On Friday, former Virginia Tech wide receiver Eddie Royal joined ESPN's SportsCenter and explained how the Hokies could go to Atlanta and pull off an upset of 13th-ranked Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
"It starts with stopping the run,'' said Royal. "Haynes King is one of the best in the country at running the ball. He's averaging 95 yards a game as a quarterback, rushing. It all starts and stops with him, and if you can stop the quarterback run, that's going to be huge. Georgia Tech loves to run the football, and Virginia Tech needs to have Haynes King as the number one goal and stopping this guy.''
Easier said than done.
As far as King is concerned, Virginia Tech held him to 60 yards rushing, 35 below his average. The problem was, Georgia Tech still managed almost 300 yards on the ground as they dropped the Hokies to 2-5 with a 35-20 win.
Virginia Tech gashed by Georgia Tech's running game
Virginia Tech's inability to stop the Yellow Jackets' running game was frustrating. What Georgia Tech was doing offensively was not a surprise. On top of them gashing the Hokies' defense, King was 20-for-24 through the air for 213 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 8.9 yards through the air.
Considering what Virginia Tech had on defense, it's not surprising what Georgia Tech did to them, but it's still disappointing. The Hokies get a much-needed break next weekend before hosting California in two weeks in Blacksburg.
Georgia Tech is the latest to gash the Hokies this season in a year that is spiraling out of control quickly since they fired Brent Pry. Their win two weeks ago at North Carolina State feels like a distant memory at this point after a disappointing loss last weekend to Wake Forest and their loss on Saturday.