Virginia Tech: Two Games Outside the Big Four Hokie Fans Should Worry About

When analysts talk about Virginia Tech, they talk about four games: Boise State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Miami.  They assume the talented offense will simply blast through the “lesser opponents’” defense.

Other teams aren’t going to take that too kindly to that sentiment.  The Hokies are notorious for losing a team they have no business losing to: N.C. State in 2004, Florida State in 2005, Boston College in 2006 and in 2007, East Carolina in 2008 and North Carolina in 2009.  What is to say 2010 will be any different?

Here are the two games that have the best chance of making Hokie fans squeamish.

At Boston College – September 25

Virginia Tech has not beaten Boston College in Chestnut Hill since 2002.  The Hokies beat them by five points in 2002 and 14 points in 2000.  Both times they were ranked fourth in the country.

Is anybody else seeing the problem here?

The Eagles will enter the season underrated just as they were the past three years where they won the Atlantic Division twice and finished second last year.  This year Mark Herzlich, the 2008 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, returns to a defense that ranked 26^th nationally in total defense.  It would stand to reason the defense will be even better.

Montel Harris, Luke Kuechly and Mark Herzlich make a dangerous trio and will be seeking revenge for the 48 to 14 smack down last season.

The saving grace for this game should be the lack of a solid quarterback for the Eagles.  Dave Shinskie was simply not ready to be a starting signal caller last year and he lost his top receiver in Rich Gunnell.  The secondary will have to step up big or the game may be a nail bitter.

Also, the Hokies come off what should be an actually easy win against East Carolina at home.  If the players are reminded of their success in Chestnut Hill – or lack thereof – I think they will come out with passion.

Virginia – November 27

Yes, you read that correctly.  I think Virginia will give Tech their fifth toughest game of the season or tougher.

As any college football coach can attest, rivalry games are tough regardless of the disparity in talent.  The Hokies come off what will likely be their toughest three-game-stretch in history.  Why wouldn’t they want to take a breather?

Now look at the UVA side.  They have a new coach in Mike London who has quietly been building a fantastic recruiting class and the current players are buying into his program.  The Hoos have not beaten the Hokies since 2003.  And honorary Hokie Al Groh is gone.

If you don’t believe me up to this point, how about the 1999 game against West Virginia?  Tech needed a last second field goal in order to beat an unranked rival.

And in case you forgot, UVA only trailed by one at half last year, was a touchdown ahead at half in 2008 and without a last second Eddie Royal touchdown, the Hoos would have led at the half in 2007.

Picture this.  Virginia Tech goes 11-0 with only Virginia to beat and then lose at home on senior day.  Wouldn’t Virginia fans love that headline?

I think the game could look remarkably similar to the 2009 Iron Bowl where Auburn came out and shocked Alabama.

Was Auburn as talented as Alabama? No.  Did Auburn have much to play for?  No.  Yet they came out and racked up more yards than Alabama and held the Heisman Trophy winner to 1.9-yards-per-carry.

Thankfully the game will be senior day.  Tyrod Taylor has not lost to Virginia and I don’t see him letting that change on his final game in Lane Stadium, even if he has to pull something new out of his bag of tricks.

He sparked the offense in 2008 with a 73-yard run against none other than UVA and shocked Nebraska with an 81 yard bomb to Danny Coale.  Oh, and then he scrambled for a full nine seconds to find Dyrell Roberts in the end zone.

On the other hand, he and the rest of the offense came out lackluster to a Thursday night crowd against UNC after losing to Georgia Tech.  I know I was shocked by that game.  You could feel the energy dissipate from the stadium after Jarrett Boykin lost a fumble in the first half.  The team never recovered.

Will Hokie Nation already be looking ahead or behind?  Will they be grounded enough to get the job done?  Losing to UVA on the verge of a national championship would easily trump Matt Ryan’s infamous comeback.  I don't know about you but I couldn't handle something like that again.

I’m not claiming that Virginia Tech will lose to Boston College or Virginia.  They will and should be the favorite in those game but the assumption that the Hokies can walk over them is both pretentious and dangerous.

I’ll be honest, outside of the Miami and Alabama game I found Lane Stadium to be substantially quieter than in 2008.  Us Hokies have been spoiled by six 10-win seasons and a coaching staff that consistently turns two-star recruits into NFL players.

We expect to win and we expect Lane Stadium to be a loud stadium.  But if we also expect to return to the national title game, Hokie Nation needs to get back to the passion it had when Virginia Tech was emerging as an elite program.

While the Boston College game is away, the Virginia game will be in Lane Stadium.  Something will have to spark the Hokies in order for them to roll through the aforementioned games with as much ease as the experts predict.

In Chestnut Hill, it needs to be the coaches.  In Blacksburg, it needs to be the fans.