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Keys to the Game: Virginia Tech faces Wofford, maybe the worst team in college football

Chris Graham

virginia techWofford has yet to score a point this season, getting shut out 31-0 at Chattanooga and 26-0 by Elon in its home opener in Week 2.

The Terriers, picked to finish dead last in the Southern Conference in the FCS, are generating 179.0 yards of total offense per game.

They’re averaging 2.1 yards per carry on the ground.

QB Jimmy Weirick has a QB rating of 93.5.

Landon Parker leads the team with four (!) catches.

Even the punter, the overused Atkins Roberts, no offense, sucks, averaging 36.3 yards per kick.

Virginia Tech is a 34.5-point favorite, so Vegas is expecting the final here to either be 34-0 or 35-0, right?

First key: Wofford ain’t bad on defense

The Terriers D is surrendering 360.5 yards per game, which is respectable.

Just one forced turnover, which is good news for Tech fans.

QB Grant Wells, who led the MAC in INTs last season (13), threw four picks in the 20-17 loss at ODU in Week 1, but settled down last week, with a workmanlike effort in the 27-10 win over Boston College, throwing for 140 yards and a TD on 16-of-25 passing with no INTs.

First-year coach Brent Pry is going to want to get more going on the ground. The Hokies are averaging just 140.0 yards per game and 3.3 yards per carry on the ground through two weeks.

Second key: Short fields

Virginia Tech has forced three turnovers through two games, and the Hokies are averaging a modest 20.6 yards per kick return and less than a yard per punt return.

Pry has talked about getting the Tech D back to its Beamer Ball roots.

Beamer Ball was all about the defense and special teams giving the offense short fields.

Turnovers and the return game will be points of emphasis as the season goes on.

Bottom line: Tech wins, but …

I don’t see Wofford breaking its scoreless streak against what has looked like, through two weeks, a pretty stout Virginia Tech defense.

But I’m also not sure I see the Tech offense generating 34 or 35 points here.

Wofford doesn’t turn the ball over a lot, Tech’s D doesn’t force a lot of turnovers, and the Terriers are respectable on D.

Forecast: Virginia Tech 26, Wofford 0

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019, and Team of Destiny: Inside Virginia Basketball’s Run to the 2019 National Championship, and The Worst Wrestling Pay-Per-View Ever, published in 2018. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].