BLACKSBURG, Va. – After dropping their ACC opener against Clemson, Virginia Tech is giving itself two options as they prepare for another Saturday night matchup at Boston College.
"When you're faced with adversity or outcomes that you don't particularly want, or didn't aspire to, you have two options," said Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente.
"You can react and go the wrong way, or respond to the situation."
Running the ball was a success in last year’s matchup, where the Hokies racked up 223 yards in a 49-0 shutout. That could be a premium this week as well. While Josh Jackson has turned heads with a completion rate of 65-percent and twelve touchdowns, he’ll be facing an Eagles defense that’s allowing an average of 154 yards per game and has seven interceptions.
"They run a lot of man, they have a lot of trust in their players, so we just have to win one-on-one matchups from what I've seen so far," said quarterback Josh Jackson.
"They'll do some other zone type defense but man is what they like to run."
Although the defense didn't allow a single score in last year's game, Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster was quick to point out the Eagles two-headed monster in the backfield.
"Their two backs are big and physical and run hard and are hard to tackle," Foster said.
"They kind of remind me of what they did a few years ago when they had Andre Williams back there, and they're going to run the power and the zone until you get tired of tackling their backs. "
The Hokies are 3-1 in recent meetings at Boston College and are 8-4 all-time in Chestnut Hill. Kickoff is set for 7:15 p.m. on Saturday.