Through three weeks of the college football season, both Virginia Tech and Boston College have played non-conference games ahead of their ACC opener at Alumni Stadium on Saturday afternoon in terrible weather conditions in what is expected to be a nasty Nor'easter that will batter the Northeast for days with rain in brutal winds.
That will throw some of the game plans for both teams out the window when the gaem begins and force both staffs to adjust on the fly. Virginia Tech enters the game as nearly a two-touchdown favorite over the Eagles, but you can throw that pretty much out the window with the weather forecast.
However, that hasn't stopped Boston College coach Bill O'Brien from showering (no pun intended) the Hokies with praise ahead of Saturday's game.
BC Bill O'Brien showers Virginia Tech with praise ahead of showdown with Hokies
O'Brien and James Franklin go a long way back when it comes to their early days in coaching under Ralph Friedgen at Maryland. O'Brien went to Penn State, and Franklin followed him to State College after O'Brien headed to the NFL with the Houston Texans. When it comes to this weekend's matchup, O'Brien spoke highly of Virginia Tech.
When it comes to the Hokies' defense under Brent Pry, they have been relentless on their opponents through the first three weeks. Virginia Tech enters the matchup with 14 sacks against VMI, Old Dominion, and Maryland. That hasn't gone lost on O'Brien.
“I would say, just watching them, that they have several guys on defense that will play in the NFL,” O’Brien said, per Trevor Hass of the Boston Globe. “It’s a big challenge for us. We’ve had a good week of practice. We’ve just got to go out there and give it everything we’ve got.”
When it comes to the Hokies' offense, O'Brien knows it goes through tight end Luke Reynolds, with quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer. Reynolds has 265 receiving yards and four touchdowns in three games. The Massachusetts native returns home to the Boston area, but O'Brien expects him to be the latest in a long line of NFL tight ends under Franklin.
“He quite obviously is great in the passing game, but the reason why he’s going to be a great NFL player is because he blocks,” O’Brien said, per Hess. “He’s a massive challenge for us, no doubt.”
It remains to be seen how much Reynolds will factor into the offense, given the weather forecast. In the end, it really shouldn't come as a surprise how much O'Brien praised the Hokies ahead of this weekend's battle. We'll see if he's correct.
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