By Jimmy Robertson
BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech football team is wrapping up final preparations for the middle game of its three game homestand, as the Hokies get set to take on FCS opponent Furman on Saturday afternoon at Lane Stadium.
The Hokies are coming off a 31-17 victory over Old Dominion that moved them to 1-1 on the season, while Furman couldn't hold on to a 20-3 lead against Georgia State last Saturday and lost 48-42 in Atlanta, falling to 1-1 so far this fall.
The story of the season thus far for the Hokies has been their turnovers. Tech turned the ball over five times against Boston College and twice against Old Dominion, with those turnovers coming in a variety of ways. BC scored 14 points off Tech turnovers, while Tech's defense kept ODU from scoring off its turnovers this past Saturday.
"If you look at what we've done in two games, we've found different ways to turn it over," Tech head coach Justin Fuente said at his Monday news conference. "We fumbled the ball last week [against ODU], and two weeks ago, we had issues with fielding a punt and throwing interceptions. It's been different sources, but it's [taking care of the ball] a must for us. We have to do a better job as coaches and as players. You can't go out there and take a knee every time, obviously, but we have to find a way to be aggressive and take care of the ball."
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The Hokies also need to run the ball a little better – and they did improve in that area against ODU, rushing for 131 yards after amassing just 98 against BC. Furman has allowed at least 185 yards rushing in its first two games, so Saturday represents an opportunity.
What else should fans watch? Here are a few more things:
Containing Furman's running game – Fuente raved about Furman quarterback Darren Grainger at his news conference Monday, and for sure, the redshirt freshman owns some impressive numbers. He's completing 67 percent of his passes, with five touchdowns and no interceptions. He makes Furman go – a big part of why the Paladins have amassed better than 500 yards of offense in each of their first two games.
But make no mistake about it – Furman runs the football. The Paladins racked up 369 yards rushing against Charleston Southern and added another 215 against Georgia State behind a veteran offensive line that includes four juniors and a senior. And while Grainger is a good runner, he is not the focal point of their rushing attack. They spread the ball around to four or five different ball carriers.
Tech held BC in check for the most part in the season opener (157 yards), but allowed ODU to rush for more than 200 yards. The key number for Tech is 150 – the Hokies are 17-3 under Fuente when allowing 150 yards rushing or less to their opponents.
Forced turnovers – In addition to piling up the yardage, Furman has done a great job of taking care of the football. In fact, the Paladins have turned it over just once this season through 130 plays – and that came from a receiver throwing an interception on a trick play.
Tech struggled to force turnovers a season ago, and that trend has continued through the first two games so far this season. The Hokies' Jermaine Waller intercepted a pass against BC, but that stands as Tech's lone forced turnover.
Turnovers simply represent such a huge part of the game of football. Again, the numbers say so. Tech is 18-2 under Fuente when committing fewer turnovers than its opponents. Conversely, the Hokies are 3-14 under Fuente when committing more turnovers than their opponents.
Tech needs to reverse its recent trend, as it relates to turnovers. Saturday represents a great time to do it.
Getting the offense rolling – Tech actually has done some nice things on offense through two games this season. Last Saturday, the Hokies put together a nice second quarter drive against ODU to grab a 17-3 lead and then had another nice drive early in the third quarter to extend their lead. But then two fourth quarter fumbles kept the game closer than it needed to be.
In short, Tech needs to be a little more consistent – take care of the ball and eliminate the penalties.
"I know I expect us to operate and execute at a certain level every play, whether it's in practice or in a game," Fuente said. "We haven't found that yet."
Saturday is a great time to do it. Georgia State rolled up 566 yards of offense against Furman, with most of that coming through the air. GSU quarterback Dan Ellington threw for 362 yards and five touchdowns, with no interceptions, and Furman did not have a sack. In fact, Georgia State only punted three times the entire game.
This game looks like a perfect opportunity for Tech's offense to get better. Hokie Nation hopes that happens.
In closing: For the second straight week – and much to tailgaters' lament – the game kicks off at noon. Fans unable to trek to Blacksburg can watch the game on the ACC Network. For more information on how to get the ACC Network, please click here.