Impressive Wins Revive Virginia Tech's Chance at Bowl Eligibility
Impressive Wins Revive Virginia Tech's Chance at Bowl Eligibility
Virginia Tech suffocated Wake Forest last Saturday, generating legitimate momentum as the Hokies look towards the second half of the 2023 season.
If nothing else, the 2023 Virginia Tech Hokies are intriguing.
In less than two months, the Hokies have suffered agonizing losses to Purdue, Rutgers and Marshall while also dispatching two respectable programs in Pittsburgh and Wake Forest. Once 1-3, Virginia Tech now stands at 3-4 with as easy a schedule as one could ask for this time of year.
Last Saturday’s win over Wake Forest was similar to Tech’s win over Pittsburgh in all the right ways. The Hokies once again stifled their opponent’s offense, bottling up the running game and rattling the opposing quarterback. Combine that with Virginia Tech’s two-best offensive performances of 2023, and you’ve got yourself two comfortable victories.
Consider the similarities from Virginia Tech’s last two wins…
38 rush yards allowed vs. Pitt, 35 rush yards allowed vs. Wake
Held Pitt to 2-10 on third downs, Wake to 3-14 on third downs
Sacked Pitt four times, Wake seven times
427 total yards of offense vs. Pitt, 462 yards vs. Wake
Kyron Drones finished with a 216.1 passer rating vs. Pitt and a 184.7 passer rating vs. Wake
If it weren’t for the inevitable result at Florida State, the Hokies would have themselves an incredibly solid two-game win streak. Despite that loss, these two wins against Pittsburgh and Wake Forest rightfully have fans feeling optimistic about the remainder of the season.
Virginia Tech is off this weekend before hosting a reeling Syracuse team next Thursday night. Tech travels to Louisville (who just lost to Pitt) the following weekend before finishing the year with Boston College, NC State and Virginia.
In the words of my Hokie Hangover podcast cohost Mike McDaniel, I’m not saying the Hokies are making a bowl game, but I’m not not saying it either.
Frank Beamer often said that things are never as good as they seem and never as bad as they seem. Reality usually resides somewhere in the middle. It’s important to note that while Virginia Tech’s wins over Pittsburgh and Wake Forest are impressive, both of those teams are in the bottom third of the ACC.
Virginia Tech took full advantage of the quarterback issues plaguing Pitt and Wake. Neither team runs the football well and failed to exploit Tech’s biggest weakness on defense. The Hokies’ rather easily bottled up each team’s receivers and sustained offensive success against the two lackluster defenses.
As bad as Pittsburgh and Wake Forest may be, Virginia Tech played exactly how you’d want a good team to play against subpar opposition. The Hokies took care of business and because of that, they’ve created some opportunities in the second half to change the entire narrative surrounding their season.
Like most of the ACC, there are no guarantees when it comes to Virginia Tech. This is clearly still a team figuring things out. But they’re trending in the right direction as we enter the stretch run, and given how up-and-down the Hokies have been, there’s no telling what we’ll see week in and week out.
Don’t change the channel. You won’t want to miss what happens next.