Bourbon Shots: Virginia Tech at Boston College Edition

This is one of the most epically long collection for Virginia Tech, opponent and ACC links I've done. There's plenty to get to so here ... we ... go:

Virginia Tech Beat Writers

Three keys for Virginia Tech vs. Boston College (Darryl Slater)
Slater feels the Hokies need to make Dave Shinskie beat them by focusing on shutting down Montel Harris. This will be a tough task as the Hokies face a bigger offensive line than they've faced so far this season. He writes Tech also needs big games from Darren Evans and David Wilson.

What defense will VT use against BC? (Mark Giannotto)
We saw a lot of Virginia Tech's nickel package against ECU, which put Antone Exum on the field along with the Hokies' other four members of the secondary. Giannotto feels the Hokies should stick with what's been working.

Stopping BC's Montel Harris (again) job one for Tech (Norm Wood)
Wood focuses on the BC run game and Harris, who has averaged 3.9 yards per carry in his career against the Hokies compared to 4.7 yards per carry overall. He notes one way they can help neutralize Harris is to get an early lead and force the Eagles to throw the ball more. Easier said than done.

Does the road to another ACC title begin Saturday? (Kyle Tucker)
While the Hokies looked bad in their first five halves of football, the ACC is still wide open, Tucker notes. They'll still be in the running with a loss to BC, as the Hokies don't face their main competitors in the Coastal Division until November.

Exum makes early inroads in Tech's secondary (Nathan Warters)
Tommie Frazier has a feature on Exum, who has started to make a name for himself after the ECU game. He played every down against the Pirates after not seeing the field against JMU. What's helped Exum is being on the field at the same time as Eddie Whitley and not being responsible for making the pre-snap calls and checks.

Hokies kick off ACC play with challenge at BC (Collegiate Times)
A look at how the Hokies will handle the BC linebackers and offensive line. Rashad Carmichael said the Tech defense will have to put their "big boy pads" on for this match-up against the Eagles.

All in the family: Hite makes name for himself at BHS (Roanoke Times)
Hokies assistant Billy Hite has a name that is familiar in Blacksburg but it is his son, Bruins senior Griffin Hite, who is making a name for himself on the football field.

Virginia Tech Bloggers

Clam Chowder: Out of Season. (The Key Play)
Joe compares the Hokies-Eagles rivalry to Maggie Simpson vs. Baby Gerald. He also thinks the only thing BC will have to look forward to after Saturday is basket-hockey.

Winning and… (The A-Line)
Jim breaks down the rest of the Hokies' schedule, starting with this week's trip to Beantown. It's a place the Hokies have struggled in since joining the ACC, but the Hokies have usually avenged themselves later in the season after their trip North.

We Finally Beat a Purple and Yellow Team In Lane. Yay! (Chris Colston)
Chris wants to see the Hokies get their running game going. That means running your main running plays on third-and-two, Developing a nasty offense line (not happening any time soon) and not running out of the shotgun.

Hokies look to pick up where they left off (VT Campus Blog)
Against BC, Tech will have six defensive starters who are sophomores or freshmen. Josh writes that how they respond on the road and how the offense handles life without Ryan Williams will determine whether the Hokies have success on Saturday.

Next Two Weeks Will Define Virginia Tech's Season (VT Fan)
With a 1-2 record, Tech takes to the road for two huge road games. Survive those and the Hokies are probably the favorites in the ACC. Stumble and it could be a long season in the Burg.

Virginia Tech at Boston College Preview (Tech Sideline)
One of the overlooked keys coming into this game is keeping Tyrod Taylor upright. The Hokies have allowed 2.71 sacks per game against the Eagles since joining the ACC and have averaged a paltry 3.3 ypc. The Tech offensive line, in both the running and passing game, will make or break this game.

Boston College Bloggers

Timing Of Annual Hokies-Eagles Clash (BC Interruption)
Brian and Jeff take time from sending birthday flowers to their wives' offices so they can get brownie points for making the other women in their wives' office jealous to discuss how the VT-BC game keeps moving to earlier and earlier in the season. Personally, I think I like it. You know, as long as we win.

BC-Virginia Tech preview (Eagle in Atlanta)
Bill's keys for the Eagles are getting pressure on Tyrod Taylor, improved playcalling on BC's part and mistake-free offensive line play. Bill, have you ever thought about just doing a find-and-replace of "Boston College" for "Virginia Tech" and making a second blog called "Hokie in Atlanta?"

Keys to the Game vs. VT (BC Draft)
BC Draft's keys to the game, which I was supposed to take part in and feel really bad for getting back to them late on. Please read their post to compensate for my failures. Oh, and they put the onus on the BC safeties too keep Tyrod Taylor from attacking them downfield and supporting the run D.

Virginia Tech at Boston College: Pick (Soaring to Glory)
STG picks the Eagles by three and believes a BC win would signal to the rest of the conference that it's a real contender for the conference title. He's also looking forward to learning more about his team, which didn't show much against Weber State and Kent State.

ACC and Opponents

• Best Eats: D1scourse has the ultimate ACC dining guide. I'd write a similar "Bars of the ACC" if I could remember any of it.
• UNC Scandalgatepalooza: Carolina March breaks down the agent-related penalties handed down to Kendric Burney and Deunta Williams, who will play against Virginia Tech ... Tar Heel Fan takes a look at the gory details of the tutor side of things.
• NC State at Georgia Tech: From the Rumble Seat thinks we'll see some offensive fireworks in Atlanta Saturday ... Barrel of Rum says the Jackets need to control the clock, just like they did against UNC ... Backing the Pack wants NC State to avoid big plays and focus on play recognition ... FYJC doesn't believe the Pack's aggressive style of defense will work against the Jackets.
• Wake Forest at Florida State: Blogger So Dear has tongue planted firmly in cheek (I hope) when discussing why the Deacs will emerge victorious ... Tomahawk Nation thinks the Noles will dominate similarly to what Stanford did to Wake ... Scalp Em doesn't know if Christian Ponder will play for the Noles or if it will matter.
• VMI at Virginia: Why I can tolerate Brendan - "How we can win: Just play some goddam football" ... Dear Old UVa can't see any scenario that leads to a Hoo loss.
• Army at Duke: Blue Devil Nation has a laundry list of areas Duke can improve in on defense ... One Duke grad is embarrassed by the Duke student body.
• Central Michigan at Northwestern: Fire Up Chips notes that CMU is going for its third consecutive win against a Big Ten opponent ... FireUpChips.org says red zone defense and turnovers could lead to an upset by the Chips.