By Jimmy Robertson
BLACKSBURG – In a few short hours, the Virginia Tech football team opens the much-anticipated 2019 season against longtime adversary Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
This season marks the second straight in which the Hokies play a conference opponent on the road, following on the heels of their victory over Florida State in Tallahassee, Florida last season. In fact, this is the third consecutive season in Justin Fuente's four at Tech in which the Hokies have opened with a Power 5 opponent.
Many coaches prefer to open a season with a winnable game, but Fuente doesn't analyze such things all that much.
2019 VIRGINIA TECH FOOTBALL TICKETS
(The Virginia Tech Athletics Department put individual football game tickets on sale Monday morning. Fans interested in purchasing a ticket to any of the Hokies' seven home games may do so by clicking here).
"I feel comfortable either way.," he said. "If you really think about it, our first year here, we opened with Liberty, and not that Liberty's not a big game, but then had the biggest game in college football history the second week [against Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway]. We probably underperformed in that game. I think everybody would agree. Then you look at the other years. You play a big game right out of the box and maybe overperformed.
"I don't know. Whatever it is, what we try to make the best out of it. I do like our philosophy and how we prepare for the first game. I think our guys are fresh and have a decent idea of knowing what to do by the time the first game rolls around. It probably depends on the team that you have, how you feel about that on any given year – how much experience you have. Boston College would be a tremendous challenge if they were Week 1 or Week 6 or 9 or 12. They happen to be week 1."
Tech lost 31-21 to BC last season at Lane Stadium in a game in which it led at halftime. The Hokies cut the lead to 28-21 on a Ryan Willis touchdown pass to Tré Turner with less than four minutes remaining, but the Eagles hit a late field goal to seal things.
The Hokies hope to exact a little revenge against a team in which it has enjoyed some success. Tech is 10-6 against the Eagles since joining the ACC and 18-9 overall in the series, including a 9-4 record in Chestnut Hill.
What will it take for Tech to pull out a victory this time? Here are some things to watch:
Tech's rush defense – Everyone knew this was coming, right? A year ago, for a lot of reasons, the Hokies simply struggled against the run. Tech ranked 105th nationally against the run, allowing 206.5 yards rushing per game and 5.3 yards per carry. Six teams rushed for more than 200 yards against the Hokies in 2018.
Tech expects to be much improved defensively overall, with nine starters returning. Of those nine, three return on the defensive line, though the Hokies saw stalwart defensive tackle Ricky Walker depart.
BC lost four of its five starters on the offensive line, but four projected starters weigh more than 300 pounds, and the Eagles feature a 250-pound tailback in AJ Dillon. So Tech's front figures to be challenged.
A year ago, Tech's defense held up reasonably well against Dillon, holding him to 96 yards, but BC's backup tailback – Travis Levy – rushed for 75 yards and two scores, and the Eagles finished with 219 yards rushing.
How critical is stopping the run against BC? Well, consider the numbers. Since Tech joined the ACC, the Hokies have allowed the Eagles to rush for more than 200 yards on just two occasions – and lost both games. In the other 14 meetings, Tech is 10-4 against the Eagles.
So winning against BC starts with stopping the run.
The third quarter – For some inexplicable reason, Tech struggled in the third quarter in 2018. Its 69 third quarter points were the fewest in any quarter last season.
In five games, Tech failed to score a point in the third quarter, including the loss to BC at Lane Stadium. In fact, the Hokies went three-and-out on their first three possessions after halftime in that game, and on the fourth possession, quarterback Ryan Willis threw an interception.
With a senior quarterback, a veteran backfield and experienced receivers, the Hokies should be able to put up points in any quarter. Tech fans hope their team can break its befuddling third quarter ways Saturday evening.
Ryan Willis – Graduation really depleted BC's defense, which lost eight starters from 2018. It may take the Eagles a couple of games to break in those new starters, so the Hokies, though playing on the road, catch a small break by opening with the new-look Eagles.
This game could provide a great opportunity for Willis, who actually played well against BC last fall despite that third quarter interception. He completed 25 of 42 passes for 281 yards, with three touchdowns and the pick.
Many expect Willis, now in his second year in the offense and with a great group of receivers and tight ends, to enjoy a big year. Tech fans hope the path to that starts Saturday.
Tech's rushing attack – The Hokies finished ninth in the ACC in rushing offense in 2018, rushing for 174.3 yards per game. Tech actually ran the ball well in spurts, but never consistently. Part of that stems from being behind a lot and thus being forced to throw, but there is no question that the staff wants to run the ball with more consistency this season. They also want more big plays, too – Tech's tailbacks combined for just five carries of more than 20 yards last fall.
So which tailback can deliver? Fuente and his staff tell you all of them. Is this the season that Jalen Holston or Deshawn McClease provide some explosiveness. Holston looked good toward the end of last season, scoring on a 40-yard run against Marshall and rushing for 40 yards in the bowl game. And McClease showed some burst in that bowl game, too, rushing for 102 yards.
The guy to watch may be freshman Keshawn King, who showed some wiggle and burst in August practices and scrimmages. Tech's staff, though, may not feature him much against BC. Do the coaches want to rely on a freshman in a conference road game to open a season? Fans will find out.
In closing: The game kicks off at 4 p.m. and can be seen on the fledgling ACC Network. For more on the Network and what channels to watch the game on, please click here.
