The Big News is No Surprise the #25 Goes to Bhayshul Tuten

After a 99-yard 20mph (in football duds no less) kickoff touchdown, Bhayshul Tuten gets to sport the #25 for the game tomorrow.

Too easy… Absolutely the right call, but way too easy. Way to go Bhayshul! Do it again!

It’s Maroon Effect, and the Team is Serious about the Maroon

The white kicks seem to be the best choice to go with the total maroon look. See, they actually do have maroon helmets. They haven’t worn them for game day yet.

Hokies in the NFL

It was a big Hokie presence between Washington and Chicago – which always makes me wince especially when I see Tremaine uncorking on Logan, but the highlight is great recruiting and we always new that Khalil Herbert was a special talent.

The Game is Sold Out Again

We’ll just have to wait to see how many people make the trip in the foul weather.

And Now for Predictions

Bryan Manning

I am split on this one. We all felt a blowout was coming against FSU, and that’s kind of how it went if we go by the final score. However, I felt encouraging signs from last week’s game. That’s not loser talk. We all know the Hokies are rebuilding, so their performance in the second quarter until the rest of the game showed some growth against a superior opponent on the road.

Wake Forest is one of the ACC’s best-coached teams. I would go as far as to call Dave Clawson the ACC’s best coach as it pertains to program development. He doesn’t land elite talent but churns out good teams. He develops players, and some go to the NFL, while others transfer to bigger schools. Sam Hartman isn’t under center for the Demon Deacons this year, and that’s good news for the Hokies. However, Ashburn, Va. native Mitch Griffis is no slouch.

Talentwise, I think these teams are similar. We will learn a lot about how far the Hokies have come in recent weeks. Wake has lost two in a row and needs a win. Tech desperately needs to get back into the win column. Call me crazy, but I am going with VT this weekend. I think Kyron Drones causes plenty of problems for Wake’s defense and we see a heavy dose of Bhayshul Tuten, giving the Hokies enough to grab their second win in three weeks.

Hokies 27, Demon Deacons 24

John Schneider

This has to be one of the most difficult calls for the season. Both of these teams are struggling with offensive and defensive issues. Both programs have youth and inexperience giving them fits, and it’s only now that Tech is managing to find something of an offensive personality. It’s time to just finally declare that Kyron Drones is it for the season and stop the speculation about Grant Wells’ return. Drones is “The Guy” now, and the offensive staff needs to internalize that fact, and adjust the game planning and play calling to maximize his talents instead of trying to drive him into some box that contains their pet wants and desires.

I do worry about the defense. The line has been playing well, and the outside DB situation has been relatively good, though injury plagued (and unfortunately and unjustly penalized as well). The big problem has been the linebacking corps and solving that problem with not enough personnel with the body type and physical skills to dominate the middle has shown itself to be a serious issue. The players don’t lack heart, but they are struggling.

Add those things up, and you get the feeling that this game is going to be a real turf tussle in the wet and slop of Worsham Field. The notes went out that the team was getting in extra practice with wet ball drills, and that’s wise. Turnovers could make a huge difference in this game.

It might just be exactly what the wiseguys say it will be a modest scoring evenly matched slug fest. I tend to agree but hopefully some desperation, inspiration from homecoming, and some homefield energy will propel the Hokies beyond the 1.5-point spread. This is a winnable game and Tech should end up with the W at the end.

28-20 Hokies

Well, That’s it Until Kickoff and Playing Prove It or Prove Otherwise

GO HOKIES!!!!