Virginia Tech’s 2-0 start has the Hokies in a good spot early in the James Franklin era, but the next step gets a lot more demanding. Saturday night brings a road trip to Maryland, and for the first time this season Virginia Tech will enter as the favorite away from home.
FanDuel Sportsbook opened the Hokies as 3.5-point favorites, with the over/under set at 52.5.
The early wins have been solid, even if the latest one was less clean than the opener. Virginia Tech handled Old Dominion on Saturday, and that mattered to Hokies fans after the Monarchs have caused plenty of problems for the program over the years, including the embarrassing beatdown that cost Brent Pry his head coach job last season. Still, Maryland is the first true measuring-stick game on the schedule.
Franklin knows this matchup well. He coached at Maryland in two separate stints, including as offensive coordinator from 2008-2010, and he has also spent plenty of time facing Mike Locksley and the Terrapins from his days at Penn State.
Maryland may not be among the Big Ten’s top contenders, but the Terrapins do have a real weapon in quarterback Malik Washington, who is one of the most talented quarterbacks in the conference. Ethan Grunkemeyer has looked strong to start the season for Virginia Tech, but this will be the first game in which the Hokies enter with even a slight quarterback disadvantage.
That makes Pry and the defense central to the outcome. Virginia Tech’s best path is clear: protect the football, make life uncomfortable for Washington, and force Maryland into a game it doesn’t want to play. If the Hokies can do that, they should leave with a win.
Franklin liked what he saw from his defensive starters in the Old Dominion game, even after the late scoring made the final look closer than the flow of the game suggested. Virginia Tech had raced to a 34-3 lead before the Monarchs added some late points, and Franklin pointed to the disruptive work up front.
"If you look at the stats when our starters were on the field, I think they're going to be pretty impressive, and our whole thing with [defensive coordinator} Brent Pry and defensive line coach Sean Spencer] and our time together has been about being disruptive and getting people off schedule and getting them into obvious passing situations," Franklin said. "I think you guys got a chance to see today what we've been talking about, our edge players as well as our D-tackles and how disruptive those guys can be."
Virginia Tech and Maryland meet next Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1 or Fox Sports.
In Other News...
Virginia Techs Fast Start Faces Its First Real Test
Virginia Tech has spent the first two weeks building some real momentum, with Ethan Grunkemeyer and Luke Reynolds quickly developing the kind of quarterback-tight end connection that can steady an offense early in a season. The Hokies are 2-0, and while the wins have come against lower-ranked opposition, there have been enough encouraging signs on both sides of the ball to justify some optimism around the program.
The next stretch is where that early confidence gets put under a brighter spotlight. Maryland is coming up as a far more revealing measuring stick, and Virginia Techs defense and special teams will need to keep carrying their share while the offense deals with an offensive line that has already had to work through injuries and ejections. The Hokies have started well, but the bigger question now is how much of that fast start holds up once the schedule stops being so forgiving. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech's Fast Start Comes With One Worry Fans Can't Ignore
Virginia Techs 44-21 win over Old Dominion at Lane Stadium gave the Hokies something they have not had since 2021: a 2-0 start. The defense set the tone with seven sacks, 14 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles, while quarterback Grant Grunkemeyer kept the offense moving with 327 passing yards and two touchdowns. Even with the result well in hand, the game still offered a reminder that this team is not quite finished coming together, especially when it comes to composure and getting the rushing attack on track.
Montavious Cunninghams fourth-quarter ejection added an unwanted edge to an otherwise encouraging afternoon, and it is the kind of moment that can linger beyond one Saturday. Virginia Tech has enough going right to feel good about its early momentum, but the Hokies also know the next step is about more than making plays. It is about keeping the focus and discipline intact before the schedule tightens again. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Faces Its First Real Test With Plenty To Prove
Saturday night brings Virginia Tech its first real measuring stick of the season, and the setting is as firm as it gets for an early nonconference game. The Hokies head into an out-of-conference P4 matchup at Maryland with both teams still unbeaten at 2-0, which makes this more than just a September tune-up and gives the winner an early boost in the bigger picture. Virginia Tech has leaned on quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer to get here, while Maryland has its own answer in Malik Washington, setting up a game that should tell a lot about where each program really stands.
The market has treated it like a tight one from the start, with Virginia Tech opening as a slight favorite and the total sitting in a range that suggests points should be available on both sides. ESPN Analytics gives the Hokies a 58.3% chance to win, but that edge is hardly the kind that settles anything before kickoff. For Virginia Tech, the real question is whether this is a team ready to turn an encouraging start into a statement, or one that still has plenty to prove when the level of competition rises. [Read more 🡒]