Virginia Tech Football: Three Keys To Victory For The Hokies Against Georgia Tech
Virginia Tech is looking to pick up their third straight this weekend against Georgia Tech, and their third win in ACC play this season.
What are the Hokies three keys to victory vs the Yellow Jackets?
1. Be prepared for either quarterback
As of now, Georgia Tech has not yet named a starting quarterback for this weekend's game, and both options have proven to be dual threats, a type of quarterback the Hokies have struggled against. The Hokies defense has had difficulty containing dual-threat quarterbacks this season, as all their losses have come against players with that skill set. Haynes King and Zach Pyron are both capable runners, each with over 100 rushing yards and multiple rushing touchdowns this season. It will be interesting to see how the Hokies plan to defend against either of them.
2. Cut down on turnovers and run the football efficiently
Georgia Tech has proven to be a strong run-stopping team, allowing only 103.7 rushing yards per game this season. This is crucial for the Hokies, who prefer to run the football but have struggled with ball security against certain teams. Georgia Tech is likely to capitalize on mistakes, as they are averaging 30.4 points per game. If Virginia Tech falls behind, it will be harder for them to stick to their running game, forcing them to adopt a different style of play than they prefer. The Hokies are currently averaging 209.3 rushing yards per game, and running back Bhayshul Tuten is on a nine-game touchdown streak. If they start strong on both offense and defense, running the football as they typically do shouldn't be an issue, making victory more attainable—especially with Tuten coming off a four-touchdown performance last week.
3. Consistency through all quarters
Since the start of the season, the Hokies have struggled with consistency, which has already cost them three games. They tend to either start strong in the first quarter or first half, then struggle in the second half, or vice versa. This pattern is concerning, especially against stronger teams where such inconsistency could result in a loss. For example, last week they led Boston College 28-0 at halftime but then allowed 21 unanswered points before finally securing the win by scoring 14 straight points in the fourth quarter to finish 42-21. If this happens again this weekend, the outcome could be different, which wouldn't be ideal against a team you're expected to dominate.
Additional Links:
Virginia Tech vs Georgia Tech: Three Players to Watch on The Yellow Jackets Offense
Virginia Tech Football: Three Things The Hokies Must Fix Ahead of It's Matchup With Georgia Tech
Virginia Tech Football: Could Bhayshul Tuten catch Ashton Jeanty as the nation's leading rusher?
Kahlil McCuller joined the Sports Illustrated team in summer 2024 and is a Sports Media major at Virginia Tech. Covering College Baseball, College Basketball, and College Football for the Virginia Tech Hokies. Prior to this Kahlil worked pregame radio shows for Virginia Tech Basketball teams on 105.3 The Bear and started his own basketball podcast on Spotify called "Fleeky Hoops Podcast" and covered March Madness for the Hokies Women's Basketball team back in March 2024. My favorite sports teams are: Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Chargers, Virginia Tech Hokies and PSG for Soccer