Hokie ClubHeading into a crucial conference contest, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech each look for a big-time victory when they meet inside Lane Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is set for noon ET, with the game set to air on the ACC Network.
Sacksburg’s Biggest Challenge
It’s no secret that getting to the opposing quarterback has long been attached to the history of Tech football. And in 2024, that’s certainly no exception.
Captained by star defensive end Antwaun Powell-Ryland, who’s tied for the nation’s lead with 11 sacks on the year, the Hokies find themselves tied for fourth nationally with 25 quarterback takedowns – the best in the ACC. To add on, Tech has racked up 152 quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus – ranking sixth amongst Power Four schools.
“I think the history here at Virginia Tech with rushing the quarterback, the history in this structure, rushing the quarterback, it's part of who we need to be,” third-year head coach Brent Pry said. “I'm happy for [Powell-Ryland], and he certainly has done a tremendous job. But it also goes along with the type of defense, the caliber of defense we need to play here in and year out with here at Virginia Tech."
On the flip side, the Yellow Jackets have allowed just three sacks on the season. That’s good for both the third-lowest total nationally and the fewest in the ACC, with 13 of the remaining 16 schools across the conference (Clemson, Duke and SMU) having surrendered 11 or more.
It creates quite the intriguing matchup on Saturday afternoon, with Tech’s defensive front faced with arguably its toughest challenge to date in terms of generating pressure on the opposing signal-caller.
Back To A Backup?
Interestingly enough, the Hokies have been no stranger to facing backup quarterbacks so far this year, and this upcoming Saturday, Tech could find itself in a similar situation.
With Georgia Tech starting quarterback Haynes King a question mark with an apparent shoulder injury suffered a few weeks ago, the Yellow Jackets may be forced to turn to redshirt sophomore backup Zach Pyron – who went 20-for-36 with 269 yards and a touchdown in last week’s 31-13 setback to Notre Dame.
Tech’s faced something similar twice so far this season, limiting Old Dominion reserves Colton Joseph and Quinn Henicle to just six pass completions and a measly 50 yards in the 37-17 victory over the Monarchs, and most recently containing Stanford backup Justin Lamson a few weeks ago.
Lamson threw for 103 yards on 24 pass attempts and not a single score in the Hokies’ 31-7 thumping of the Cardinal out on the West Coast, failing to serve as a threat against a Tech defense that has really found its form.
Takeaways For All
While Tech’s ability to garner takeaways in the red zone has certainly been highlighted over the past few weeks, the Hokies quietly have now forced a turnover in each of their last six games.
This is the first time they’ve created a takeaway in six consecutive contests since 2019, with Tech now having turned the opposition over 12 times over the course of the 2024 campaign.
To counter, Georgia Tech has coughed it up just four times so far this season, with two occurring last week in the setback to the Fighting Irish. The total is tied with Clemson for the fewest in the ACC, with the Yellow Jackets one of just 13 schools to have turned the ball over four times or less.
It sets up for Saturday to be quite the opportunity for the maroon and orange, with a third consecutive victory right there in sight.
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