The Hokies are just hours away from their season-opening matchup with VMI. The Hokies enter the game as ~55.5 point favorites and want nothing more than a dominant win against the Keydets to open James Franklin's Virginia Tech tenure.
Here are three things to watch as the Hokies play under the lights in Lane Stadium tonight.
No. 1: Virginia Tech Run Defense
The Keydets dropped their opening game to Idaho State, 38-10, trailing 38-0 entering the fourth quarter. In that outing, VMI ran the ball a whopping 52 times, having four rushers tally at least 40 yards in the game. Under new head coach Ashley Ingram, VMI has returned to a triple option scheme, presenting a familiar challenge for the Hokies, who so often faced Paul Jonson's three-headed rushing attack at Georgia Tech. As such, in their opener, the Keydets threw the ball just nine times for 11 yards.
VMI is going to attack the Hokies defense on the ground and look to play keep-away from James Franklin's bunch. While the pass defense will likely be far from sufficiently tested, the run defense will see a variety of looks and will need to play for four quarters.
No. 2: Who will be Virginia Tech's backup quarterback?
We already know that Ethan Grunkemeyer will start the game. In Saturday's game, it's likely that the Hokies see a backup and perhaps a third stringer enter the game early in the second half.
It's not common to see a team run with one starting quarterback all season and never have any kind of injury trouble, even for just a few plays, so the backup is a rather important job.
The battle between Troy Huhn and Bryce Baker has lasted throughout fall camp, and we'll find out who ultimately won that competitive backup job tonight.
No. 3: Virginia Tech's Tight Ends:
It's been no secret how important this coaching staff views the tight end position, but fans and media finally get to see exactly how the team plans to use them today. Luke Reynolds is likely the starter, with Benji Gosnell right behind him. The Hokies also have Ja'Ricous Hairston, Harrison Saint-Germain, and Matt Henderson all right behind that bunch.
With at least five tight ends that appear playable, how do the Hokies utilize that depth? How do they rotate the group in and out of the game? Who do they trust in what roles? There are a lot of variables in how the Hokies plan to utilize the tight-end position, but we'll see just how impactful they'll be tonight.
