Virginia Tech Football: 5 Things To Watch for Against Arkansas State

It has been a rough week for the Hokies. Despite beating ECU last week they dropped two spots in the rankings to 13th (their original preseason ranking). They also lost offensive guard David Wang for 8-10 weeks.

The good news is that the Hokies are facing Arkansas State on Saturday. The two teams have played three previous games with Virginia Tech winning each matchup. The Red Wolves have a 1-1 record this season. They lost to Illinois 33-15 and blew out Memphis 47-3.

The Hokies are looking to bounce back from a poor performance against ECU last weekend. Virginia Tech’s offense wasn’t ready last week and it is a safe bet to believe that won’t be the case on Saturday. This game should be well in hand, but the following is a list of five things to watch for against Arkansas State.

5. Offensive Line Play

This wouldn’t have made the list, but losing David Wang could cause some major issues this season. Wang will be replaced by right tackle Michael Via. Via has plenty of game experience but he hasn’t played the guard position since high school. Via also isn’t 100 percent healthy, he is coming off a sprained left knee that sidelined him for the first two games of the season.

If Via can stay healthy, then he should do well enough at guard to keep the Hokies offense moving. Logan Thomas’s poor play last week will make the Hokies lean more on David Wilson and the running game this week. The offensive line will have to open up the holes so that the running game can get going against the Red Wolves.

4. Defensive Play

The Hokies defense is the only reason that Virginia Tech beat ECU last week. Bud Foster’s squad put up some ridiculous statistics against the Pirates. They only allowed 112 total offensive yards, -15 rushing yards, and had five sacks.

This play needs to continue against Arkansas State. The offense is a major question mark right now, so the defense needs to step up.

The Red Wolves had over 600 offensive yards last week against Memphis.  Memphis is one of the worst teams in the country but Bud Foster and his defense can’t overlook these impressive statistics.  375 of those yards came through the air. Kyle Fuller and Jayron Hosley need to be ready to face this attack.

If the defense plays well then the Hokies will win.

3. The Play of Josh Oglesby

Most of Virginia Tech’s offense goes through running back David Wilson, but Josh Oglesby showed his value against ECU. He scored both of Virginia Tech’s touchdowns in the game and ran for 43 yards.

Wilson ran for 138 yards, but he can’t be on the field every play. The Hokies need a solid backup and Oglesby has been that this season. When Wilson isn’t on the field, Oglesby can keep the Hokies in front of the chains. This is what’s needed until Thomas can mature as a quarterback.

Oglesby should continue being solid which will take some pressure off of Wilson and Thomas. If Oglesby keeps moving then the offense keeps moving.

2. Wide Receiver Play

The passing game was the weakest link in last week’s win over ECU. The Hokies had 331 total offensive yards—only 91 of them came through the air. A lot of that falls on quarterback Logan Thomas (more on that later), but some of the blame falls on the receivers.

There have been a few dropped passes in the first two games of the season. The worst drop occurred against ECU when Marcus Davis dropped a ball as he fell to the end zone turf. Those catches need to be made especially when you have a young, inexperienced quarterback.

If Logan Thomas can deliver a good ball to his wide receivers then they need to make the play. If his wide receivers continue to let him down then it could be a long season for the Hokies offense.

1. Logan Thomas

This shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. Thomas has been the number one key for the Hokies' success every week. He had a poor game against ECU and he had plenty of “coachable moments” throughout the game. He made some poor throws and turned the ball over.

For the game he went 8-for-20 for 91 yards and an interception. Thomas can get away with this kind of play against Virginia Tech’s out of conference foes. But if he can’t get better by the time conference play comes around, the Hokies are in trouble.

Thomas also ran 11 times for 66 yards against ECU. Some of those runs were by design but he was also quick to jettison the pocket and take an unnecessary hit. Tyrod Taylor did the same thing early in his career, but Thomas isn’t as quick as Taylor. He is more of a power runner.

 Thomas needs to understand that he can’t leave the pocket unless absolutely necessary. Mark Leal is a good backup but Thomas has to play for the Hokies to win. Look for Thomas and Virginia Tech to bounce back and have a good game against Arkansas State.