Will Boston College continue its forward momentum in year one under Jeff Hafley or will Virginia Tech give the Eagles' their second loss of the season?

Eagle Action's Andy Backstrom and Justin Rowland go to the roundtable for a discussion of Saturday's game.

What are the main reasons for BC fans to be optimistic about Saturday's game?

Andy Backstrom: Virginia Tech gave up 656 total yards of offense to then-No. 8 UNC last week, the second most allowed in single-game program history. Not only that, but the Hokies conceded 56 points to the Tar Heels, the most a Virginia Tech opponent has scored since 2002. The Hokies have been missing players all season, some because of COVID-19, others because of injury or off-the-field issues. The program has been hit the hardest on defense, specifically in the secondary. They’ll get safety Divine Deablo back this week, but it’ll be a tall task to contain Phil Jurkovec and the Eagles’ air attack, which ranks second in the ACC with 295.3 passing yards per game. Jurkovec is gaining confidence, as are Hafley and a revamped Eagles defense.

Justin Rowland: Boston College is playing with a ton of momentum right now. This is a much improved team for a number of reasons, but they're also playing above themselves in some respects. That's not a bad thing. It's a sign the coaches are getting the most out of what and who they've got, and players are buying in.

Virginia Tech's defense looked completely helpless against North Carolina last week.

Why should BC fans be concerned?

Backstrom: Transfer running backs Khalil Herbert (Kansas) and Raheem Blackshear (Rutgers) both recorded 135+ scrimmage yards against BC last season. They’re thriving with the Hokies, helping form the third-best run game in all of college football. Herbert’s in the driver’s seat. The former Jayhawk already has 449 yards on the ground this year, ranking fifth nationally in rushing yards despite Virginia Tech having only played three games this fall. He’ll be facing a very different Eagles’ run defense on Saturday, however, the matchup is surely one for BC to wary of. Hokies quarterback Hendon Hooker can do some damage with his legs, too. And when Hooker doesn’t turn the ball over, Virginia Tech is hard to beat. In his first six starts last year (all wins), he posted a 10:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio, while the Hokies rallied back into ACC title contention.

Rowland: As bad as Virginia Tech's defense may be, Hendon Hooker can play well and the offense can present a problem for opponents. BC has been stingier on defense than last year but if they're a little off the pace they've set for much of the season that's something Tech could capitalize on. Slowing down one of the nation's strongest rushing attacks is a difficult task. On paper coming into this season this was a really interesting Virginia Tech team and I think they're still capable of playing at a top-20 level when everything starts to click.

Who will be BC's MVP on Saturday?

Backstrom: Zay Flowers will be the Eagles’ MVP for the second week in a row. As explosive as the Fort Lauderdale, Florida native has been in his first two seasons at BC, he hasn’t been able to stitch together back-to-back dominant performances. He’s eclipsed the 70-yard receiving mark on four occasions. Flowers followed up the first three with games of 0, 14, and 20 receiving yards. This time around, the sophomore won’t go radio silent. Last week, UNC’s Dyami Brown got behind the Virginia Tech secondary for touchdowns of 37 and 43 yards. The week before that, it was Duke’s Jarrett Garner who came down with a 41-yard grab. Against a depleted Hokies backend, Flowers will have at least one game-changing deep ball on Saturday night.

Rowland: Jurkovec. Why go with anyone else at this point? He'll touch the ball on every play and with the numbers he's putting up he's the obvious choice for me, other than maybe Flowers. Cignetti has done a great job of keeping defenses off balance and putting Jurkovec in a position to succeed. I suspect he will have more success against Tech.

What's your prediction for the game's outcome?

Backstrom: 33-27, BC. One week after recording their first overtime win since 2009, the Eagles will nab their first victory over a AP Top 25 opponent in six years. Like pretty much every other game of the budding Jeff Hafley era, this one will go down to the wire. Frank Cignetti Jr.’s motion-driven passing attack will simply be too much for Virginia Tech’s secondary to handle, and the Eagles will do just enough to slow down the Hokies’ multi-pronged rushing attack. Herbert will get his yards, tight end James Mitchell will find the end zone, but BC will prevail in Lane Stadium.

Rowland: BC 35, VT 31. It has been a turbulent year for Virginia Tech so far and the way Phil Jurkovec has been throwing the ball it's hard to put high expectations on the Hokie defense. BC keeps riding the wave of momentum.