Theme that won’t be discussed on television. TOB always uses his most conservative gameplan of the year for VT, but BC has had some moments of success opening up the passing game against VT. Think of the long TD passes to Blackmon and Adams in recent games. Unfortunately Porter rarely tried the deep ball in last season’s game. My hope is that Ryan challenges the Hokies downfield.
Special teams will be discussed to death in this game. “Beamerball” talk is a staple of any Hokie broadcast. Throw in our new kicker and you have a good 20 minutes of filler.
Three simple keys
1. Ryan Glasper needs to have a perfect game directing traffic in the secondary. I don’t expect him to be at full speed or strength, but BC does need his leadership and discipline in the coverage. Allowing the big play has killed BC this year. Hopefully Glasper will curb that Thursday.
2. Matt Ryan needs to return to form. BC pulled in the reigns for a variety of reasons against NC State and it cost us. At this point in the season, I think Ryan needs to throw often for us to win. And this Virginia Tech pass defense is not as stout as some of their past units. We don’t have a Calvin Johnson like wideout, but we do have some guys who can make plays and score.
3. Put Steve Aponavicius in position for success. The last thing we need to do is see if our new kicker can hit a 45-yarder in the first quarter. TOB should only bring him out for chip shots and extra points. I worry about this kid’s confidence to begin with…putting too much pressure on early is a mistake.
Gambling Notes
-- BC is 5-11 against the spread in their last 16 games after an off week.
-- Virginia Tech has won 11-straight Thursday night games
-- Beamer is 2-5-1 against the spread vs. TOB
The current line is BC+2.5
What would be a pleasant surprise? A BC win. I want BC to win. I think they will win, but Virginia Tech is still favored and some of TOB’s worst moments have been against Beamer on the national stage.
What would be a letdown? Getting soundly beat at home. I’ve already laid out how important this game is in determining TOB’s upside. Getting pushed around by Virginia Tech again on a Thursday night will have a real numbing effect on fan enthusiasm for the rest of the year.
What would be a shocker? A comfortable BC win. Nothing has been easy this year and although this Virginia Tech team is not as talented or experienced as their past few seasons, they are still favored. They are also looking to recover from a tough conference loss. I expect them to be well prepared and ready to take it out on BC.
Bottom Line
I had this officially penciled in as a loss before the season started. I don’t feel much better about it now. I really don’t know what to expect from either team. Is Virginia Tech in a down cycle like Miami and FSU or was the Georgia Tech game just an off day? Can BC ever break through their glass ceiling? Despite my misgivings, I’ll got with my heart and say that BC bounces back and pulls out the win.
Final Score: BC 31-Virginia Tech 24
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1 comment:
Its a nationally televised game and the big story will our newbie kicker. The pride of Beamer and the Hokies has always been special teams. They will not allow some newbie to embarrass them. The Hokies will be sending the house on every kick. This has got disaster written all over it.
I hope I'm wrong, but I think you're way too optimistic on this one. Talent-wise the teams are close to even, but the best special teams coach in the country will be teeing-off on a kicker who has NEVER PLAYED IN A FOOTBALL GAME! That is good for at least 10 points to V-Tech - at least 1 blocked field goal and then we're forced to go for it on 4th and 5 the whole game and pass-up normally easy 3's.
V-Tech 38, BC 12 (1 blocked PAT and a failed 2-point attempt).
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