VOLUME 007 - ISSUE 007

VOLUME 007 - ISSUE 007
TECHSUPERFANS (TM) - THE NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 007 ISSUE 006 (2006.09.29)

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Side Notes (from hokiesports.com)

* This game will mark the 300th that Frank Beamer has coached.
* Virginia Tech has 10 interceptions, tied for ninth in Division I-A.
* Nine Hokie players have scored defense or special teams touchdowns.
* The Hokies rank eighth nationally in total defense (243.8 ypg).
* Virginia Tech has allowed only six offensive touchdowns this season.
* The Hokies have won on their last five visits to Boston College.
* Brandon Pace places fourth in career scoring with 255 points for VT.
* WR Josh Hyman has been suspended for this game for violation of team rules
(reportedly for a DUI arrest in Blacksburg)


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Game Preview - vs. Boston College
by Brian "Where's the Ice"

The Storyline

This Thursday night, the Hokies square off against the Eagles of Boston College, one of the great rivalries preserved from the Big East fallout to the ACC. Beyond that commonality, several other comparisons exist for this matchup. One, both teams are 4-1. Two, both teams dropped their first and only loss of the season so far to an in-conference opponent. Three, both teams need to win this game to keep themselves in the race for their respective division titles.

One differentiator between the Eagles and the Hokies track record this season lies in the Eagles handing a very good team, Clemson, their sole loss of the season to date. Another lies in Boston College's only loss. They played a close game against NC State only falling to them by two points because of a last minute, fluke touchdown. Virginia Tech, on the other hand, struggled in their loss to Georgia Tech with a still developing quarterback and an inexperienced offensive line

Sean Glennon still has some development to do before he reaches the potential needed to carry the Hokies to a second ACC conference title. His development will continue to progress as a challenging one over the remainder of the season because the offensive line has needs of development and growth of their own. However, I expect to see the best performance to date by the Hokie offensive line this week. Last week's matchup against Georgia Tech favored the Ramblin' Wreck because the strongest aspect of their defense exploited the greatest weakness of the Hokie offense. Georgia Tech's blitz just cut right through the offensive line over and over again. Also, remember that Sean Glennon doesn't play the quarterback position as we've observed in Michael Vick, Bryan Randall, or Marcus Vick. He won't dazzle us with bursts of speed and agility, but he can pass the football and execute plays. While we as fans have to get used to watching that style, it can work for this Hokie offense, especially when you consider the abilities of the Hokies' running game and depth of their wide receivers.

However, while we as fans watched a gridiron disaster last game, let's not forget to make two positive observations. One, the Hokies didn't let their spirits get down when they found themselves trailing 21-0. They battled back to put 13 points on the board before the half. That shows some comeback potential, something that hasn't really happened with great frequency in past seasons of Hokie football. (For the most part, Beamerball involves getting a few points on the board early and overwhelming the opponent with rock solid defense and big plays from special teams.)


The Statistics

The statistics of the games played so far paint a different picture than a first glance comparison. The Virginia Tech defense has allowed only 701 yards of passing, the best in the ACC, while Boston College has allowed 1283 placing them last in the conference. For defense against rushing yardage, Virginia Tech only outperforms Boston College 518 yards to 577.

On offense, Boston College inches ahead of Virginia Tech's passing 1231 yards to 1222 yards, another statistic that only differs marginally. For rushing Boston College definitively outdoes the Hokies 630 to 517 yards.

One thing to remember in light of these numbers, Boston College has had a stronger strength of schedule to date than Virginia Tech. Considering this, I don't think these numbers resemble an apples to apples comparison.


Who to Watch

The Eagles' quarterback, Matt Ryan stands 6'5" and has passed for 1222 total yards with a 60% completion rate. At this point of the season, he's almost matched his total numbers from last year, so the Virginia Tech defense can expect a well seasoned quarterback to show up on Thursday night.

Junior taleback L.V. Whitworth, weighing in at 220 lbs, has amassed 314 yards and one touchdown. Andre Callender, also a Junior weighing 204 lbs., has 266 yards of rushing and one touchdown. These numbers show Boston College's ability to move the ball on the ground, but they turn to their passing game more often to get into the paint and put six on the board.

Wide receiver Kevin Challenger stands 5'9" and has 236 yards on receiving and two touchdown receptions. Tony Gonzalez stands 5'11" and has 214 yards on receiving which includes four touchdown receptions. Challenger is a Senior, and Gonzalez is a Junior. Both of these players also bring a lot of experience to the Eagles' offense.

Looking at the Eagle defense, linebacker Brian Toal returns from an injury. Boston College considers him one of them most valuable defensive players if not the most valuable of all. While the Eagle's blitz probably doesn't have the punch that Georgia Tech's does, the Hokie offensive line will have their hands full with Toal. An interesting note about Toal, he will sometimes carry the ball at the tailback position, so he can also do some damage on the other side of the ball.

Virginia Tech vs. Boston College
Thursday, Oct. 12, 2006, 7:45 pm EDT
Alumni Stadium (44,500)
Chestnut Hill, Mass.
ESPN


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---Writers:
"Mad" Jason Oakley
Anand "EhhTee" Trivedi
Brian "Where's The Ice?" Wrenn


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