What to know about Stanford's week six opponent, Virginia Tech

Dylan Grausz | 4 Hours Ago

Sep 27, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies quarterback Kyron Drones (1) throws the football against the Miami Hurricanes during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Stanford Cardinal (2-2, 1-1 ACC) are back home for the first time in nearly a month to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies (2-3, 0-1 ACC), a team that despite its record, has been very solid all year long. It has been an up and down season for both teams, but as each program fights to prove themselves in a loaded ACC, a win would be another step in the right direction. For the Cardinal, getting back in the win column would be massive, and being able to do so in their first ever ACC game at home would make it that much sweeter. With kickoff now only one day away, here is all you need to know about the Hokies.

Hokie History

When people think of Virginia Tech, the first name that most likely comes to mind is Frank Beamer, who as head coach of the Hokies from 1987-2015, led the team to seven conference titles (1995, 1996, 1999, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010), five division titles (2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011) and an appearance in the 1999 BCS National Championship Game, where a 46-29 loss to Florida State ended the team’s title hopes.

But since 2016, the last time Virginia Tech won 10 games in a season, the Hokies have entered a rebuild period with current head coach Brent Pry taking over in 2022 and leading the team to a 3-8 campaign in his first year and a 7-6 campaign in his second. All time, the Hokies are 774-507-46, with a 14-21 bowl record. Joining the ACC in 2004, the Hokies were a part of the Big East conference from 1991-2003. Virginia Tech has rivalries with a handful of schools, most notably West Virginia, Virginia, Miami, Georgia Tech and Boston College.

However, the rivalries with West Virginia and Virginia are the most heated, with the Virginia game being a part of the Commonwealth Clash (any VT-Virginia matchup in any sport). Overall, the Hokies lead the Cavaliers 58-38-5 in football. Against West Virginia, the Hokies trail 30-23-1, with the winner of that game getting a trophy called the Black Diamond Trophy. There have been a handful of NFL legends that spent their college careers with Virginia Tech, including Michael Vick and NFL Hall of Famer Bruce Smith.

How they fared in 2023

After struggling in 2022, 2023 saw the Hokies turn things around considerably, ending the regular season at 6-6 to earn a bowl game appearance, winning the Military Bowl when they beat Tulane 41-20. The Hokies struggled to begin the year, starting off 1-3 with an opening week win over Old Dominion before falling to Purdue, Rutgers and Marshall in three straight games.

They then got back on track to improve to 2-3 with a win over Pittsburgh before a loss in week six to then ranked No. 5 Florida State dropped them to 2-4. But the Hokies soon fought hard and got back to .500, beating Wake Forest 30-13 on Homecoming and beating Syracuse coming off of a bye week. Traveling to Louisville in week 10, the Hokies found themselves heading back with a 34-3 loss, falling to 4-5 with their bowl chances hanging in the balance.

Thankfully, the Hokies were able to go 2-1 over their last three games, beating Boston College and Virginia both on the road to qualify for their first bowl game since 2021.

How 2024 has gone

Don’t let the 2-3 record fool you, Virginia Tech has been no slouch this season. Every single loss that the Hokies have suffered this season has been by one score or less, with its most recent loss to Miami occurring on the last play of the game in controversial fashion.

Against Vanderbilt in week one, the Hokies lost 34-27 in overtime, while its loss to Rutgers was 26-23, with a Rutgers fourth quarter field goal being the difference maker and coming only after the Hokies scored 16 points to nearly complete a comeback.

Its two wins came in week two against Marshall, where a 22 carry, 120 yard and one touchdown day from running back Bhayshul Tuten helped the Hokies win 31-14. In week three, the Hokies took home a 37-17 win over Old Dominion, getting a big game out of both quarterback Kyron Drones and Jaylen Lane.