Virginia Tech Football: No. 18 Hokies Prepare for the Home Opener vs Delaware
After a huge neutral site win over rival West Virginia, the Virginia Tech fanbase is fired up and ready to come out in full force for the home opener: Virginia Tech vs. Delaware.
When and Where: Blacksburg, VA, Lane Stadium, 3:30 pm
How to Watch: ACC Network, ESPN 3
Preview
The Hokies are coming off a neutral site win for the ages. After struggling in nationally televised games towards the end of Beamer’s tenure (especially at the cursed FedEx Field), Fuente and Co. broke the curse in a renewed rivalry against the Mountaineers.
Being around campus, this is certainly the most fired up I’ve seen the fan base in a long time. Not since the Tyrod Taylor era have people talked about the Hokies competing on the national stage.
That’s starting to change.
Nonetheless, with great power comes great responsibility. Sure, it’s awesome to be back in the Top 25. It’s great to be noticed by ESPN. It’s exciting to think about the possibility of hosting College GameDay in a few weeks.
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Yet the Hokies have to stay focused on the task at hand. It’s easy to get caught up in all the media hype. Everyone does it. Nonetheless, the Hokies cannot overlook any of the next three games.
Tomorrow’s matchup comes against an FCS opponent, but a very well-coached one. Head coach Danny Rocco is in his first year with the Blue Hens.
Previously, Rocco was coach of the Liberty Flames, and most recently at Richmond, leading the Spiders to the FCS playoffs in each of the last three years.
He has also never had a losing season as a head coach. Most Hokie fans are also probably familiar with Rocco’s last resume builder: leading the Spiders to a victory over UVA last season.
All that being said, Danny Rocco and Delaware will come to play. Last time the Hokies played a Labor Day weekend game at FedEx, they lost to an FCS team the next week. Let’s hope for a better result this time.
Prediction
Despite the fact that Delaware is a solid team, they just don’t have as much talent as the Hokies. They don’t have a very strong quarterback, and the Hokies defense is coming off of a bad performance.
Usually, Bud Foster doesn’t turn in two of those type performances in a row. Expect the LPD to shut down the Blue Hens.
Offensively, the Hokies were better than expected last weekend. Redshirt freshman QB Josh Jackson had an astounding 336 total yards and two TDs in a tough opener. He even earned ACC-Freshman of the Week Honors.
This week, I wouldn’t be surprised if the offense takes a while to get going. Jackson knows everyone wants to see him come out and tear up the Hens, which could make him feel a little added pressure.
It wasn’t really until the second half that the Virginia Tech offense really got going last week. I can see it taking a quarter or so for them to get settled in against Delaware. Don’t get me wrong, though: they will.
As long as the Hokies stay focused, they should be able to put up some big numbers. As a side note, they will look really sharp in these new helmets and familiar Hokie stone jerseys.
Final Score: Virginia Tech 44, Delaware 13