BLACKSBURG – Saturday marks homecoming in Blacksburg, and Virginia Tech will be looking to bounce back from an ugly Thursday night loss to Georgia Tech. The Hokies take on Boston College on Saturday afternoon in a game in which both teams enter with a 3-1 conference record.
The Hokies head into this one with a three-game winning streak over the Eagles and with wins in eight of the past 10 meetings, but Tech has been inconsistent this season, winning back-to-back games just once. Plus, BC is enjoying a resurgent campaign – the Eagles are nationally ranked at No. 24 and sport a 6-2 overall record.
Both squads need a win to stay in the hunt in their respective divisions, but something must give Saturday. That said, here are some things to watch:
Tech's rushing defense – Behind talented tailback AJ Dillon and a powerful offensive line, BC ran more than 50 plays against Miami in the first half alone in its victory over the 'Canes last Friday night. The Eagles jumped out to a 17-7 lead, pulling Miami out of its game plan, and then put the game away with two third-quarter touchdowns.
Dillon rushed for 149 yards and BC finished with 223 on the ground.
The Hokies need to reverse their recent trend of allowing opponents success on the ground. Each of their past three opponents has rushed for more than 160 yards, with North Carolina (235) and Georgia Tech (465) going well beyond that.
Not coincidentally, in BC's losses to Purdue and NC State, it rushed for 85 and 120 yards respectively – its lowest outputs of the season.
So stopping BC's running game is probably Tech's No. 1 key to winning the game.
Anthony Brown's game – BC quarterback Anthony Brown is enjoying a nice season, with 1,390 yards, 15 touchdowns and just five interceptions. But he's completing just 58 percent of his passes – the fourth-worst percentage in the ACC – and nine of his 15 touchdown passes came in the first three games.
Also, Brown hasn't thrown for more than 200 yards in any of the past five games. In the Eagles' loss to Purdue, he threw four interceptions.
BC's running game certainly takes the pressure off Brown, which is another reason why the Hokies need to stop the Eagles' rushing attack. They simply need for Brown to show that he can make the plays to beat them.
Peoples and getting back on track – Part of the Hokies' recent troubles on defense stem from their struggles to possess the ball on offense. Against Georgia Tech, the Hokies scored touchdowns on their first three possessions, but over the next six possessions, they ran 18 plays. None of those six drives lasted longer than four plays.
Digging deeper, Tech hasn't rushed for more than 154 yards in each of the past four games. So this weekend would be a perfect time to get the running game going behind 225-pound tailback Steven Peoples.
Peoples rushed just six times against Georgia Tech. He ran for 51 yards, but nearly half of that (24 yards) came on one carry. Since rushing for 156 yards against Old Dominion, Peoples hasn't rushed for more than 64 yards over the past four games.
BC appears susceptible to a good rushing attack. The Eagles rank 66th nationally in rush defense (156.9 ypg), and their opponents have put up some nice rushing numbers. Wake Forest ran for 298, NC State ran for 225, Holy Cross ran for 197 and Temple ran for 191.
Those aren't a "Whose who?" of rushing attacks, so the opportunity could be there for the Hokies.
Big play on special teams – Tech head coach Justin Fuente has lamented the Hokies' lack of big plays in the return game this season – Tech ranks 101st nationally in punt return average (5.83 ypr) – and he and the staff continue to shuffle guys at the returner spots.
Saturday's game, though, offers an opportunity considering BC ranks 87th nationally in punt return defense (9.94 ypr). More importantly, the Eagles have allowed three punt returns for touchdowns this season – tied for the most in the nation.
The Hokies are due for a big play on special teams because they spend too much time on it not to be more productive. They made the big play in the season opener against Florida State when they blocked a punt (and Eric Kumah returned it for a score), but since then … well, not much.
Special teams can turn a game. Can the Hokies find a play to do that?
These two longtime rivals square off at 3:45 in what is shaping up as an intriguing game. The game can be seen on Raycom Sports.
