5 Keys to Victory for Hokies Against Clemson

The Hokies had a decent week. They moved up to number 11 in the AP poll after their win against the Marshall Thundering Herd. Virginia Tech played inconsistently, but that was still enough to cruise to a 20-point win on the road.

However, while the Hokies were having a decent week, the Clemson Tigers were having a great week.

Clemson beat then-No. 11 ranked Florida State at home by a score of 35-30, as the Tigers were able to survive a late Seminoles rally to win the game. Clemson has beaten two ranked opponents in a row—first beating defending national champions Auburn (ranked No. 21 at the time) before the win against FSU.

This caused the Tigers to jump more than any other team in the polls this week (leaping from 21 to 13). This sets up an epic showdown between the Hokies and Tigers in Lane Stadium on Saturday.

If the Hokies are to win then they need to do five things against Clemson.

Bonus Key: Lane Stadium Faithful

Clemson’s last two wins, against Auburn and FSU, came in Death Valley. Clemson has a great home field advantage, but so does Virginia Tech. Hokie Nation shows up in big games, and this has all the makings of the biggest regular season game Tech will play at home this season.

Texas A&M may have named their crowd the 12^th man, but the Lane Stadium crowd puts that into practice. The 66,000+ fans in the stands need to make it hard on Tajh Boyd and Clemson’s explosive offense on Saturday.

The problem with the crowd is that they will follow how the Hokies play. The Hokies need to play well for 60 minutes in order to get the most from the Lane Stadium faithful.

5. Special Teams Play

It’s hard to believe that Frank Beamer could have a bad special teams squad. Special teams is one of the main aspects of “Beamerball.” Nevertheless, both the punter and place kicker have been inconsistent at best this campaign.

Punter Scott Demler has played so inconsistently that wide receiver Danny Coale punted twice last Saturday against Marshall. Demler punted twice against Marshall for 76 yards, and one punt sailed 51 yards while the other traveled for a mere 25.

That is the inconsistency that Frank Beamer is dealing with. Coale also punted twice for 62 yards, but both came on a short field with Coale attempting to pin the Thundering Herd deep.

Place Kicker Cody Journell hasn't fared well either.  He has made four of seven field goals this season. Against Marshall he went 1-for-2 and had a PAT blocked. Clearly, the special teams have been lackluster so far, and the Hokies can’t afford empty possessions against Clemson this weekend. So the special teams unit needs to step up.

4. Secondary Play

The defense has been brilliant so far. Bud Foster’s defense looks like the good ol’ lunch pail defense once again, as the Hokies are sixth in the nation in points allowed. The biggest reason for this is because the Hokies have stopped the run against every opponent they have faced.

Taking away the run leaves one option for opposing offenses: Passing the ball. Despite having an All-American cornerback, Jayron Hosley, the Hokies have allowed some yardage through the air. Marshall QB Rakeem Cato was able to throw for 245 yards against the Hokies last Saturday. The secondary has to play well against Clemson QB Tajh Boyd.

Boyd was able to rip through a very good Florida State defense last week; throwing for 344 yards and three touchdowns. He added another on the ground against the Seminoles. The Hokies’ secondary can’t allow that kind of performance this week if Virginia Tech is going to win.

3. Offensive Line Play

The Hokies’ offensive line hasn’t looked very good so far this season. Their best performance came Week 1 against FCS opponent Appalachian State. A lot of this has to do with the loss of guard David Wang to injury, as the line hasn’t been able to open holes for David Wilson and Josh Oglesby.

The only times Wilson has been able to make runs of note have been on sweep plays that put the back in space. The Hokies like to run in between the tackles, but they haven’t had much success so far this season with the line unable to open running lanes.

Wilson was able to run for 132 yards against Marshall, but the performance was more in spite of the offensive line, rather than because of it. Wilson has to make an impact against Clemson on Saturday, which means the offensive line needs to make an impact.

2. D.J. Coles

Virginia Tech’s wide receiving corp has been decimated by injury. Dyrell Roberts and Jarrett Boykin were out against Marshall, and now the Hokies have lost Marcus Davis to a sprained right foot. The only good news for the Hokies at receiver is that they haven’t lost Danny Coale.

Coale has been Virginia Tech’s best receiver this season. He has 18 receptions for 285 yards and a touchdown. The question now is who will line up on the other side for the Hokies? The answer is D.J. Coles.

Coles has played well this season, snaring 14 receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown. Coale will get his catches against Clemson, but his near same surname running mate Coles is the real X factor in this game. He needs to play well for the Hokies to win.

1. Logan Thomas

Logan Thomas has been the number one key on this list four of five weeks. He has shown flashes of brilliance so far this season, but he has also been inconsistent. He has thrown four touchdowns and four interceptions. Don’t be surprised if Clemson use some disguised coverages to confuse the young QB and cause some turnovers.

It looks like the Hokies have been using a restricted playbook with Thomas. Hopefully Virginia Tech will open it up against Clemson. Thomas has to step up this weekend, seeing as how the Tigers can be passed on. Florida States backup QB, Clint Trickett, was able to throw for 336 yards and three touchdowns. Thomas needs to play as well as Trickett to beat the Tigers.

This game should be a very good one, and I would expect a close game between the two. If the Hokies adhere to this list then they should come away victorious. Enjoy the game!