Virginia Tech Jumps Three Spots in AP, Coaches Polls

September 18, 2017, 03:00 AM

Virginia Tech came into this weekend 2-0, and ranked 16 in both the AP and Coaches Polls. After their 64-17 thrashing of East Carolina, the Hokies jumped up again in the polls, this time to #13. Virginia Tech traveled to Greenville this weekend to face the Pirates and started off slow, falling behind 17-7 early, but picked things up in the second and third quarters and scored 57 unanswered points in their comeback win. The Hokies jumped #15 Auburn in the AP Poll and now number #14 Miami in the Coaches Poll. Auburn defeated Mercer 24-10 on Saturday, a team they played down to and should have easily scored more points on. Auburn not playing to their potential is the reason they stay at #15 in the AP Poll. Miami moved up one rank in the Coaches Poll even though their past two games have been canceled and postponed because of the hurricane; Miami not playing recently and VT playing well is the reason the Hokies jumped them. One reason for the Hokies jumping so high in the polls was the 64 points and the 675 yards of total offense from Josh Jackson and crew. Jackson was 24 of 31 for 372 yards and five touchdowns in the win over the Pirates, and he threw for five touchdowns. Cam Phillips was Jackson’s main target with 14 receptions for 189 yards and 3 touchdowns. Phillips now leads the nation with 417 reception yards this season. The Hokies are the third highest ranked ACC team in both polls, with Clemson leading the way still at #2. The Tigers defeated Louisville 47-21 this weekend and jumped previously #2 Oklahoma. College GameDay was in attendance for the game, and Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant was 22 of 32 for 316 yards and a touchdown, while Clemson’s rushing attack ran for 297 yards. Former Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson of Louisville was 21 of 42 for 317 yards along with three touchdowns and an interception. Jackson also rushed for 64 yards on 17 carries. Florida State is the second highest ranked ACC team at #11 and #12 in the AP and Coaches Polls, dropping one place in each after not playing the past two weeks of the season because of the hurricane. Florida State’s matchup vs Miami that was scheduled for this past Saturday has been moved to October 7. Miami is right behind Virginia Tech at #14, moving three spots in the AP Poll and 1 in the Coaches Poll. Miami’s jump up in rank is interesting, considering the team has not played in two weeks. Miami jumped Auburn in the AP Poll who is 2-1 after losing to Clemson last week. Louisville dropped from #14 to #19 and #20 in the AP and Coaches Polls, and that is where they should be after losing to Clemson. Duke received 8 votes and North Carolina State received 9 in the Coaches Poll, while Duke received 10 and Wake Forest received 2 in the AP Poll. Duke is 3-0 with wins against Northwestern and Baylor; Wake Forest is 3-0 with wins against Boston College and Utah State; North Carolina State is 2-1 with wins against Marshall and Furman after an opening game loss against South Carolina. The Hokies host Old Dominion this upcoming Saturday at 2 PM in Lane Stadium. The Hokies will enter the game 3-0 at #13 in the polls, while Old Dominion is 2-1 after a 53-23 loss this past weekend to North Carolina. The Monarchs have wins against Albany and Massachusetts, and are in their fourth season in Conference USA. Virginia Tech hosts #2 Clemson on September 30, and Lane Stadium is already sold out. Once again, the Hokies took care of business this past weekend, and given they defeat Old Dominion on Saturday, they should be top 13 when #2 Clemson rolls into town in two weeks. [amazon_link asins='B000VJRTD6,B0088LRCTA,B01L4NBO8S,B0711CK77H,B01IPW35O2,B06ZZXJN5M,B002A3VJ0U,B01MV4H0V3,B06X19FPJ3' template='ProductCarousel' store='techlunchpail-20' marketplace='US' link_id='5e02d474-9c06-11e7-8214-19d1249a2887']