Virginia Tech Football: 3 Hokies’ keys to beating Purdue

3. Virginia Tech needs to defend the run better against Purdue

Earlier this week, Pry spoke about his cornerbacks not being challenged by Old Dominion. Well, there is a very good reason for that. Why throw it when you are having so much success running the ball?

The Monarchs, which averaged just 92 yards a game on the ground in 2022, rushed the ball for 201 yards on the Hokies and a lot of that was by quarterback Grant Wilson. He rushed for 94 yards himself and even picked up some chunk yards on third down to stay on the field. It was the passing game where he had some trouble in the times he dropped back, getting sacked five times.

Virginia Tech’s defense finished the game with three takeaways, a third of what they had all of 2022. Two fumble recoveries in the third quarter and an interception by Dorian Strong in the fourth quarter helped the Hokies pull away. The defense is still going through a transition with some new players, but slowing down the run and creating more turnovers is a big key to victory in this game.

Scoring early, having success throwing the ball, stopping the run, and creating turnovers are going to be huge for Virginia Tech at home. A win here will make them feel a lot better before heading out on the road for a pair of non-conference road games over the next two weeks.