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Coming off three consecutive three-point losses against Florida State, Wake Forest and Clemson, Syracuse travels to face Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon. VT is coming off a blowout 28-7 home loss to Pittsburgh last week, but it only narrowly lost 32-29 to No. 13 Notre Dame the week before. 

The Hokies are 3-3 with wins over Richmond, Middle Tennessee and North Carolina. Now five years removed from playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship game and finishing the season in the AP Top 25, Virginia Tech — under head coach Justin Fuente — is one of the more average teams in the conference. VT was briefly in the Top 25 after beating UNC, but it has lost three of its five games since and struggled against the Panthers last week. 

Here’s everything to know about the Hokies before they host SU on Saturday: 

All-time series

Syracuse leads 10-8. 

Last time they played

The Orange hosted Virginia Tech in October 2016 and came away with the first big win of the Dino Babers’ era. Quarterback Eric Dungey recorded over 400 yards of offense and two touchdowns while wide receiver Ervin Philips caught 11 passes for 139 yards and a score. 

The Hokies were 4-1 entering the game and ranked No. 17 at the time. But after the 31-17 loss, Syracuse students rushed the field, celebrating SU’s third win of the season. Postgame, Babers’ passionate “Who’s house?” locker room speech went viral and earned him a spot on SportsCenter. But the Orange went on to win just one more game that season and finished 4-8 for the third straight year.

SU got out to an early 7-0 lead behind a touchdown pass from Dungey to Philips, and it took a 17-3 lead into halftime after running back Dontae Strickland threw an 84-yard pass to Brisly Estime. VT responded with touchdown receptions from Isaiah Ford and Bucky Hodges, but Dungey and Strickland ran in fourth-quarter touchdowns to lift the Orange to the win.

Syracuse finished 561 total yards of offense and 405 yards passing. Hokies quarterback Jerod Evans threw for 307 yards and ran for 61 more in the loss. Virginia Tech lost just two more games the rest of the season, finishing 10-4 after losing to Clemson in the ACC Championship game and beating Arkansas in the Belk Bowl.

The Virginia Tech report

Like Clemson, VT has struggled offensively this year. The Hokies rank second-to-last — only ahead of the Tigers — in points per game in the ACC. Virginia Tech is also last in the conference in yards per game and has the second-worst rushing attack in the conference, making it lean heavily on its passing attack instead.

Quarterback Braxton Burmeister runs the offense. He has thrown for 1,064 yards — eighth in the ACC — this season, and he has a 54% completion percentage. Burmeister also leads VT in rushing with just 212 yards (compared to Sean Tucker, who has 948 yards), showing the Hokies’ inability to run the ball this season.

Junior wide receiver Tre Turner has been Burmeister’s top target this season with 25 catches for 403 yards and a touchdown. Four different Virginia Tech receivers have at least 13 catches this season. But the overall offensive stats this season have been disappointing for VT. The Hokies rank 120th out of 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in total offense and have the 111th-ranked scoring offense in the country. 

Against Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech had 12 offensive possessions, and six of them ended after three plays and a punt while three others finished with no positive yardage. In the three losses this season, the Hokies have scored 21, 29, and seven points. 

“We’ll have to look at everything,” head coach Justin Fuente said after the Pitt game. “As I sit here before you, I don’t have an answer. I know it’s my job to try and find it so we can play as well as we possibly can — whatever level that is.”

VT has one of the top five defenses in the ACC, giving up only 20.2 points per game. Its passing defense is No. 2 in the conference, allowing only 197.5 yards per game, a serious hurdle Syracuse will have to overcome on Saturday as quarterback Garrett Shrader has struggled throwing the ball this season. Cornerback Jermaine Waller leads the ACC in interceptions (five) and is fourth in passes defended (eight). Waller will likely guard either Courtney Jackson or Anthony Queeley on Saturday. 

How Syracuse beats Virginia Tech

Now that Tommy DeVito has entered the transfer portal and Shrader will be the starter for the rest of the season, Syracuse’s offense will become even more one-dimensional. VT has one of the top passing defenses in the league, and Shrader won’t be able to find much success throwing the ball. Instead, SU will run its offense through Shrader and Tucker and hope to outscore a Hokies team that struggles to put points on the board

Defensively, Cody Roscoe said the Orange’s focus is to keep Burmesiter in the pocket and not let Virginia Tech’s top rusher take off for yardage on scrambles. Syracuse will likely utilize similar defensive schemes as the ones it used against Malik Willis and Jordan Travis against Liberty and Florida State, respectively. This will include more zone coverage and linebackers sitting back in coverage or in spy roles instead of blitzing.

The Orange can beat VT if they contain Burmeister and limit big plays through the air that it has been allowing with more consistency during the Wake Forest and Clemson games. Assuming Tucker can produce the same stats he has been putting up and Shrader doesn’t turn the ball over, Syracuse should keep it close against Virginia Tech.

SU will also need Babers to have a strong game from the sidelines. In a game that could come down to the wire again, Babers will have to make decisions that give Syracuse a chance to win. Instead of kicking from 47 yards out to tie the game against Clemson, Babers could’ve given the ball to Tucker — the nation’s leader in all-purpose yards — for a first down. The more close losses the Orange suffer, the more Babers’ late-game coaching will be scrutinized, and his decisions on Saturday could play a key role in whether Syracuse picks up its first win in Blacksburg since 2001. 

Stat to know: 4.8

Virginia Tech’s fourth quarter points per game is ranked 98th out of 130 FBS teams. The Hokies have only scored three fourth quarter touchdowns this season, and they haven’t played well offensively late in games. For a Syracuse team that has lost three straight close games in the final 15 minutes, this number should give SU a good opportunity to come out of Lane Stadium with a victory. 

Player to watch: Jermaine Waller, cornerback 

Waller anchors VT’s secondary and was named Pro Football Focus’s Cornerback of the Week on Oct. 11. He is tied for the FBS lead in interceptions and is one of Virginia Tech’s top tacklers. The Orange will have a tough time testing Waller in coverage, and they may avoid throwing to whoever he is covering altogether based on his numbers this season. 

Published on October 20, 2021 at 11:04 pm

Contact Connor: csmith49@syr.edu | @csmith17_