Virginia Tech has taken care of everything in front of it through the first two weeks of the James Franklin era, but the Hokies have now turned their attention towards the first real measuring stick.
After opening the season with convincing wins over VMI and Old Dominion, the Hokies will leave Lane Stadium for the first time Saturday night, traveling to College Park for a 7:30 p.m. matchup with Maryland at SECU Stadium.
Both teams enter the game 2-0, and both have reached that mark against relatively manageable competition. Virginia Tech opened with a 73-3 demolition of VMI before beating Old Dominion 44-21, while Maryland has handled Hampton and UConn.
That makes Saturday an opportunity to begin figuring out exactly what each team has.
For Virginia Tech, much of the attention will be on Ethan Grunkemeyer.
The Penn State transfer has looked comfortable through his first two starts as a Hokie, completing 77.4% of his passes for 551 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Maryland quarterback Malik Washington has been nearly as efficient, completing 73.6% for 533 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
The similarities don't stop there.
Both offenses were forced to lean heavily on their quarterbacks last week after struggling to consistently establish the running game, and both defenses have been particularly effective getting after opposing quarterbacks.
That sets up a game that will likely be decided in the trenches.
