Virginia Tech heads back to Lane Stadium on Saturday night with a quick chance to put the SMU loss behind it. The Hokies were beaten 51-28 last week, a game that produced season highs in both points allowed and total yards surrendered - 51 and 569, respectively. It was also the most points the program has given up in a single game since 2021, and the most yards since 2020.
Stanford comes in at 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the ACC, and the matchup gives Virginia Tech a clear opening on offense. The Cardinal have been vulnerable all season, especially against the run, where they’ve allowed nearly 200 rushing yards per game. That makes Saturday a big one for a Hokies offense trying to get back on track.
The first name to circle is Overton. He has taken over as Virginia Tech’s lead back, and this looks like one of the better spots he’ll get.
Against SMU, the sophomore ran for 123 yards, giving him his third 100-yard game of the season. Earlier this year, he exploded for a career-high 209 yards against Boston College on Sept.
- Stanford’s recent run defense numbers tell the rest of the story: 296 rushing yards allowed to Louisville last week and 361 to Notre Dame.
Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin said Wednesday the Hokies may have leaned on the ground game more against SMU before the game script pushed them into passing situations.
Grunkemeyer is the other obvious engine here. He has been one of Virginia Tech’s most productive players on offense, entering Saturday with 2,431 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and only three interceptions.
He’s completing 71.7% of his throws, and that kind of efficiency has given the Hokies a steady presence through the air. It may feel repetitive to keep mentioning him, but the reason is simple: the offense usually follows his lead.
Stanford has been giving up 37.3 points per game, so there should be room for Grunkemeyer to attack downfield, especially if Overton helps keep the defense honest. The bigger issue for Virginia Tech is balance - not letting the passing game carry everything.
On the other side of the ball, Williams is the player to watch in the secondary. He could return Saturday after missing time with an injury, and Franklin gave a positive update Wednesday, saying Williams had been active all week and was trending toward playing against Stanford.
Still, Franklin stopped short of guaranteeing it, pointing out that the Hokies had expected Williams back in each of the previous two weeks. Virginia Tech’s defense needs help after the SMU game, when it gave up 51 points and 569 yards.
Williams has posted eight tackles, two forced fumbles and one interception this season, and if he’s cleared to go, he’d give the secondary a needed lift as it tries to steady itself after its roughest outing of the year.
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