With a Black Diamond Trophy showdown with West Virginia looming in 5 days, Virginia Tech looks to get through a struggling Wofford team that hasn't scored a point in their first two days unscathed. They're also hoping to get positive reps for their first team and loads of playing time for their backups as they seek to improve their depth.
So how much will the Hokies win by in the Mike Young Bowl? Here are our picks for Virginia Tech vs Wofford including our score predictions to see if VT will cover the roughly 5-touchdown spread.
Tim Thomas
The question isn't whether the Hokies will beat a struggling Wofford football program but how early will they be able to get their starters out of their game with West Virginia looming in just 5 days.
This should be a defense that dominates a Wofford offense having a nightmare start to the season with 0 points in the first 2 games. This game does present a great chance for Virginia Tech's offense to find their rhythm after some up and down play over the first two games.
More importantly, this game will be a success for the Hokies if they can get second and third string players lots of playing time especially backup QB Jason Brown working in a new offense along with young backups at loads of spots like DJ Harvey at CB, Cole Nelson and CJ McCray at DE, Bryce Duke at RB, Jaylen Jones and Christian Moss at WR, and more.
So it's hard to predict a score, but this Wofford program is in a bad spot and the Hokies will cruise to a dominant victory in a game that won't take long to get out of hand.
Pick: Virginia Tech 48, Wofford 3
Will Locklin
Coming off Brent Pry’s first win as Virginia Tech’s head coach, it’s reasonable to think the Hokies might not be as sharp for an 11 a.m. kickoff this Saturday. However, luckily for the Hokies, they get a cupcake non-conference opponent in the Wofford Terriers. Wofford is 0-2 with both losses coming in shutout fashion. Through the two games, the Terriers have been outscored 57-0 to Elon and Chattanooga. Even after a big loss, even the Hokies C game will be enough to defeat Wofford handily.
Expect Tech’s defense to completely dismantle Wofford’s putrid offense. On the other side of the ball, Grant Wells and company will have their chance to open up the offense and attack Wofford with downfield passing plays. Though Tech could have some explosive passing plays, they’ll still get the job done through a heavy dose of the ground game and the dominant defense.
Pick: Virginia Tech 34, Wofford 3
Carter Hill
We’ll keep this one short and sweet. Virginia Tech really shouldn’t have any trouble with Wofford come Saturday morning inside Lane Stadium.
Losers of their last 12 that dates back to a season ago, the Terriers have been outscored a whopping 57-0 so far in 2022, and could only muster 128 yards of total offense in last Saturday’s loss to Elon to open up their home slate. So stack that up against a Virginia Tech defense that has been one of the best in the nation to start off the year, and it doesn’t bode well for the Hokies’ FCS foe.
A once-proud program that won three consecutive Southern Conference titles from 2017-19, Wofford has since gone 2-16, and has continued to plummet under fourth-year head coach Josh Conklin.
Averaging 2.1 yards per carry certainly won’t get the job done. And with the Hokies allowing just four rushing yards in total in last week’s 27-10 victory over Boston College, the Terriers’ offense may continue to move backwards after a humbling experience inside Lane Stadium.
For Tech, it’s all about staying healthy and offering loads of reps to a multitude of participants all across the board.
Jason Brown, Bryce Duke, Devin Farrell, Christian Moss, Jaylen Jones, Mansoor Delane and Cam Johnson are all guys that could see a considerable amount of action later today.
So if the Hokies can get through the contest both relatively unscathed and much more experienced, it should be a good day for the maroon and orange to cap off a demolition of Wofford.
Pick: Virginia Tech 38, Wofford 0
Peyton Seay
The Hokies face off against the Wofford Terriers early Saturday in what should be an easy win for Brent Pry’s squad. The Terriers have lost their first two games of the 2022 season by a combined 57 points while scoring none.
Unlike in prior seasons, where the Hokies have struggled mightily against FCS opponents (thinking of the battles with Furman), this should be the kind of “tune up” game I expect the Hokies to get up early and cruise to a victory.
The goal should be to help Grant Wells get in more of a rhythm in the passing game, and let the running backs run wild in this one. Maybe there is even a Bryce Duke sighting. Shutout the Terriers struggling offense, win big, and get prepared for West Virginia.
