Syracuse Orange football fans can rejoice as they’ll finally get a chance to see Fran Brown’s squad in action again after they spend all of October playing away from the Dome. Following an extra couple of days recovering from their trip to the Pitt of Misery, the Orange exit (natural) light and enter the Loud House for what should be one of the more anticipated matchups of the season. Top QBs face vaunted defenses, Orange decides whether it looks better with Navy or Maroon, and the crowd gets their turkey a few weeks early by rattling the…
Virginia Tech Hokies
School: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Nickname: Hokies
Mascot: The HokieBird
#BRAND Slogans: #Hokies, #ThisIsHome
Alternate #BRAND Slogan Suggestions: #WeAreTheNight, #MaroonCorps or “The Most Exciting 55 Seconds in College Football” (Touch Grass Dabo)
Recommended Blog: Gobbler Country
Conference: ACC
History vs. Syracuse: The Hokies and Orange first traded blows when they were both Independents, made it a yearly occurrence in the Big East, then have barely played each other since reuniting in the ACC. SU leads the series 11-9, with an 8-2 mark at home (7-2 at Dome), while the Hokies added their seventh win in 10 tries at Lane Stadium last season. Notable ‘Cuse victories include McNabb and Brominski walking it off in ‘98, Troy Nunes himself throwing a career-high 403 yards to beat a #8 VT in 2002, and two scores in the last three minutes to stun the Blacksburg crowd in 2021.
Coach: Brent Pry, third season. The former defensive mastermind at Penn State, Pry got the Hokies to a bowl in just his second year on the job. His defenses were always the strong suit of the Nittany Lions during the eight years he spent there, and he’s brought that same mindset to VT. Prior Division 1 stops also include Vanderbilt, Georgia Southern, Memphis, Louisiana-Lafayette, and this same Hokies program as a grad assistant. Pry played part of his college ball as a SUNY Buffalo DB and lettered as a junior before an injury cut his senior season short.
2023 Record: 7-6 (5-3)
Recapping Last Season:
It was a rollercoaster season for Virginia Tech, who started 1-3 with disappointing losses at Rutgers and Marshall. Once conference play began, the Hokie offense improved, and they made their way back to .500 with home wins over Pitt, Wake Forest, and SU. Bowl eligibility eventually came down to the final game of the season, and Pry’s squad took care of business and then some at Virginia to qualify. On a wet Wednesday eve in Annapolis, the Hokies ran all over AAC runner-up Tulane – literally, with 362 rushing yards – for a 41-20 Military Bowl victory.
Kyron Drones usurped 2022 starter Grant Wells in Week 3 and never looked back, throwing for 2,084 yards, rushing for 818 more, and having 22 total touchdowns to a mere three interceptions. Bhayshul Tuten, a standout at HBCU North Carolina A&T, worked as a 1A/1B rusher with Drones, with 863 yards and 10 TDs on the ground. Together, they formed the #22 rushing attack in the country in YPG. Tuten also had 239 receiving yards and two more scores as part of an extremely deep group of pass catchers. Transfer additions Da’Quon Felton and Jaylin Lane combined for 79 receptions, over 1,200 yards, and 14 TDs.
The Hokie defense was Top-25 nationally (4th in the ACC) in yards allowed per game. Take away bad games at ranked FSU and Louisville teams and the 4-3’s numbers look even better. A pass rush led by Edge Antwaun Powell-Ryland (9.5 sacks, three forced fumbles) got to opposing QBs 39 times, while corner Dorian Strong (eight pass defenses, three picks) locked down opposing WR1s. LB Keli Lawson (80 tackles, six pass defenses, 2.5 sacks, one interception and one forced fumble) did some of everything while leading the unit. John Love was perfect on PATs and made 22/24 FG attempts – the second-best clip in the conference.
2024 Season Outlook:
It’s VT’s third straight year with just six home games, and second in a row without an FCS opponent, so maybe there are worse schedulers out there than SU. They start the season at Vandy, vs. Marshall, at Old Dominion, vs. Rutgers. Conference play begins with trips to Miami and Stanford; ‘Cuse and Duke are the other two road games. The Hokies will also host BC, Georgia Tech, Clemson, and Virginia. Byes are set for Weeks 7 and 12.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Pry already made his changes last year and now there is very little different with this group. Drones is back under center as one of the best in the ACC, Tuten isn’t going anywhere, and Felton and Lane chose to stick around for their grad years. The O-Line has just one new starter: former Georgia State tackle Montavious Cunningham, who looks like he’ll move to right guard.
See start of last paragraph for comment. Powell-Ryland, Strong, Lawson… they’re all still here and ready to wreak havoc again. CB2 Mansoor Delaine is a bounceback candidate (eight pass defenses, two forced fumbles and a pick in 2022) following a subpar sophomore season. Pry brought in DTs Aeneas Peebles (40 tackles, 8.5 for loss) from Duke and Kelvin Gilliam Jr. (injured most of 2023) from Oklahoma, and LB Sam Brumfield (81 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two picks) from Middle Tennessee to replace the significant offseason departures.
Syracuse Game Date: Saturday, November 2
Location: JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, New York
Odds of Orange Victory: 50%
Very Early Outlook vs. Syracuse:
What do you get when two programs with renewed faith from their fanbases meet? Ideally, a damn good game. Both sides should be on the verge of bowl eligibility – if they’re not at that point already. I highly doubt this one gets further than a two-score game at any point, or that it will end with more than a seven-point difference. McCord and Drones could each point to this occasion as a huge impact on their NFL Draft stock – as well as the many star defenders each will have to overcome.
To anyone who plans on attending this event in person, my advice: Get ready to lose your voice. I want to see just how loud a 42,000-strong crowd can get without being able to bang on the bleachers of old. This is their chance.
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