Part 8 of the 12 part 2014 Miami Hurricane Opponent Video Series - @VT 10/23 (Thursday Night)

2014 Virginia Tech Football Preview

In Part 8 of the 2014 12 part opponent video series, I’m going to talk a little about the Virginia Tech Hokies, our opponent on Oct 23^rd on a Thursday Night off the BYE week up in Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, VA at 7:30 pm on ESPN.   

Lets first look at their Talent:

Logan Thomas, who had been the leader of this struggling offense for several years, has graduated and is now in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals. That means the QB competition is wide open and the battle there is between Texas Tech transfer Michael Brewer and Mark Leal.

For many years, the O has certainly been a issue. You know what you’re getting with the Defense under Bud Foster, and Special Teams under Frank Beamer (Beamer Ball). The D isn’t what it once was, and not as strong as in years past. With a weak Offense, that has no quick fixes in the foreseeable future, specifically at QB, the offense will remain status quo in Blacksburg.

Next, I want to talk about the Coaching:

Frank Beamer has been the dean of College Football, however, something you’re starting to hear a little more in Blacksburg, chatter about Beamer being in the hot seat. The one that disagrees the most on this is the new AD there Whit Babcock.

Something Babcock said to the Roanoke Times back in May that was telling: "Yeah, he’s a Hall of Famer. You know what; they asked me that question, maybe with different words, in the interview process. I said, you know, if I earn Coach Beamer’s respect by proving to have character and competence -- I think those are the two keys to leadership -- if you have character and competence, and not that anybody is perfect, but I think poor character tears down leadership really fast. And you’d better be competent at your job too,” “But I think he knows I have a job to do too, and if there’s something I need to address with him that needs improvement, I would do that. But I haven’t seen any areas of that so far. And he’s a heck of a coach and I hope and plan on him being here for a long time."

With that, you can put to bed any thoughts of Beamer going anywhere anytime soon, and the same could be said for DC Bud Foster. While his D might not be as strong as in years past, he gets the most out of the personnel he has here.

Now, to their 2014 Schedule:

The Hokies are coming off an 8-5 season that included an ugly loss in the Sun Bowl to UCLA (12-42). Here’s how I see their schedule play out:

In their opener, 8/30 William & Mary: W

An easy opening game in 11 days, which the Hokies should roll over William and Mary cruise. The thing here is that the offense can get some traction under Brewer or Leal because Virginia Tech is going to need some serious offense in the next matchup in Columbus, OH.

In Week 2, 9/6 AT Ohio State: L

A trip to Columbus won’t bode well for the Hokies here. Their O is very weak, and the Buckeye defense should have a field day here. Look for a big game out of DE Joey Bosa being in the Hokie backfield all day and making life miserable for either Brewer and/or Leal. No way the Hokies are scoring 28 points vs that defense.  Buckeyes cruise in this one.

In week 3, 9/13 East Carolina: W

East Carolina is tough and one a co-favorite to win the AAC, however, they are not tough enough to win a game in Blacksburg. At this point, the O should be getting into a rhythm and after a projected bad loss in Columbus the previous week, VT is going to want to get back on track here. Look for this game to be the classic Beamer/Foster type of game, which is a physical running game, good aggressive defense and ST’s (which is the classic Beamer M.O.) VT bounces back nicely in this one.

In week 4, 9/20 Georgia Tech: W

GT’s triple option will be no match for VT’s D. The’ve won the last four times they’ve played GT, and look for it to be five after this one. VT rolls here. 

In week 5, 9/27 Western Michigan: W

They’re at home, and the Broncos went 1-11 last year. No way the Hokies lose this one, provided they don’t turn the ball over. Too many quality athletes for the Broncos to overcome here.

In Week 6 10/4 AT North Carolina: W

While Carolina might be the real deal in 2014, they always seem to lose a game they should win, and this will be one of them. As good as Larry Fedora is as a HC, and with them having momentum from last year’s end, and as good as QB Marquise Williams is, never underestimate a Bud Foster Defense in big games like this. His Defense will have an answer for Williams. VT wins a close one on the road, going into the BYE week a projected 5-1.

In Week 7, BYE week

In Week 8, 10/16 AT Pittsburgh: W

This game will be tough for Virginia Tech, however, they will have had 12 days off between the game at Carolina and this one at Heinz Field. Its on a Thursday Night (1^st of a back to back on Thursday Night). Yes, the Panthers have a few young playmakers on offense, however, with Tom Savage gone, look for the VT Defense to feast on Pitt’s QB and make some plays. Also, look for VT’s Special Teams to come up big and the O does just enough to win. Pitt lost too much on D, and in the end, VT gets the win over Pitt on the road

In Week 9, 10/23 Miami (FL): L
 
You know the Hurricanes will have payback on their minds for the ugly quagmire loss at Sun Life last year. Simple math here, win the Turnover battle and you win the game. Miami will win that battle and therefore leave Blacksburg with a win. VT drops to a projected 6-2 after this one.
In Week 10 11/1 Boston College: W

BC lost too many key players on both sides of the ball to hang with the Hokies for 4 quarters. It’ll be close for 2 ½ quarters, before VT’s talent starts to take over and win going away late. VT gets the nod here.
In Week 11, 11/15 AT Duke: L

The Hokies just barely let this game slip away last season, but I have a feeling that the secondary will be excellent for this game. Duke can score points with quarterback Anthony Boone,  and will do so in this game. The Duke D makes some plays and hands VT a second loss in a row in this series.
In Week 12, 11/22 AT Wake Forest: W

Wake Forest has a very athletic secondary but other than that, there is no reason why the Hokies should lose this game, and they won’t, especially after the projected loss in Durham the week before. VT wins big here.
In Week 13, 11/28 Virginia: W

This will be no contest here, yes it’s a rivalry, but the Cavaliers will be in such disarray here and Mike London will likely be canned a few days after this game is over. VT is still king in that state. VT wins handily here to finish a projected 9-3. 

My prediction on the Game vs. CANES:

I look for this game to be physical and very hard hitting. I don’t need to tell any of my fellow CANES about the ugly quagmire loss at Sun Life last year. We’ll be coming off a BYE, and we’re going to go up there with a chip on our shoulders. We’re going to make some plays on D and on ST’s to win this one on the road.

In Part 9 of the 2014 series, I will talk about the North Carolina Tar Heels, our opponent on November 1^st at Sun Life Stadium.