8pm, ACCN

Head Coach: Brent Pry (15-20)

Last Meeting: Virginia Tech defeated UVa 55-17 in Charlottesville last year

Well, we knew it would come down to this. The “Bowl Bowl” is set. Virginia vs. Virginia Tech in Blacksburg for all the marbles. Bowl eligibility and state supremacy will be on the line Saturday night at Lane Stadium. Both programs envisioned a different 2024 season, but head coaches Tony Elliott and Brent Pry are left with one more Saturday to try to piece together a successful season.

Last Saturday, UVa closed out Scott Stadium with a 33-7 defeat to SMU. It was a game that was never in doubt for the Mustangs and once again, the Wahoos’ offensive struggles continued.

Fast forward to this Saturday, the Cavaliers travel down I-81 to take on the Hokies in the Commonwealth Clash. Virginia Tech came into 2024 with ACC Title aspirations but have struggled with consistency and closing out tight ball games.

Talent-wise, Virginia Tech will always feature some of the conference’s best players and this year is no different.

The quarterback position has been in flux in the last month for the Hokies as Kyron Drones (6-2, 234) has been unavailable. Last Saturday at Duke, backup Collin Schlee (6-3, 210) went down with an apparent head injury, leaving Pop Watson as the lone signal caller. The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder was solid in reserve minutes against Duke. If Drones and Schlee are unable to go on Saturday, Watson will be thrown into action in his first college start against the Hoos.

Flanking Watson in the backfield will be one of the ACC’s best backs in Bhaysul Tuten. Tuten (5-11, 209) has rushed for over 1,000 yards and has scored 13 touchdowns. Tuten has been hampered with injuries this year but seems to be in good form heading into the regular season finale. Last season against Virginia, Tuten rushed for 117 yards at seven yards a clip.

At receiver, Virginia Tech has five pass catchers with over 20 grabs this season, including three with over 30 receptions. Jaylin Lane (5-10, 196) leads the group with 34 catches, while Stephen Gosnell (6-2, 198) and DaQuan Felton (6-5, 216) have combined for 55 catches and nearly 800 yards. Felton dominated the Wahoos in 2023 with a two touchdown performance, including an 84-yard catch and run in Charlottesville. Old Dominion transfer Ali Jennings (6-2, 205) leads the team in touchdown catches with three after being sidelined with injury most of this season. Tight End Benji Gosnell (6-5, 255) has 30 catches this season and two touchdowns.

For years, Virginia Tech has made its mark on defense, creating pressure and being a physical and tough unit at all three levels. The VT defense comes in ranked 69th nationally in total defense, giving up nearly 370 yards per game.

While they may not be as stout as years past, Virginia Tech is still elite at forcing turnovers (11th nationally with 21 takeaways) and bowing up in the red zone where they rank 3rd in FBS red zone defense.

Up front, the Hokies are led by Antwaun Powell-Ryland. “APR” (6-3, 252) has 13 sacks this season and is an offensive disruptor. Alongside APR is Duke transfer Aeneas Peebles. At 6-1, 290, Peebles is an athletic run stuffer who was an All-ACC performer in his last season at Duke.

At linebacker, Jaden Keller (6-3, 235) is the team’s leading tackler and Keonta Jenkins (6-3, 219) is a three-level player at the STAR position, with 60 tackles, 9.5 TFLs and an interception.

In the secondary, Dorian Strong (6-1, 185) has played at an All-ACC level in years past and has two interceptions this year. Meanwhile, Mansoor Delane (6-1, 187) is the premier corner on the roster. Delane has three interceptions to go along with six pass breakups and two forced fumbles but has regressed this season in comparison to his 2023 form.

The Hokies have a strong battery of special teamers, starting with Peter Moore who is 13th in punting average in the country at 45.4 yards per punt. Placekicker John Love ranks 24th in field goal percentage, hitting at a 86% clip.

Virginia comes into this year’s matchup with a wounded offense, both in injury and in rhythm. With Xavier Brown out for the season and Kobe Pace hobbled, UVa will have to turn to Noah Vaughn and Donte Hawthorne to churn out a run game.

The Virginia Tech/UVa series has not been kind to the Hoos over the last 30 years. Since 1994, Virginia has won this matchup a total of five times. UVa’s last win in Blacksburg was in 1998, when Aaron Brooks connected with Ahmad Hawkins for the winning score. In the modern era, Tech has notched an 18 to 1 series advantage since 2004.

UVa should be able to defend this VT offense with a QB likely in his first start of his career. We think VT will lean on its run game and its experience in this rivalry. Virginia Tech is significantly better up front on both sides of the ball and that will play a big role in this game on Saturday night as UVa falls to Virginia Tech for the 19th time in 20 meetings. Simply put, this game means more to the folks in Blacksburg than it does to the Wahoos. The Hokies win an ugly affair to gain bowl eligibility and send the Cavaliers into a long offseason full of questions and concerns.