Virginia Tech vs Ohio State: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More
A week removed from a rocky start to the season, Urban Meyer's No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes play host to a perennial defensive stalwart when they welcome Frank Beamer's Virginia Tech Hokies to Ohio Stadium Saturday night.
The Buckeyes, sans former Heisman hopeful Braxton Miller, have a lot of questions in need of answers sooner rather than later, so a nonconference encounter with a team on the rise comes at a bad time.
For the Hokies, a second-place finish in the ACC Coastal division last year can be improved upon via a major upset despite a wealth of new faces in critical places.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Below, let's take a look at the info to have down pat before the game gets underway.
When: Saturday, September 6, 8 p.m. ET
Where: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
Television: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Betting Lines (via Odds Shark):
- Over/Under: 47
- Spread: Ohio State (-12)
Team Injury Reports
| Marcus Baugh | TE | 08/30/2014 | will be eligible to return on 9/13 against Kent State | Suspended | two-game suspension |
| Kyle Berger | LB | 08/15/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | knee |
| Trey Johnson | LB | 08/31/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Virginia Tech | Questionable | knee |
| Marshon Lattimore | CB | 08/31/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | hamstring |
| Braxton Miller | QB | 08/19/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | shoulder |
| Noah Spence | DE | 08/27/2014 | will be eligible to return on 9/13 against Kent State | Suspended | two-game suspension |
| Woody Baron | DT | 08/04/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | ankle |
| Brent Benedict | OL | 08/04/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | leg/chest |
| Kyle Chung | OL | 08/31/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Ohio State | Questionable | shoulder |
| Kalvin Cline | TE | 08/31/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Ohio State | Questionable | knee |
| Brenden Motley | QB | 08/31/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Ohio State | Questionable | back |
| Carlis Parker | WR | 09/02/2014 | is expected to miss Saturday's game against Ohio State | Out | personal |
| Anthony Shegog | CB | 08/31/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Ohio State | Questionable | thumb |
| Mark Shuman | OL | 08/15/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | knee |
| Joshua Stanford | WR | 09/02/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Ohio State | Questionable | hamstring |
| Ronny Vandyke | LB | 09/03/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Ohio State | Questionable | groin |
| Devin Vandyke | LB | 08/04/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | leg |
| Jack Willenbrock | OL | 08/31/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Ohio State | Questionable | foot |
Injury reports via USA Today.
New Faces Under Center
With Miller out of the picture, the signal-caller tasked with getting the Buckeyes to the playoff is freshman J.T. Barrett, who did well enough against Navy in a 34-17 victory last week.
The problem is, "well enough" won't get the job done against a Beamer defense. That 12-of-15 mark for 226 yards and two touchdowns to one interception, as well as a team-high 50 yards rushing, looks good but figures to be dramatically reduced against the Hokies.
Luckily for the Buckeyes, the Hokies also have a new face under center this season in junior Michael Brewer. He misfired on just seven passes and threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns to one interception in his team's 34-9 win over William & Mary in which the Hokies outgained the opposition, 488-193.
Known for defense, the numbers may come as a surprise, but much of Brewer's efficiency has to do with the weapons around him. ESPN.com's KC Joyner explains this best (subscription required):
"Virginia Tech isn't thought of as having a potentially dominant aerial attack, but the Hokies were one of only three ACC teams to have three wide receivers with at least 40 receptions last season (Clemson and Florida State being the others) and all three of those wideouts (Willie Byrn, Demitri Knowles and Joshua Stanford) returned this year.
Pass catching volume wasn't the only positive among this group. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Hokies' 2013 wide receiver corps ranked 29th nationally in yards per reception (14.4).
"
While the quarterbacks will get most of the spotlight come Saturday, the situation around Brewer actually speaks to the larger theme of the contest. There are other issues that may very well dictate the outcome of the game.
Potential Pitfalls Mire the Buckeyes
While the Hokies were a pleasant surprise to start the season—a clear indication that Beamer's run is far from over despite winning all of 15 games the past two seasons combined—Ohio State turned some heads with its struggles.
Simply put, more was expected of the Buckeyes, Miller or not.
The defense allowed Navy to roll for 390 yards, of which only 20 came through the air. Virginia Tech is no slouch, either, with Beamer—who personally oversees running backs—promoting the freshman duo of Shai McKenzie and Marshawn Williams after they combined for 147 yards and a score on 21 carries last week.
More concerning is the Buckeyes secondary and how it can counter the aforementioned trio of receivers, especially with Bradley Roby now in the NFL. Doran Grant has the look of a star, but safeties Tyvis Powell and Cam Burrows have little game experience.
Above all else, though, is the ragged state of the offensive line in front of Barrett. Meyer himself put this issue into perspective, as captured by Doug Lesmerises of Cleveland.com:
"Concern number one is offensive line. We're facing (what) will be one of the top one or two defensive lines we'll face all year. Our offensive line did not play like an Ohio State offensive line. The second half we played pretty good. But pretty good is not what we expect. You play pretty good this week you won't win that game. So we have to get much better fast in the offensive line.
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With losses to the NFL such as Jack Mewhort and Corey Linsley, it is no wonder the Buckeyes struggled in the trenches, even if the unit gets to regularly practice against one of the best defensive lines in the country.
"It's not just J.T. When we say expand the play book, it's for J.T. and it's for the offensive line," Meyer said, via ESPN.com. "Once those two groups come together, which I'm expecting that to happen rather quickly … well, it better or we won't win this (Virginia Tech) game."
The line better take a serious jump in a short amount of time if Barrett's second half from last week is to translate to Saturday. If it does not, Meyer's words might sound quite prophetic indeed.
Prediction
As much as Virginia Tech seems to have an advantage, especially with the Buckeyes' misstep a week ago, it is hard to go any other way with the game taking place in Columbus.
It helps that Beamer's regime has been gashed with a streak of horrific performances when it matters most, but more important is the fact Ohio State is simply a deeper, more talented team. Even if Barrett falters against a great line, he has backs such as Curtis Samuel and Ezekiel Elliott to fall back on—not to mention his legs when things break down in the pocket.
Now, the provided spread is a tad ridiculous. Virginia Tech can keep this a low-scoring affair, but the offense will struggle to find ways to produce points consistently. Regardless, the Buckeyes will pull away late.
Prediction: Buckeyes 23, Hokies 17
Statistics courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
