Week 2 Opponent Preview: Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech finally bit the bullet, moved on from Justin Fuente and returned to its Frank Beamer and Bud Foster roots with the hiring of Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry, a grad assistant for Beamer and Foster in the mid-'90s.

The payoff, however, might not arrive in 2021. In fact, it'd be a surprise if it did.

Virginia Tech has finished below .500 three of the past four years. The Hokies' last three recruiting classes have ranked outside the top 40, according to Rivals.com. And the program has seen eight of its players drafted over the last two years.

Virginia Tech returned only one All-ACC honoree, and he was a 2021 third teamer: sophomore punter Peter Moore.

In other words, the Hokies lost a bunch of talent, both to the draft and to the transfer portal, and they haven't been replacing it at the standard Virginia Tech fans are accustomed to.

Although he appears to be doing and saying the right things, Pry has a tough task ahead of him—and that was illustrated during the Hokies' season-opening loss to Old Dominion in Norfolk, where they committed 15 penalties and five turnovers.

Saturday, Sept. 10, 8 p.m.

Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Tech is BC's permanent ACC crossover opponent—well, for one more year that is. Starting in 2023, the conference is adopting a 3-5-5 scheduling model that will do away with divisions. But, since the Eagles joined the ACC in 2005, the Coastal Division's Hokies have been a mainstay on BC's schedule. Virginia Tech leads the all-time series, 19-11, but BC has won three of the teams' last four meetings. Last season, the Eagles defeated Virginia Tech, 17-3. It was an emotional atmosphere, as starting BC quarterback Phil Jurkovec made a surprise return for the annual Red Bandana Game after suffering a season-threatening injury to his throwing hand in Week 2.

Virginia Tech's Record: 0-1 (Last year: 6-7 (4-4 ACC), 3rd in Coastal Division)

Offense: Grant Wells is quarterbacking the Hokies this year after spending two seasons as Marshall's starter. In that span, Wells piled up 5,623 yards and 34 touchdowns through the air for The Herd, even recording seven completions of 50-plus-yards last season, which was 17th in the FBS. He can sling it. The problem was, he threw 22 interceptions across those two seasons. In 2021 alone, Wells logged only nine more big time throws (27) than turnover-worthy plays (18), according to Pro Football Focus. The redshirt junior's interception issue was on full display last week when he was picked off by Old Dominion four times. Two of those weren't egregious (one Hail Mary and one that went through his receiver's hands).

He's not just a thrower of the football, either. Wells has some wheels, too. He scurried for an 18-yard touchdown run against the Monarchs. In the opener, Virginia Tech's rushing offense was spearheaded by Keshawn King, who finally got his chance to shine after an injury-riddled career. King rushed for 111 yards on 19 carries. The Hokies are likely to turn to a committee approach when Malachi Thomas returns to the field (doubtful that happens Saturday). Sixth-year power back Jalen Holston will surely be part of that rotation.

Luckily for Virginia Tech, it's got an offensive line loaded with experience, and that includes a pair of sixth years in Johnny Jordan and Silas Dzansi. Beyond that group of five, though, the Hokies are thin up front. Pry's staff didn't really rotate the O-Line against Old Dominion, and that's probably the reason why.

As for Wells' targets, veteran wideout Kaleb Smith was day-to-day this week. The 6-foot-2 redshirt junior turned in a two-touchdown spring game and has 469 receiving yards in his career. Temple transfer Jadan Blue was limited last week. Back in 2019, the speedy Blue piled up 95 catches—the seventh most in the country that season—for 1,067 yards and four scores. Sophomore Da'Wain Lofton reeled in three catches for 42 yards against Old Dominion, and senior tight end Nick Gallo led all Hokies with 49 yards on seven receptions.

Defense: Like he was at Penn State the last six seasons, Pry is the defensive play caller for the Hokies. The Lunch Pail Defense has faded recently, as Virginia Tech has ranked outside the top 45 in scoring defense each of the past four seasons, twice falling below 80th nationally in that span. But, thanks to some key returners, Pry could move the needle quicker than expected. And we got a glimpse of that last week—granted Virginia Tech was slowing down Old Dominion, not an ACC power.

The Hokies are strapped at linebacker. It starts with Dax Hollifield, who came into 2022 having started at least six games each of the past four years. Hollifield racked up 92 total tackles last season, including 44 solos and 4.5 sacks, and he's off to an excellent start this time around—he collected 10 total tackles, 1.5 TFLs, two pass break-ups, a forced fumble and a pair of fumble recoveries at Old Dominion. His right-hand man, Alan Tisdale, is dealing with an eligibility issue right now and, according to Pry, is week-to-week. Redshirt freshmen Jayden McDonald and Jaden Keller are the guys to know at WILL. They combined for nine total tackles in the opener. Keonta Jenkins, meanwhile, is starting at SAM.

In 2021, the Hokies were tied for 83rd in the FBS in sacks per game (1.92). That was with Amaré Barno, a defensive end who was drafted by the Carolina Panthers this spring. But Virginia Tech brought a ton of pressure, mostly from its D-Line, at Old Dominion. Even though the Hokies accounted for only one sack, they logged 28 total pressures, notably registering 20 quarterback hurries. Senior defensive tackles Norell Pollard and Mario Kendricks teamed up for 12 of those pressures, and defensive end TyJuan Garbutt tallied six, per PFF. Even if BC's O-Line improves from last week's disastrous performance—enough to hold off the Hokies' four-man front—Pry could try to dial up blitz packages to get to Jurkovec.

Virginia Tech is getting some help on the back end this week with the return of cornerback Brion Murray, who will be able to rotate with fellow CBs Dorian Strong and Armani Chatman. Both Murray and Chatman notched PFF coverage grades north of 68 while yielding reception percentages below 52% last year.

Special Teams: Back to Peter Moore we go. The lone returning Hokies All-ACC honoree from last season. Moore is only a sophomore, and, as a freshman, he averaged 44.5 yards per boot, which was good for fourth in the ACC. His coverage unit has to lend him a hand, though. Last year, Virginia Tech was 122nd in the FBS in average punt return yards allowed (Old Dominion didn't return a punt in last week's game). Former Coastal Carolina transfer William Ross has replaced John Parker Romo as Virginia Tech's place kicker, and Ross made his only attempt—a 44-yarder—against Old Dominion. Of course, he would have had another chance, had long snapper Enzo Anthony not flung the ball over the hands of Moore, also the Hokies' holder. That play was the cause of a potential 10-point swing that arguably cost Virginia Tech the game.

26 — interceptions thrown by Virginia Tech quarterback Grant Wells, dating back to the start of the 2020 season.

15 — penalties committed by the Hokies in their season-opening loss to Old Dominion. Only Syracuse had more (18) in its first game this year.

84 — rushing yards Old Dominion mustered last week against Virginia Tech.

The database gives Virginia Tech a 51.2% chance of beating BC in Week 2.

There's rain in the forecast for Saturday night in Blacksburg, and that means the advantage arrow points in Virginia Tech's direction. The Hokies have a more experienced offensive line, and they were much better against the run than BC was in Week 1. That's not to say BC can't make a jump in either of those two categories.

If the Eagles can buy quarterback Phil Jurkovec some time, perhaps with six- and seven-man protections or by rolling him out of the pocket, he and his receivers can exploit a Virginia Tech defense that's strongest in the middle.