After having a chance to heal up during their bye week, Virginia Tech is back on the field looking to get above .500 in a classic Thursday night showdown against longtime foe Boston College. This kicks off what is a much tougher stretch of games than previously anticipated with a solid Georgia Tech team looming next week before a road clash at a much improved Syracuse and then the showdown with Clemson that Tech fans have had circled since the schedule came out.
So with that in mind, let's dive into my Hokies to watch against Boston College.
DT Aeneas Peebles
Boston College QB Thomas Castellanos has made a big jump forward as a passer this season completing 67.0% of his passes for 983 yards, 12 touchdowns, and only four interceptions through the first six games.
However, Castellanos also has one of the biggest completion rate disparities between pass plays where he is pressure and where he isn't as he completes 70.9% of his passes when not pressured while completing only 52.4% of his passes when under pressure. What's fascinating though is those splits aren't nearly the same when his pass plays are divided between whether the opponent is running a blitz or not as he's completing 67.5% of his passes when not blitzed and 65.2% when blitzed.
Though the Hokies should have an advantage with their secondary against BC's receivers, the running threat that Castellanos poses likely means the Hokies will want to use either Sam Brumfield or Caleb Woodson as a spy often in this game. As such, the Hokies will need their pass rush to get home and force Castellanos into sacks or mistakes on a consistent basis if they want to throw BC off their rhythm.
While Antwaun Powell-Ryland will get lots of the attention, it's Aeneas Peebles who could be the x-factor that gives the Boston College offensive line nightmares.
Peebles has forced 17 pressures this season which ranks tied for eighth in the country. Even more impressive is his win rate of 20.4%, which ranks sixth among all players with at least 100 pass rushing snaps and leads all non-edge defensive linemen per PFF.
There's no doubt that Peebles is one of the best pass rushing defensive tackles in America and the matchup also sets up fairly well for Peebles. BC's pass blocking weakness has been on the interior at guard with Jack Conley allowing a team-high six pressures and Dwayne Allick allowing five which ranks tied for second. Logan Taylor has been solid but he's also allowed three pressures while center Drew Kendall is playing at an All-ACC level and has only allowed one pressure on the season.
While BC is back to having quality offensive line play overall, there is a weakness on the interior that Peebles and Tech's defensive line could exploit to give Castellanos issues. If Peebles can deliver against what seems like a favorable matchup, it could be a long night for the Eagles.
