For the second straight week, the Virginia Tech Hokies are playing on Thursday night in a critical ACC Coastal matchup but this time they are ranked and on the road facing off against the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Hokies emerged as the Coastal favorites again after taking down Miami and enter this game knowing that they control their own destiny in the Coastal.
However, Pittsburgh will be ready knowing that they are still in the hunt in the Coastal so with that said, here are our key matchups for the Hokies and Panthers.
DE Ken Ekanem vs. OT Adam Bisnowaty
For NFL scouts, this may be the matchup they keep their eye on the most as both Adam Bisnowaty and Ken Ekanem are likely to be selected in the 2017 NFL Draft with Bisnowaty being one of the ACC's top offensive tackles and Ekanem being one of the top defensive ends in the ACC. While Ekanem is on the injury report again, his status is probable and expectations are that he will be back for tomorrow night's game. Ekanem has faced some quality offensive tackles, but Bisnowaty is the best he has faced all season and a guy who Pittsburgh will likely leave on Ekanem one-on-one without giving much extra help given the immense overall talent on the Hokies' defensive line. Bisnowaty was also named a First Team All-ACC OL by the coaches last season and named to the second team by the media, which is just another sign of how good Bisnowaty is. Ekanem will be ready for this matchup should he be able to play while knowing that if he can get some pressure on Pittsburgh QB Nathan Peterman, it could be a game changer. While this matchup is important for the Hokies, it is more critical for Pittsburgh knowing that while they have a good matchup at one area, losing this one would hurt severely. If Ekanem has a big game against Pittsburgh, it will mean serious trouble for the Panthers as they try and stay in the Coastal hunt.CBs Greg Stroman, Mook Reynolds vs. WR Quadree Henderson
Pittsburgh's biggest name on offense is star running back James Connor but the Panthers have another very dynamic weapon in wide receiver Quadree Henderson who is one of those guys that Pittsburgh just wants to get the ball to as much as they can in multiple ways whether it be catching passes, running the football, or even in his role as the Panthers' kick and punt returner. Henderson may be a wide receiver but he's gotten more touches in the running game by a 2:1 ratio with Henderson having 32 carries for an impressive 349 rushing yards, 10.9 yards per carry, and 3 rushing touchdowns while having 17 catches for 174 receiving yards and a touchdown. Henderson has proven to be a dynamic weapon that Bud Foster and the Hokies know has the ability to make big things happen quickly. For Virginia Tech, Foster will likely look to have two of his fastest guys rotating in and out of the role of watching Henderson throughout the evening depending where he lines up at in Mook Reynolds and Greg Stroman. Reynolds likely will line up with Henderson whenever he is in the slot while Stroman likely will be responsible for anytime Henderson lines up on the edge. Reynolds will likely have the primary responsibility of trying to keep Henderson in check on offense in terms of watching his every move and the sophomore nickelwhip will likely know that any misstep could be costly. Henderson has already proven this season that he is one of the most dynamic speedsters in the ACC, and all it takes is one mistake from a defense for him to make something big happen. If Reynolds, Stroman, and the Hokies' defense can keep Henderson in check, Pittsburgh's offense could be in for a long night. If not, this could be some trouble for the Hokies.OTs Jonathan McLaughlin, Yosuah Nijman vs. DE Ejuan Price
Ejuan Price is a name many may not be familiar with but Price is the best defensive end that the Hokies will face during the regular season other than Tennessee's Derek Barnett. Price is well on his way to being an All-ACC First Team defensive end as Price has 26 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, 9 QB hurries, 3 forced fumbles, and a safety in what has been an impressive senior season. Since Pittsburgh doesn't list their starting defensive ends as left and right DEs from the depth charts they've released, we may see Pat Narduzzi line up Price based on where he can get his star DE in a one-on-one matchup or against whichever Hokies' OT seems to not be playing as well. For Virginia Tech, they will need both Jonathan McLaughlin and Yosuah Nijman at their best against Price and Rori Blair who is second on Pitt with 3.5 sacks. Nijman and McLaughlin have been the strengths of the Hokies' offensive line and will be ready for what should be their toughest challenge since the Battle at Bristol. Both Nijman and McLaughlin haven't been perfect but the duo has been fairly consistent throughout this season but will be tested in this matchup. If the Hokies can find a way to limit the impact of Ejuan Price in this matchup, Jerod Evans should have plenty of time to pick apart a Pittsburgh pass defense that has struggled a lot this season.
You must login in order to comment on this post.
