Everything You Need To Know: Virginia Tech

By: Kris Wright |
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Mike London will try to guide his team to bowl eligibility for the second time in his tenure. ~ Mike Ingalls

One win stands between Virginia and bowl eligibility for the second time in the Mike London era. The potential problem? That one win needs to come against rival Virginia Tech, which has won 10 straight games in the series. Both teams enter this year’s showdown with a 5-6 record so it’s a winner take all battle in terms of bowl hopes.

Here’s Everything You Need To Know for Friday night’s contest.

Essentials

Game Nuggets

  • Virginia and Virginia Tech meet for the 96th time in this series. VT holds a 53-37-5 edge thanks to its recent run of wins. The Hokies have won 10 straight and 14 of the last 15 meetings.
  • The winner of the game captures the Commonwealth Cup for the next year and secures bowl eligibility. The winner also contributes one point to the Commonwealth Clash, a head-to-head, points-based competition between the athletic teams of the Hoos and Hokies. UVa leads the current standings 4.5-0.5.
  • This game is a Friday night contest on ESPN. The teams have met one time previously on a Friday with VT winning 26-9 at Lane Stadium. Friday is the 16-year anniversary of Ahmad Hawkins game-winning 47-yard touchdown reception at Virginia Tech in UVa’s last win at Lane Stadium. The Hoos won that one 36-32.
  • Virginia’s Quin Blanding (109) and Anthony Harris (101) are the only safety duo in the nation with more than 100 tackles each on the season.
  • Virginia Tech’s defense ranks second nationally in tackles for loss. In the Hokies’ most recent game at Wake Forest, eight different players contributed to the 16 total tackles for loss.

Spotlight on Daquan Romero and Henry Coley

Virginia senior linebackers Daquan Romero and Henry Coley have put together a solid season for the Hoos.

Romero is third on the team with 78 tackles including seven tackles for loss and two sacks. He also has two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one interception, and one blocked kick. Romero helped swing momentum in last week’s win against Miami with that blocked kick. With the Hurricanes trying to tie the score at 10-10 before the half, that block led to a UVa field goal and a13-7 lead instead. Harold, meanwhile, is fourth on the team with 71 tackles including 12.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks. The sacks are tied for 21st nationally. He also has five pass break-ups and two forced fumbles.

Romero and Coley play a key role in Jon Tenuta’s defense because of their versatility. The duo has the ability to flip inside and outside of the formation, stop the run, rush the passer, or help in coverage. Watching them closely, they seem to flip roles on the interior from time to time too. At times, Romero even slides into fellow outside linebacker Max Valles’ edge rushing role.

With Virginia Tech’s offense struggling with consistency this season, Romero and Coley will be important pieces of the puzzle this weekend. If they can help stuff the run and execute well when blitzes are called, it could help tip the scales in Virginia’s favor.

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Darius Jennings could be a running or receiving threat for the Hoos. ~ Mike Ingalls

Match-Ups To Watch

Virginia’s front four vs. Virginia Tech’s offensive line. In last season’s match-up, Eli Harold and Max Valles combined for 4.5 sacks. Valles just posted three sacks against Miami in a win. For the season, Valles and Harold have combined for 15 sacks. Valles is tied for 21st nationally (along with Henry Coley) with eight sacks, while Harold is 43rd with seven. The Hokies struggled last week on the perimeter with some of Wake Forest’s stunt packages in the pass rush and that’s something UVa can dial up regularly if it chooses to go that route. Throw in David Dean and Mike Moore as pests in the middle where they have 15.5 combined tackles for loss and that’s a handful of challenges for the VT O-Line. The Hokies have allowed 29 sacks (tied for 99th nationally) and 72 tackles for loss (tied for 90th nationally). If the Hoos can get to the pocket, it could lead to mistakes so this is a key match-up.

Virginia Tech’s Dadi Nicolas vs. Virginia’s offensive line. Virginia Tech is disruptive up front as well where Dadi Nicolas leads a tough group to block. He has 15 tackles for loss including 7.5 sacks plus 32 quarterback hurries this season. That has helped the Hokies establish one of the nation’s most disruptive defenses. They are third in the nation in both categories with 94 tackles for loss and 42 sacks (tied). The Cavaliers have managed to keep their sack totals down this season, giving up only 42 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. Both of those numbers rank in the top 13 nationally. If the O-Line can create some running room and give Greyson Lambert time to throw, it will go a long way towards a chance at winning this one.

Virginia’s Darius Jennings and Canaan Severin vs. Virginia Tech’s Chuck Clark and Kendall Fuller. Two of the Cavaliers’ top receiving threats, Jennings and Severin are each coming off of solid performances against Miami. Severin leads the team with 38 receptions for 496 yards and five touchdowns, while Jennings has chipped in 26 catches for 498 yards and two touchdowns. They’ll face off against Fuller and Clark for the Hokies. Fuller is the harder defensive back to attack as he has 14 pass break-ups and one interception this season so teams have picked on Clark if possible. He’s posted 62 tackles and nine pass break-ups.

Virginia Tech’s Bucky Hodges vs. Virginia’s linebackers and safeties. UVa gave up seven catches and 105 yards to Miami tight end Clive Walford last week and the defense faces a potentially tough challenge with Hodges in this contest. He has 39 receptions for 456 yards and six touchdowns, the last of which is tied with Isaiah Ford for the team lead. VT’s Scot Loeffler likes to use the tight ends (Ryan Malleck also has 22 catches for 191 yards and one touchdown) so it’s important for the Hoos to have an eye on Hodges, who is one of the offense’s top threats. He already has established a new program record in the Frank Beamer era for catches by a tight end and needs just 21 yards to set a new yards mark for the position too.

Kris’ Keys

1. Touchdowns. Virginia has only scored four touchdowns in its last five games against Virginia Tech. That’s not good. While Wake Forest escaped a double overtime duel last week with a 6-3 win against the Hokies, the Hoos likely need to get in the end zone once or twice this weekend. Can the Cavalier defense help out the offense in another game?

2. Run the football successfully. Virginia Tech has allowed 205.2 rushing yards per game in its six losses this season, but only 93.8 rushing yards in its five wins. Virginia, meanwhile, has established the run successfully in its five wins, averaging 189.0 yards per game. In its losses, UVa has averaged 111.7 rushing yards per game. If the Cavaliers have to rely only on the pass to move the football, that could cause trouble in Blacksburg.

3. Special teams. The two defenses have done a good job of pestering opponents with sacks, tackles for loss, and take-aways. So it may be difficult for either offense to generate multiple long scoring drives. That puts field position at a premium. Per College Football Outsiders, Virginia Tech has the edge here. The Hokies are ranked 48th in that site’s composite special teams rankings, while the Hoos are 71st. The keys may be the punt cover and kickoff cover teams. VT is 41st in the punt category and third in the kickoff category. UVa is 92nd and 58th in those same categories. That means it may be easier for Tech to flip field position. The Hokies also have been good, or at least fortunate, in red zone field goal defense where their opponents have made just nine of 17 field goals in the red zone, the lowest percentage in the ACC. Lastly, Virginia has had two punts blocked this season and that’s an area where Virginia Tech has excelled over the years.

The Pick

The Cavaliers snapped out of a four-game funk last week with a convincing 30-13 win against Miami. That created this week’s rivalry showdown for bowl eligibility.

Virginia can win if … Greyson Lambert is alert and accurate. You hate to put that much emphasis on one player in a team sport, but Virginia Tech’s propensity to thrive off of turnovers and momentum means that Lambert needs to have a solid outing in Blacksburg. In losses to UCLA, UNC, and Florida State for example, he had critical interceptions that led to scores. In what could be a defensive battle, he needs to avoid the big mistake this week.

Virginia can lose if … it can’t run the ball. With so much emphasis on Lambert’s ability to complete some passes without interceptions, it’s important for the Hoos to run the football well. If they can’t get some yards on the ground, it will allow Bud Foster’s crew to dial up the pressure and that’s almost always a recipe for trouble against the Hokies.

And the winner is … Virginia. I said in the preseason that I thought UVa would find its way to 6-6 this season despite the schedule. The match-up looks somewhat promising on paper this week too. The only hesitation is Virginia Tech’s recent success in this series. The Hokies always seem to find extra motivation and better execution for rivalry week. Still, I think the Hoos get it done to reach bowl eligibility. Hoos 20, Hokies 13. Prediction record to date: 7-4.