Virginia
Virginia Tech vs Vanderbilt: Game Preview, Matchup Breakdown, and Final Score Prediction
The Virginia Tech Hokies are in Nashville and ready for kickoff against the Vanderbilt Commodores. The start of the season is finally here, and plenty of new additions, and lifelong Hokies are set to make their 2024 debut against Vanderbilt.
Virginia Tech is seemingly the big favorite for this game, but Vanderbilt has an equal level of confidence. The Commodores team will look abundantly difference than last year’s team. There’s new coaches, transfer additions, and even entirely new schemes for the Commodores team to learn and adapt with over time. This season also marks Kyron Drones’ first full season as the starting quarterback, and there was a full offseason to game-plan with many of the same players from last year.
Being in the SEC, Vanderbilt inherently has a harder schedule than the Hokies. So, Virginia Tech and Vanderbilt could not be in more opposite positions as a franchise. One franchise is on an extremely hard schedule in what feels like a never ending downfall, and the other is trying to bring their program back to glory days with one of the easiest schedules in the ACC.
The Hokies have beat the Commodores in recent history, and all-time, holding an all-time record of 6-3 vs Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt has not won a game in this series since Vanderbilt’s win during the 1982 season.
So how do these two teams stack up? Here’s my official preview and prediction.
Virginia Tech Offense vs Vanderbilt Defense
Virginia Tech’s returning production on offense is one of the main storylines heading into the season. The Hokies return most of their starters, losing starting tight end Dae’Quan Wright in the process. Notably, Virginia Tech returns starters Kyron Drones at quarterback, Bhayshul Tuten at running back, and all of the week one starters at wide receiver and offensive line.
Not everything was perfect for this Virginia Tech offense however. There are definitely areas for improvement, especially when it comes to closing out games. Virginia Tech ranked 88th in FBS in points per fourth quarter, averaging just 6.2 in the quarter. This makes sense due to the nature of the Tech offense, which obviously is not fully focused on the passing side of the ball, which can cause problems late in games when the Hokies are trailing.
Before Kyron Drones fully took over for Grant Wells at quarterback, Virginia Tech’s offense was in even more of a stalemate. Averaging 3.0 4th quarter points through two games. Since Kyron Drones has taken over, it’s felt like a breath of fresh air. In 13 games (11 starts), Drones passed for 2,085 yards on 17 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. Arguably Drones biggest impact was his rushing ability. Drones rushed for 818 yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground.
The Vanderbilt Defense has frankly struggled against the run, it has not been pretty. Vanderbilt has the 108th ranked rush defense, giving up an average of 179 rush yards per game. The Vandy defense has struggled in many ways, it has definitely not just been the run. Vandy ranks 130th in opp. points per game, 132nd in opp. yards per game, and 129th in opp. points per play.
The Vandy Defense doesn’t have many true stars, but linebacker Langston Patterson fits that description most accurately. Vanderbilt has tried to bolster their defense in the transfer portal this offseason, signing many players in the secondary. Randon Fontenette (TCU), Kolbey Taylor (Wyoming), Mark Davis Jr. (Southern Illinois), Maurice Hampton (Memphis), and Micah Bell (Notre Dame) highlight the new additions in the secondary.
There are so many places for development in this Vanderbilt defense, which has been destroyed on both pass plays and rush plays. The secondary and the pass rush are going to have to take a big step for this Vandy defense to make a big impact in this game.
Vanderbilt Offense vs Virginia Tech Defense
Despite its struggles, the Vandy offense is probably Vanderbilt’s strongest unit on this team. The offense might look entirely different than years past. Head coach Clark Lea cleaned house, firing offensive coordinator Joey Lynch, and hired Tim Beck from New Mexico State.
Diego Pavia is likely going to lead the offense at quarterback, in what will be an option-heavy offense. Vanderbilt is planning to rotate tackles and guards in such a way that there is a weak-side, and a strong-side, which is early seen at the FBS level, let alone by a SEC team.
Vanderbilt’s offense will frankly be trickier than it is good. This unit wasn’t great last year either. The Commodores averaged 20.6 points per game, 307.5 yards per game, and struggled to convert on third and fourth down plays.
This Virginia Tech defense is no weak unit. Virginia Tech’s defense ranked 15th in the nation in opp. yards per game and has only added on to their already stellar defense. Most notably, Duke transfer Aeneas Peebles could make a humongous impact in this game. Peebles is a 290-pound All-ACC defensive tackle who led Duke in TFLs last season.
Stopping Vanderbilt at the line-of-scrimmage will be crucial if Virginia Tech wants to dominate against the unique Vanderbilt offense.
How Does Virginia Tech Win?
The key to this game will be not to fall in Vanderbilt’s trap. As I said earlier, this Vanderbilt offense will have to shock Chris Marve to be able to move the ball in a consistent manner. In college football, that’s really how most big upsets happen. A Vanderbilt team running a traditional offense would never win this game, but if they run plays that look like they’re straight out of College Football 25–they give themselves a better chance.
The way Virginia Tech will win this game, and ultimately try to win by multiple possessions, will be to dominate defensively–especially early in the game. Everybody knows that Virginia Tech will score against the Vanderbilt defense, so if the defense can play its’ role, this game could get ugly fast. It won’t be easy, but this is the game where we will see how dominant this defense can be led by Aeneas Peebles, Dorian Strong, and Antwaun Powell-Ryland.
Prediction
I’ve said that Vanderbilt certainly has a chance to win this game, but I don’t think that’s likely. Virginia Tech outweighs Vanderbilt in all three of the major categories: talent, coaching, and success. The Hokies have certainly seen more recent success than Vanderbilt has, Virginia Tech has the more physical and athletically gifted team, and Virginia Tech has a longer list of coaches with a long tenure.
I don’t think this Vanderbilt team can find success against this Virginia Tech team in any aspect of the game.
Brent Pry has shown that he knows how to draw plays up and take care of opponents in which they are heavy favorites. I think Pry will get up early in this game, similar to the Virginia game last year, and it should be smooth sailing from there.
This is not the Vanderbilt that used to be when James Franklin was the head coach, the Commodores are a long way away from success, and I don’t think this game will be any different.
Final Score: Virginia Tech 39, Vanderbilt 14
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginia has plenty of state symbols, be it the black bear as the state animal, the cardinal as the state bird or the rhododendron as the state flower, but did you know that the Mountain State also has its own official gun?
The Hall Flintlock Model 1819 was first manufactured in Harpers Ferry by John H. Hall in 1811 and was adopted by the United States Army in 1819, making it the first breech-loading rifle ever adopted by a country’s military.
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Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution -
Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution
All of this information is listed in Senate Concurrent Resolution 7, which was introduced and passed during the 2013 West Virginia Legislative session, and officially recognizes the Model 1819 as the official firearm of the State of West Virginia.
On top of being created in West Virginia, the resolution also points out that the rifle saw use during the Civil War, an event that directly led to West Virginia’s statehood.
While having an officially recognized state firearm may seem far-fetched, West Virginia is not the only state that has one. As a matter of fact, a fifth of the states in the country have officially designated a state firearm, including West Virginia’s neighbors in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
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MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
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