ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Virginia Tech Athletics News Release) — Heading into their first meeting since 1989, Virginia Tech and Tulane each look to end the season on a high note when they meet inside Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Wednesday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m., with the game being broadcast on ESPN
Firsts On The Line
Seeking to return to the core foundations of the program’s success, there’s plenty up for grabs when the Hokies take the field tomorrow.
Sitting at 6-6 so far this season, Tech aims for both its first winning season since 2019 and first bowl victory since 2016, with a win resulting in a first for both in the Brent Pry era.
There’s been much progress made since the season opener, but for it to take that next step, securing one more victory in postseason play would be a nice addition to round out the year.
Sack It Up
The Hokies have had no shortage of success when it comes to pressuring the quarterback. Under defensive coordinator Chris Marve, the defense has racked up 38 total sacks this season, good for eighth-best nationally and the second-highest in the ACC.
On the flip side, the Green Wave has allowed over two sacks a game and has posted just a 59.4 pass-blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).
That’s a matchup that bodes well for the Hokies, and with the seventh-best pass rush grade in the nation of 89.0 for the year, Tech seems poised to get after the Tulane front.
One Last Rodeo
Speaking of the tenacious abilities of the defensive front, the turnaround of Tech’s season was accelerated by a departing trio at that particular spot.
Having exhausted the entirety of their eligibility, the likes of Norell Pollard, Mario Kendricks and Pheldarius Payne each rounded out their college careers with a bang, with still one game left to go to put a bow on it the right way.
Lighting it up along the defensive line, the group combined for 67 total tackles, 21 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks in the regular season, with Payne racking up a team-best 87.8 overall PFF grade.
The same can be said for the threesome of Alan Tisdale, Nasir Peoples and Cole Beck. Though Peoples and Beck won’t be available to play, those three remain the only members of this year’s squad to have suited up for the maroon and orange for the past six years.
The impact itself is hard to deny. Peoples became a secondary mainstay during his time with the Hokies, and Tisdale finished his career as a multi-year starter and the team’s second-leading tackler with 68.
Full Of Absentees
Though one of the new norms in the annual slate of bowl games year in and year out, it’s hard to ignore the mass exodus that Tulane is currently experiencing in a period of transition down in The Big Easy.
The Green Wave are expecting to be without nine key contributors on Wednesday afternoon, with the combination of coaching changes, draft declarations and transfer portal entries serving as the major reasons why.
Without starting quarterback Michael Pratt, leading receiver Chris Brazzell and two All-American Athletic Conference defenders in cornerback Jarius Monroe and defensive end Darius Hodges, it creates interesting matchups for Virginia Tech.
If able to capitalize, the Hokies will have set themselves up for a great deal of momentum as the offseason begins and the 2024 season begins to draw near.