fuente’s first season as head coach. The Hokies are “ahead of schedule” as the experts like to say. I expected a 6-6 season this year because it’s difficult to go through a coaching change. I guess when it’s as smooth as Virginia Tech’s was, it’s not so difficult after all.

Virginia Tech

Overall S&P+ ranking: 27th
Offensive S&P+ ranking: 58th
Defensive S&P+ ranking: 16th
Special Teams S&P+ ranking: 50th

Clemson

Overall S&P+ ranking: 4th
Offensive S&P+ ranking: 8th
Defensive S&P+ ranking: 6th
Special Teams S&P+ ranking: 77th

Clemson is a beast. They deserve their #3 College Football Playoff ranking. This team is loaded on both sides of the ball. They don’t have many weaknesses. The Hokies are good but the Tigers are great. It’ll take the Hokies A+ game to knock off the Tigers.

Clemson has NFL talent all over the field. Everyone on the offensive side of the ball stands a good chance of being drafted in the next couple of years. Same with the defense except for maybe one or two players. Remember a lot of the names from the Clemson roster, because you’ll be hearing those names in the NFL in the coming years.

Are you tired of me fawning over Clemson yet? Me too. Where are Clemson’s weaknesses? Their turnover margin is not particularly good. When Deshaun Watson does throw the ball, he’s been known to throw interceptions. He has 14 on the year. Bud Foster is a master at forcing quarterbacks into mistakes. If the Hokies can make the Tigers one-dimensional by slowing down the run, they may be able to force some mistakes. Remember that Deshaun Watson is a dual-threat quarterback. He could give the Hokies a lot of trouble on the ground, if they call designed runs for him. In a championship game, I’d expect Clemson to take more chances with Watson on the ground.

Clemson’s special teams are only so-so. The Hokies would be wise to make some plays on special teams in this game. Either in the return game or on a blocked kick. This is an area that the Hokies can look to exploit and possibly change the trajectory of the game.

The reality here is that Clemson is just a better team. Maybe after a few good years under Fuente and some good recruiting classes, the Hokies can be on that level. But they just aren’t right now. There is a big-time talent and depth advantage for Clemson. Can the Hokies win? Sure. Pitt beat Clemson this year. But it’ll take a great effort from the Hokies and some fortunate plays/bounces/calls. I think this game will be like the 2011 ACC Championship game. Close in the first half but Clemson runs away with it in the 2nd half.

Prediction: Clemson 34, Virginia Tech 20