Virginia Tech-Maryland Preview and Key Matchups
By Tim Thomas
Virginia Tech is still in the hunt to get to the ACC Championship especially after their big win over Miami last week at Sun Life Stadium. This week, the Hokies play their final home game of the season against a Maryland team that has been awful in ACC play this season though the Terps are one win away from being bowl eligible. The Hokies know that this is the toughest guaranteed game remaining on the schedule with Virginia being the worst team in the ACC this year. Now let’s look at some of the key matchups for the Hokies against Maryland.
C.J Brown vs. Virginia Tech Secondary
Maryland QB C.J. Brown is without his top two receivers and now he has to go against Virginia Tech’s best secondary in a long time. Kendall Fuller has been a star as a true freshman with 5 interception while Brandon Facyson has had 4 interception as a true freshman. Kyle Fuller and Antone Exum are also healthy which will make Brown make risky throws throughout the afternoon. Brown is a decent quarterback but without much talent at wide receiver, Brown will have plenty of balls intercepted today by the turnover-minded Virginia Tech secondary.
Logan Thomas vs. Maryland Secondary
Maryland’s secondary is nowhere near the level of Virginia Tech’s but the Terps do have 10 interceptions on the year which is around the middle of college football. Logan Thomas had his best game of the season and possibly career last week against Miami and he will be looking to build on that momentum. Thomas showed what has made him a player that many NFL scouts see as a potential day 2 2014 NFL Draft pick and he will do some damage today. Joshua Stanford is also starting to take off for the Hokies and will have another big game against Maryland.
Trey Edmunds vs. Maryland Rush Defense
Trey Edmunds hasn’t played well since his big opening performance against Alabama but was very good last week against Miami with 14 carries for 74 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns. Maryland’s rush defense has not been too good the last few weeks with the Terps giving up over 200 rushing yards the last two weeks to Clemson and Syracuse. Trey Edmunds will have a big performance today for the Hokies and prove why Virginia Tech fans should be excited about the future at running back.
The Hokies have all the makings of a team that can win the ACC Coastal and while the Hokies are not in control of their situation, Virginia Tech does need to win to make sure that they have any chance. The Hokies will be fairly dominant today and while they may not score as much as they did last week, the Hokies will still play well and get the job done.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 35, Maryland 10