The Game is Somehow Scheduled for Late Prime Time
How ESPN figured that this would be a contest that would draw serious national attention is pretty much beyond comprehension, but the kickoff is 8:00 PM, and the Hokies will have an opportunity. What that opportunity entails is largely up to them.
The Offense didn’t even show up for the Clemson game, and the Defense finally melted down after spending 2⁄3rds of the game on the field trying to hold back a potent passing offense. Former Miami coach Manny Diaz is actually making some headway with Duke and has them deep into bowl eligibility with the prospects of a much better bowl bid coming if they can pull off two more wins for a 9-win season.
The Hokies are up against a wall for this one. Somehow, the wise guys think that Tech is a slim favorite for the game, but there has been a definite bout of optimism in their figuring. At least the Hokies will look better on the field with the maroon helmets, white jerseys, and maroon pants.
The #25 Goes as Expected Since Freshman Quentin Reddish Scored First
He was playing Beamerball, and provided the only score for either team in the first half.
Cutting to the Chase with Predictions
In general, the overly optimistic expectations of the betting world aside, this game does not look particularly good for the Hokies. The Kyron Drones QB situation is not looking promising whether he plays or not. If he does play, he’s still nursing an injury and likely to be as ineffective as he was for Clemson. If Schlee gets the start, the Offensive staff had better have put together an actual game plan to drive the ball and score on every possession. Duke’s defense is pretty stingy. Hokie Nation shouldn’t expect to see either Drones or Bhayshul Tuten for this one. Tuten might show up, but Diaz’s defenses are fast and if Tuten is hamstrung with his own injury problems that’s not going to help much on the ground.
The reality is that the Tech run game as a lead is not going to happen, and that means passing the ball downfield to loosen up the lanes for Jeremiah Coney to gain some yardage will be necessary. Expect to see wide receivers like Jaylin Lane and Da’Quan Felton running a few outside moves. It’s going to have to be something imaginative and adaptive, and that is not something this OC has the capability of doing.
On to the Staff:
Bryan Manning
The Hokies had a much-needed week off, but it didn’t sound like the injury situation improved. Kyron Drones and Bhayshul Tuten look questionable again and Malachi Thomas is out. If Drones played like he did vs. Clemson, then it’s good for Tech that he’s out. Duke’s defense is no joke. Manny Diaz is making an impact in his first year for the Blue Devils. While the Blue Devils are terrific on defense, the offense isn’t so great. I expect a low-scoring game — unless one team has multiple turnovers. Duke is at home, has the momentum, and I think will come away with a close win.
Duke 20, Hokies 16
John Schneider
I’d like to just walk away from this one, go watch the game, and be surprised. That’s not the job, so here I am. All of my spider senses say that this team is pretty much done for the season. The offense is a M*A*S*H unit that never really managed to be particularly effective during the entire season. I really don’t believe that the OC has anything approaching a viable game plan for this. It’s going to be a three and out machine again, with maybe one or two mid-range drives in it.
If the Hokies are going to win, it’s going to be on the defense generating big plays on turnovers for short field drives for something, not necessarily touchdowns. Frankly, the best thing for the coaches to have planned for is a Schlee start for the remainder of the season and prepare him to run a more open pass-oriented offense. The indications are strong that Drones is finished for the season, and short of a miracle win in the last two games that gets a booger in the vault he probably won’t play a full game or even start for 2024.
If this sounds ominously like I am predicting a Tech loss, you are correct. I just don’t see the offense being anything remotely effective. The talent is there, the coaching is not. The defense is just not complete enough to hold out for all 4 quarters. The final score prediction?
28 – 10 Duke
(please, I really want to be proven wrong… please… please…)
Time for You to Chime In:
Poll
Does Tech prove the wise guys right?
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29%
Nope – The Hokie offense is so over; the defense can’t stop the intermediate passing attack anticipated. Duke wins, covers the spread, and maybe even teases the O/U.
(29 votes)
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35%
Tech picks itself up off the turf from last week’s fiasco and manages to keep it close enough to give John Love a chance to close it out in the Hokies’ favor. They grab a win in a defensive tug of war.
(35 votes)
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11%
Duke’s defense obliterates the Hokie offense. Duke’s offense cuts up the midfield and runs over Tech’s struggling run defense. It’s not even close.
(11 votes)
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24%
It’s an 8 o’clock game on a Saturday evening I have other plans. I’ll check the score when I get finished with my laundry. Hang the ‘L’ and pray that the Wahoos are in no shape to challenge for Thanksgiving weekend.
(24 votes)
99 votes total
Vote Now
That’s It.