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Huge Game for Hokies in Primetime |
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Written by Shamus Williams
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Monday, 09 October 2006 |
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Frank Beamer will be
walking onto a football field as a head coach for the 300th time on
Thursday night, and none will be as important to his current team as this
one. Coming off an uninspired
drubbing at home by Georgia Tech, the Hokies travel to play the Boston College
Eagles in a huge Thursday night ESPN game in Chestnut Hill.
This game is about both teams
playing for their respective championship hopes. Both the Hokies and Eagles find themselves one game off the
pace in their respective divisions in the ACC, and both have lost to the
leader. The Hokies are looking to
respond following a 38-27 beatdown (the final score being much closer than the
game actually was) at home to Georgia Tech, while the Eagles are trying to
rebound following a heartbreaking 17-15 loss to North Carolina State a few
weeks ago. This
game is also key, because both teams have huge games following this one. The Hokies will return home to face
Southern Mississippi and Clemson, then will travel to Miami to conclude the
stretch of the season that will decide their fate. Boston College travels to Tallahassee to face the Florida
State Seminoles on the Saturday following this contest. Whichever teams drops this contest
could be staring a losing streak in the face. With
all this in mind, both teams must not focus on past defeats and upcoming games,
because this will be a physical bruising old-school kind of game. Both coaches, Frank Beamer and Tom
O’Brien, are coaches who love special teams and defense first, offense
second. Make no mistake, there is
talent of the offensive side of the ball for both of these teams, but the game
will be won by whichever defense forces the opposing offense to pass the ball. The
Hokies have struggled all year with the offensive line, and it was exposed big
time in the Georgia Tech game. The
Hokies can only run to one side of the field, the right, and have not shown a
consistent ability to pass protect from either side. If the offensive line can give Sean Glennon time to throw
and allow Brandon Ore the space and holes to run through, then the Hokies will
be effective. If they cannot do
that, and BC controls the line of scrimmage, look for Glennon to be running for
his life again, and the Hokies to struggle on offense. In the passing game, the receivers must
continue to make plays and help Glennon out. The number of drops and decreased significantly, and the
number of plays being made by the receivers have grown throughout the
season. Once again, look for the
Hokies to test the Eagles deep downfield, especially coming off of turnovers. For
the Eagles on offense they feature two running backs, who have both fared well
this season. L.V. Whitowrth and
Andre Callender both average over 4 yards/carry, and both are key to the
success of the Eagles. If they can
get good yards on first and second down, then the Eagles will move the
football. If the Hokies defensive
front can get a push and force the Eagles into long third downs, then the
Eagles will struggle will all night long.
Matt Ryan has had a solid season for the Eagles, but he depends of the
running game to put him in situations to succeed. The Hokies will need to watch out for receiver Tony Gonzalez
who has four TDs already this season and is Ryan’s favorite target in the
redzone. For
the Hokies defensively, they will get back DE Chris Ellis, and they must
control the line of scrimmage. If
they can stop the Eagles running attack, then the secondary should be able to
control the receivers. On the
other hand, if the Hokies are forced to bring up linebackers and safeties to
help with the run, then look for the Hokies to have success deep against the
corners. Another key will be the
play of Aaron Rouse. If he can
find a way to shake off a horrible start to his season, and make a few plays,
then the Eagles will have problems scoring points. The
Eagles are led by LB Jolon Dunbar and FS Larry Anam on defense. Dunbar has 39 tackles and pairs nicely
with stud LB Brian Toal when he is healthy. Anam is a playmaking safety, who adds great support to the
run game. For the Eagles, the game
plan is simple. They need to stop
the run game, and then create pressure on Glennon, a la Georgia Tech. If they can do that, the Hokies will
have trouble winning the football game. On
special teams, Boston College will be trying out a new kicker. Normal starter Ryan Oligher was
suspended, so those duties will fall to sophomore Steve Aponavicius. Aponavicius will have to be on his
game, as the Hokies excel at special teams. If the Eagles can win the special teams battle, then look
for them to be very successful.
The Hokies must get their punt game back on track. Preseason Playboy All-American Nic
Schmitt has been extremely disappointing, and must win the field position
battle for the Hokies to win football games. BOSTON COLLEGE’S 3 KEYS TO WINNINGStop
the Hokies running game and bottle up Brandon OreWin
the special teams battleWin
first and second down, and get into third and shorts VIRGINIA TECH’S 3 KEYS TO WINNINGBe
successful running the footballControl
both the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ballAvoid
the stupid penalties and mistakes PREDICTION This
has been a worrisome game for the Hokies since the schedule was released, and
the importance is magnified with the GT loss. They always play well on Thursday night, sporting a 13-1
all-time record, but the lone loss cam against Boston College in 1995. This is a must-win game for both teams,
so I expect them to both play with a lot of emotion and hunger. This will be a close game, with special
teams being the deciding factor.
The Eagles are using a new kicker, while the Hokies have one of the best
in the country. Look for a field
goal to decide the game, and for the Hokies to find a way to keep their ACC
championship hopes alive.VIRGINIA TECH: 24 BOSTON COLLEGE: 21
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Virginia Tech 