BLACKSBURG — The November challenge that awaited Virginia Tech’s football team has arrived.
The road the Hokies took to get here was different than they anticipated back in the balmy days of August. Former head coach Brent Pry’s tenure is more than a month in the past now. In the wake of the coaching change came the departure of several veteran players who opted for early entry into the transfer portal.
But even those who claim to take the football season one week at a time can’t avoid at least the first leg of this four-game run of ACC foes, No. 16 Louisville.
The good news for Virginia Tech (3-5, 2-2 ACC) is that its offense has found a formula that has it sitting at .500 in the conference and still holding hope of reaching a bowl game. When the offense can run the football, extend drives to allow the Hokies’ defense to stay fresh and finish strong, there is a much better chance at success.
That was the case in Virginia Tech’s conference opener at N.C. State, where the Hokies came from behind twice in the second half to upset the double-digit favorite Wolfpack 23-21. The Hokies are coming off a similar scenario going into Saturday’s 3 p.m. game with the Cardinals at Lane Stadium.
Last Friday’s 42-34 double-overtime win over California came as a result of 32 Virginia Tech points being scored after halftime. The Hokies offensive line continuously opened holes for leading rusher Marcellous Hawkins, who pummeled the Bears for 167 yards on 21 carries. Hokies quarterback Kyron Drones took full advantage of a defense on its heels, rushing for 137 yards and two TDs, while throwing for three more.
Of the Hokies’ 476 yards of total offense, 357 came on the ground.
“I think we felt that (we overwhelmed Cal) on a number of occasions and I give that credit to (strength coach Jarrett Ferguson),” said offensive tackle Johnny Garrett. “I think he’s done a great job preparing us to be able to go out there. By the fourth quarter, by overtime — we were good. We were ready to keep going, you know. We didn’t really skip a beat.”
Some consistency helps as well. After being forced to shuffle offensive linemen all over the starting lineup due to constant injury woes during the first half of the season, the Hokies are expected on Saturday to start the same five guys in the same five spots for the third consecutive week.
“I think it helps a ton,” Garrett said of the lineup. “We’re a super close group, but the only way you can really build the chemistry on the line is by playing next to the same guys. I think we’re fortunate that injury-wise, we’ve been healthy these past couple of weeks and been able to trot the same five guys out there in the same spots.”
And thanks to the emergence of Hawkins, along with No. 2 running back Terion Stewart, Hokies running back coach Elijah Brooks can take some time to figure out who should be the No. 3 guy on the depth chart, certainly a less stressful decision.
“I was extremely happy,” Brooks said of the overall running game. “The entire offense worked extremely hard throughout the week, and it was good for our guys to come out and play well.”
If Virginia Tech’s offense can have a day with similar results this week, but no one doubts Louisville, a 10½-point favorite as of Friday afternoon is a more sizable challenge.
The Cardinals (6-1, 3-1) have reeled off wins at No. 10 Miami and at home against Boston College since losing in overtime to No. 15 Virginia on Oct. 4. On defense, it ranks fourth in the conference against the rush and second versus the pass.
“They’re tough,” Brooks said. “They’re big, fast, athletic. They play hard. It’s definitely going to be a task this Saturday.”
Louisville quarterback Miller Moss, a fifth-year senior who spent his first four years at pass-happy Southern Cal, ranks fourth in the ACC in pass efficiency and also has the luxury of sharing the Cardinals’ backfield with the conference’s most efficient running back, Isaac Brown, who ranks second in the league in rushing yards and averages a conference-best 8.7 yards per carry.
“He’s got a ton of weapons,” Hokies interim head coach Philip Montgomery said of Moss and his teammates. “All of their running backs, but the two they primarily play (Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown), those guys are electric. We’ve played some pretty good backs already this year. These guys, with the combination of the two, the amount of speed they have, they’re electric.”
