Virginia Tech football: The Hokies have a huge game on Saturday

Don’t look now, but the Virginia Tech Hokies have a big game on Saturday. The Hokies (4-4, 3-1) sit a half-game behind the Louisville Cardinals (6-1, 4-1) for second place in the ACC. Why does that matter? The ACC eliminated divisions, meaning the top two teams will play in the ACC championship game.

If the Hokies defeat Louisville, they’ll control their destiny with three games remaining after Saturday. And while we do not like to do this, a look ahead at Tech’s schedule after Saturday has some very winnable games. Of course, we’ll talk about those games when we get there.

This Louisville team is good. The Cardinals brought home Jeff Brohm as head coach, who is outstanding. If you had asked Virginia Tech fans about this game four weeks ago, they would have expected to lose by 28.

Not anymore.

While the Hokies are by no means a finished product, there is clear momentum in head coach Brent Pry’s second season. Sophomore quarterback Kyron Drones has created some of that momentum. A true dual-threat quarterback, Drones continues to get better every week. He’s made the offense more dangerous. The offensive line has continued to improve, and Drones is finding all of his weapons in the passing game.

And Virginia Tech’s defense has looked like a vintage Bud Foster unit in back-to-back wins over Wake Forest and Syracuse.

The Hokies and Cardinals last played in 2020, with Virginia Tech winning 35-21. A lot has changed for both schools since that time. Virginia Tech leads the all-time series, 6-2, and Saturday’s game will be the only the third meeting between the two since 1992.

But back to how improbable this situation felt only weeks ago. Whether the Hokies win or lose on Saturday, the fact that they’re playing a meaningful game on the first weekend of November is an accomplishment. Anyone who watched VT in losses to Purdue and Rutgers could’ve never predicted this.

Virginia Tech fans are cautiously optimistic heading into Saturday. Regardless of the outcome, there’s finally some positive momentum around the football program.