College football fans are being treated to a loaded Week 1 schedule for the 2025 season. There are a number of Top 25 matchups and there are a lot of matchups between Power 4 conferences. Some juicy games will shake up the college football landscape after just one week.
One matchup between power conference schools is when Virginia Tech and South Carolina meet in the Aflac Kickoff on Sunday in Atlanta. The Gamecocks come into the game ranked 13th and a lot of hype, like the Hokies had going into last year, before things fell apart early and often into another 6-6 season. If Virginia Tech is going to shock the college football world on Sunday afternoon, here are three ways they can do it.
Win the turnover battle
This one goes without saying. Protecting the ball is going to be key. Turnovers were an issue last season for the Hokies, and South Carolina has some new faces on defense who are going to hunt the football on each play, looking to make an impact. Ball protection is going to be vital for Drones and the offense.
Containing LaNorris Sellers is going to be key for the Virginia Tech defense, but they are going to need to make some plays either with turnovers or getting off the field on third down. Whoever wins the turnover battle generally wins the game and that is an area Tech needs to win.
Keep the game close
This is a big season for the Hokies and head coach Brent Pry, and it's a signature win during his time in Blacksburg. A lot of the pressure is on South Carolina, and with what is expected to be a crowd that has more Carolina fans than Tech (we'll see), keeping it close is crucial.
The longer the game stays close, the more the pressure mounts on Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks, and we saw what happened last year in the season opener at Vanderbilt when the Commodores kept it close throughout with the Hokies. They pulled off the upset. I get it, to different teams, but South Carolina has everything to lose and Virginia Tech has everything to gain winning the game.
Score touchdowns, not settling for field goals
If the Hokies are going to pull the upset, they are going to have to put some points on the board with touchdowns rather than settling for field goals. Last year against Vanderbilt, miscues cost Virginia Tech, and settling for field goals let Vandy hang around.
Will the change at offensive coordinator make a difference? It may and listening to Drones earlier this week, things seem different. Expect Montgomery to be aggressive in plus territory against a defense that is breaking in some new players in key spots. Finding the end zone is going to be key, to say the least.