2010 Virginia Tech Football: Boise State Game Guide

No. 8 Virginia Tech vs. No. 3 Boise State

Time: 8 p.m. EDT
Date: Monday, Sept. 6, 2010
Place: FedEx Field (91,704), Landover, Md.
TV: ESPN

Boise State: The Broncos went 14-0 last season and finished the year ranked No. 4 in both the coaches and media polls ... the Broncos opened the season with a home win over Oregon and finished it with a win over TCU in the Fiesta Bowl ... they finished tied for first in the nation with 42.2 points per game ... they were 10th in the nation with 450.3 yards per game ... QB Kellen Moore had the nation's third-best passer rating at 161.3 ... his 39 touchdown passes were second only to Houston's Case Keenum ... the Broncos return 10 starters from both sides of the ball plus their kicker.

Trends: The Hokies have lost two consecutive openers, both at neutral sites and have lost three neutral site openers since joining the ACC ... Boise State is 6-15 against BCS schools since joining the FBS in 1996 ... Virginia Tech is 19-2 against non-BCS schools in the same period ... Boise State has won 25 consecutive regular season games and 34 of its last 35 regular season games ... the Broncos have won four consecutive season openers.

History Lesson: This is the first meeting between the two schools.

What to Expect

• Expect the Hokies not to get too complicated or cute. They'll try to play their game, control the clock with a strong ground attack and let Tyrod Taylor manage the game at QB. If Tech gets into a back-and-forth game I don't think it'll be able to out-score BSU.
• Expect the Broncos to open their bag of tricks. They usually do in games like this. I'll be disappointed if we don't see at least one two-point conversion attempt that involves either a goofy formation or misdirection. Or both.
• Expect Ryan Williams to get most of the carries. I'll buy the "splitting time with Darren Evans" thing when I see it. I still think Williams will get two-thirds of the carries.
• Expect Boise State's defense to be stronger and more physical than you've been led to believe.
• Expect one of these two kick returners (or both) to house one.
• Expect our new neighbors to come over at least once to find out what on earth is going on at our house if this is a close game. Which it will be.

Hokies win if: They get pressure on Kellen Moore, control the ball and don't turn the ball over.

Broncos win if: Moore is able to pick apart the VT secondary and the defense doesn't allow big plays.

Dot-dot-dots: The Hokies have played once before at FedEx Field ... they opened the 2004 season against USC and lost, 24-13 ... Tech has played just one WAC opponent in its history ... it lost to Air Force, 23-7, in the 1984 Independence Bowl ... Boise State has faced only one ACC team as an FBS team ... it lost to Boston College, 27-21, in the 2005 Humanitarian Bowl (yes, I know what it was called at the time).

Ed. Note: For those of you who have just starting following the blog, first of all, welcome! This is the typical Monday post you'll see during game week. It's got the basics of the week's game with stats and notes. Typically a Q&A with an opposing blogger will go up Tuesday or Wednesday. The What to Watch post will go up usually on Thursday (Wednesday for Thursday games) and will go more in-depth into the game. On gameday, there will be an open thread allowing you to discuss the game while it's going on. You have no idea how thrilled I was to actually be able to write this post and realize the offseason is over. Football!

PS - Football!