In the later slate of Saturday’s Week 1 college football slate, the VMI Keydets will take on the Virginia Tech Hokies. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Looking at the odds, Virginia Tech enters as a 54.5-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the game total set at 60.5 points.
This article previews both teams and offers a pick for the Week 1 matchup.
VMI Keydets vs. Virginia Tech Hokies
VMI Keydets:
The VMI Keydets got their season started off in frustrating fashion with a 38-10 loss to Idaho State. VMI fell behind 38-0 before scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter to show a bit of a pulse. The Keydets lean on a rush-oriented style of play and generated just 11 total passing yards on nine passing attempts, even while they trailed throughout the matchup. VMI generated 240 total yards of offense and led the time of possession battle, but the game was never truly within reach.
VMI is in the midst of a significant transition as a football program, and the current growing pains are evident. Former head coach Danny Rocco left the program to be a part of the Virginia Tech staff, leaving Ashley Ingram to attempt to improve off of back-to-back 1-11 seasons. They are transitioning back to the triple-option offense, relying on just about a nonexistent passing game. The offense was abysmal across the board in the season opener, and expectations should only be worse against this Virginia Tech team. VMI picked up 124 rushing yards across three attempts, and it took 49 other rushing attempts to generate the other 105 yards. 43 of their 52 rush attempts accumulated five yards or fewer. They were 3-for-16 on third down, and the early signs are hinting that the roster does not have the personnel to match the system.
The leap in competition is a noteworthy factor ahead of this week, but the Keydets’ defense largely held its own. They limited Idaho State to 88 total rushing yards, although they conceded 366 yards through the air. VMI operates under the same recruiting restrictions as Navy, Army, and Air Force, which makes it difficult to find big bodies in the trenches. They were largely bullied on the interior line against Idaho State, and this concern will only be magnified as they face a major leap in opposing talent.
Virginia Tech Hokies:
It is a new era of Virginia Tech football as former Penn State head coach James Franklin will make his debut in Blacksburg. The Hokies have been knocking on the door of the mainstream college football conversation for quite some time, and if Franklin can build to the standard he showed at Penn State, it will be viewed as a massive success. It was also interesting that Franklin elected to hire former head coach Brent Pry, who was let go early last season, to remain on the staff. Franklin brought tin a top-25 caliber class through the portal, which will help jumpstart the Hokies from their 3-9 record last year.
Ethan Grunkemeyer followed Franklin from Penn State and will settle in at the quarterback position. He posted a 69.1% completion percentage last season for the Nittany Lions, throwing for 1,339 passing yards, eight touchdowns, and four interceptions across his 11 games played. Marcellous Hawkins Jr. is back at running back after leading Virginia Tech with 749 rushing yards last season, and Bill Davis will look to add to this attack after transferring in from Louisiana. At wide reciever, Take Heath and Ayden Greene retuned, and will be joined by Duke transfer Que’Sean Brown. Virginia Tech also boasts a strong offensive line and tight end unit that should especially be valuable in this matchup.
Seven starters from last year’s Virginia Tech squad have returned, along with four Penn State transfers on the defensive line. Keon Wylie and Kaleb Spencer will headline the linebackers’ production, and all four starters in the secondary are back. Even with the production not being particularly strong last season, this is a collective unit with plenty of experience and additional talent from last year’s underperformance.
VMI vs. Virginia Tech Prediction:
Even on a slate with plenty of options in this conversation, this is a matchup that has a case for the biggest gap in talent between the two rosters of any game today. James Franklin has carried over the principle he leaned on heavily at Penn State by bringing in some big bodies in the trenches on both sides of the ball. This will be especially problematic against a VMI team that was just bullied by Idaho State last week. Virginia Tech may not even have to throw a pass to produce a blowout win in this game.
But expect the Hokies to be focused on fully getting off on the right foot and injecting some life into the James Franklin era. The home crowd will be behind the team, and this will be the first game action for this new-look roster under this leadership. Expect Franklin to dig deep in the playbook a bit as this team figures out its identity and ability to play together. Expect Franklin to leave his foot on the gas a bit longer than is typically the case because of this, and for this to play favorably to the massive spread.
It is difficult to see a pathway to VMI scoring at any consistent rate in this matchup. If they are able to put any points on the board, it should be considered an accomplishment. Virginia Tech will dominate the possession battle, in the trenches, and will be capable of scoring at will throughout this game. This will be one of the biggest mismatches in terms of FBS vs. FCS talent all season, and expect Virginia Tech to fully capitalize on this. The Hokies have the advantage at every position on the field, and it will be up to them to decide how think they want to lay it on. Given the context of the debut and rising expectation, count on 54.5 to be a fair bar to clear. Virginia Tech could win this game 75-0, and it would not fully surprise me.
