Virginia Tech’s trip to Chestnut Hill comes with a couple of obvious pressure points, and the weather may be one of the biggest.
A nor’easter is expected to bring heavy rain and strong northeast winds into eastern Massachusetts starting Friday evening, which could turn Saturday’s noon ET ACC opener against Boston College into a game decided by ball security and field position. Virginia Tech (3-0) visits the Eagles (2-1) at Alumni Stadium on ACC Network, looking to stay unbeaten and reach 4-0 for the first time since 2017. The Hokies haven’t started 4-0 since that season, and they went 3-9 a year ago.
Boston College has already shown it can make life miserable for quarterbacks. Ethan Grunkemeyer has thrown 101 passes this season, and none has been intercepted, but the Eagles have picked off six passes over their last two games.
They opened with a 34-15 loss at Cincinnati, then beat Rutgers 28-21 and Maine 22-16. Virginia Tech has won the last three meetings, and its most recent loss in the series came in Chestnut Hill, 17-3 in 2021.
The weather could put extra value on every throw, which makes Virginia Tech’s passing game worth watching closely. Offensive coordinator Ty Howle has leaned on short and intermediate routes, and Grunkemeyer has responded with a 78.2% completion rate, 865 passing yards and seven touchdowns. His top target has been tight end Luke Reynolds, who is from Westford, Massachusetts, and has 25 catches for 265 yards and four touchdowns.
If the wind and rain make the deep ball unreliable, Virginia Tech may need more from its run game. Jeffrey Overton Jr. and Marcellous Hawkins Jr. combined for 124 rushing yards at Maryland, and that number may need to climb if the Hokies want to keep the offense balanced.
There’s also a question along the offensive line. Starting left tackle Justin Terry, an Ohio State transfer, was carted off in the first quarter at Maryland after his left leg was rolled up on. James Franklin didn’t have an update Wednesday.
"I don't have any information for you that I can share with you at this point," he said.
Logan Howland stepped in at left tackle after Terry went down. Franklin described the Oklahoma transfer as the team’s "swing tackle," and Howland made six starts at left tackle for the Sooners in 2024.
He may not be the only option, either. Left guard Layth Ghannam also took snaps at left tackle Wednesday, and Franklin said the staff had tried Ghannam and right guard Montavious Cunningham at tackle in camp for exactly this kind of situation.
Virginia Tech’s defense has been disruptive all season, piling up 37 tackles for loss, most in the FBS, and tying for the national lead with 14 sacks over three weeks. But Maryland found some cracks in the coverage.
Malik Washington completed 30 of 43 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns against the Hokies, and Chris Durr Jr. caught 12 passes for 109 yards and two scores. One of those touchdowns came on a play where cornerback Jaquez White and safety Quentin Reddish appeared to miscommunicate.
"There's some aspects of coverage that we need to work on," safety Tyson Flowers said Monday.
Boston College quarterback Mason McKenzie brings a different kind of challenge. The redshirt junior, who was the 2025 GLIAC Player of the Year at Division II Saginaw Valley State, has thrown for 648 yards and run for 225 more through three games. Franklin said, "He's an undersized guy, but he is gutsy and he is competitive as heck," and added, "I think he's best outside of the pocket."
That makes keeping McKenzie contained the priority. If Virginia Tech can force him to stay inside the pocket, the turnovers may come. McKenzie has already thrown five interceptions in three games, and with the forecast pointing toward sloppy conditions, that kind of mistake could swing the afternoon.
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The next test is where those numbers start to mean more. Virginia Tech is about to open ACC play against Boston College, and the early-season polish that helped Grunkemeyer settle in will now face a different level of pressure, with conference defenses making every throw a little harder and every mistake more expensive. Among the quarterbacks driving the league conversation, he is already in that group, but the real question is how quickly he can carry this start into the grind ahead. [Read more 🡒]