The rivalry showdown many have been waiting months for is almost upon us as Virginia Tech looks to bounce back from a close home loss to Rutgers on the road while No. 7 Miami looks to make a statement that they are not only the ACC favorite but also a legitimate national title contender. After this game wasn't played last year due to absurd scheduling, one of college football's most underrated rivalries is back and ready to shine with the national stage clear for VT-Miami to grab all the headlines.
So with that in mind, here's my look at my Hokies to watch in this rivalry showdown with Miami.
RB Bhayshul Tuten
One thing you're going to notice here is that if you want to pull off an upset, you need stars to play like stars. That includes Bhayshul Tuten who has already emerged as one of the best running backs in the nation and has been central to Tech's offense best drives this season.
Tuten has 391 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns through four games including three-straight games with 100+ rushing yards. What's more impressive is the fact that he is averaging 5.8 yards per carry, up from 5.0 yards per carry last season, and has 10 runs of 15+ yards after having 11 all last season. That increase is explosiveness is particularly encouraging and something that can change the dynamic of games in a hurry which will be especially valuable facing a team with a high-octane offense like Miami.
The challenge for Tuten is that he is facing an insanely talented Miami front 7 (more on that in a second) that ranks sixth in the nation in rushing yards allowed per game (64.8) and ninth in rushing yards allowed per carry (2.47). Tech's offensive line has been far better blocking the run than they have been blocking the pass, but this matchup will be a significant challenge nonetheless.
Tuten has shown he can break his fair share of tackles (24 through four games per PFF), but he'll need some help to make sure he's breaking tackles to create big runs rather than breaking tackles just to get back to the line of scrimmage.
