Three Most Important Virginia Tech Players Against Marshall

Who should the Hokies rely on against Marshall?

Nov 19, 2022; Lynchburg, Virginia, USA; Liberty Flames wide receiver Demario Douglas (3) catches ball as Virginia Tech Hokies defensive back Mansoor Delane (23) makes tackle at Williams Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lee Luther Jr.-Imagn Images / Lee Luther Jr.-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech's home opener is going to be a big one for the Hokies, as they invite the Marshall Thundering Herd into town.

The Hokies suffered a very tough loss against Vanderbilt in week one, and need to bounce back in a big way against Marshall to re-boot their season all the way from the dirt.

The season still has a very high ceiling, as an appearance in the ACC Championship Game is certainly possible if Virginia Tech can work through the ACC games on their schedule. Winning the conference is Virginia Tech's only true way to the 12-team playoff, as a two-loss ACC team with an upset loss against Vanderbilt, wouldn't be enticing to the committee.

The Hokies need to take care of Marshall, and have a few players step up in this week two matchup.

Here's three important players for Virginia Tech ahead of the matchup against Marshall.

CB Mansoor Delane

The defense in general needs to play better, but Mansoor Delane really needs to show some improvement in week two.

Delane was eventually benched late in the game after some questionable mistakes on defense. He struggled against bigger wide receivers, often getting beat off of the line of scrimmage. Quincy Skinner of Vanderbilt scored over Delane, and found ways to get open all throughout the game. In PFF's grades for the game, Mansoor was the lowest rated player on the defense who played at least 30 snaps.

Against Marshall, Delane needs to do two things well: play the line-of-scrimmage and stay in his coverage. Last game, he would often leave his assignment and let his receiver get wide open, or simply get pushed off of his coverage.

It's not time to worry about Delane, because he was very solid last year, but his debut was significantly weaker than desired.

OT Parker Clements

Very similarly to Mansoor Delane, Parker Clements has been an impact player at Virginia Tech for an extended period of time. Also similar to Mansoor Delane, Clements had the lowest PFF grade for offensive players that played at least 30 snaps.

Clements' final PFF grade was a 49.9.

Parker needs to be reliable in both the run and the pass game, crucial against Marshall's playmakers on defense like Monroe Beard and Mike Green. The offensive line's success will be reliant on how Parker Clements plays.

QB Kyron Drones

Drones is in a different boat than Clements and Delane, as Kyron lead Virginia Tech back into the game last week, but his efforts weren't enough.

Drones, or maybe Jaylin Lane, was the best player on the Hokies' offense against Vanderbilt.

Kyron is absolutely crucial to the game against Marshall, and he needs to help the offense stay in the game early.