Virginia Tech gets a chance to bounce back Saturday night, and the setup looks about as favorable as it gets. Stanford comes to Blacksburg for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on the ACC Network, with cold, wind, and maybe even snow hanging over the New River Valley.
The weather is the first wrinkle. Forecasts call for a bitterly cold evening and night, with hard freeze conditions expected for Saturday and Sunday mornings.
There is also the possibility of 1 to 3 inches of snow somewhere during the weekend, though Weather Underground does not show a real chance of snow on game day. Either way, it figures to be a cold one in Blacksburg.
The Hokies would love to use the night to get back on track after the SMU debacle. Tech is heavily favored, and the oddsmakers seem to agree, with the spread sitting at just over two touchdowns at 15.5 and the over/under at 58.5.
Stanford arrives with a 4-5 overall record and a 2-4 mark in the ACC. With two games left after this one, the Cardinal’s bowl hopes are thin unless they can beat both Virginia Tech and Cal.
Their final game is against SMU, and unless the Mustangs completely melt, Stanford is not expected to win that one. Andrew Luck, now Stanford’s athletic director, is in the middle of rebuilding the program and the broader athletic department, but the football team still has work to do.
The matchup itself points toward Virginia Tech. The Hokies should be able to run the ball, especially with the offensive line getting healthier, and the offense should have room to work both on the ground and through the air.
One area that could demand attention is pass defense, since Stanford’s strength is the passing game. The Cardinal do not bring the same kind of threat SMU did, but they do have talented skill players.
Bryan Manning sees a game that tilts heavily toward Tech. He said the Hokies should dominate based on the metrics, noting that anything Virginia Tech has trouble with is something Stanford also struggles with. He expects Ethan Grunkemeyer to have a big day and said the Hokies should have no issues running the ball.
John Schneider was just as confident, saying Stanford can’t handle the Hokie offense and that the defensive line and linebackers should be able to pressure the Cardinal quarterback hard. He also believes Virginia Tech can shut down Stanford’s run game, while the secondary will need to cover smarter and better.
As he put it, “We’ll stick with something rational, but I think that Grunkemeyer, Reynolds, Q, Brown, A. Greene, and especially the Juniors (both of them) are going to have a really good game.”
The bottom line is simple: Virginia Tech has a clear opening to turn the page after last week and push toward a better finish, and Saturday night in Lane looks like the spot to do it.
In Other News...
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The victory also came with a milestone for Megan Duffy, who picked up her 200th career win as a head coach. For Virginia Tech, it was more than just a clean result in an early road test. It was a reminder that the Hokies can win in different ways, and that Dimaros presence on the glass gives this team a very real edge when the margin starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]
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Dimaro set a program record with 23 points and 24 rebounds, the kind of inside presence that changes the feel of a game on both ends. Carleigh Wenzel shook off a slow start to finish with 11 points, Alyssa Latham added 19 points and five rebounds, and Anyia Trent chipped in with 10 rebounds, giving Virginia Tech a deeper picture of a roster that already looks capable of making life difficult for opponents. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Could Get A Huge O-Line Boost This Weekend
Justin Terrys return could give Virginia Tech a timely lift up front, and the latest update suggests the left tackle is moving in the right direction. Head coach James Franklin said Terry practiced fully for the first time since suffering a leg injury in Week 3, a sign that the Hokies may be getting closer to having their offensive line intact again.
Franklin also said Terry is ahead of schedule, but his status for the upcoming game is still up in the air and could come down to a game-time decision. If he is able to go, Virginia Tech would be close to full strength along the offensive line, a welcome development for a unit that has been waiting on one of its key pieces to come back. [Read more 🡒]