BLACKSBURG, Va. – Virginia Tech is coming off of a much-needed bye, straight into the front lines of the No. 3 team in the nation, Clemson.
“As an older guy, I try to echo every game is the same, and not one game is bigger than another,” Hokies defensive tackle Jarrod Hewitt said. “You can’t deny the talent coming into our place this Saturday. I think with a week off we’re recharged and with that aspect, we’ll be juiced up and ready to play.”
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The 7-1 Tigers haven’t had a game where they’ve scored less than 30 points, but Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney knows that’s nothing to take for granted against the Hokie defense.
“They play physical, they get after you upfront, they’re a 50% blitz team with a lot of pressure, so we have to do a great job with matching up on that side,” Swinney said.
But the Tigers have every weapon they need to win a football game.
“They do a lot from different personnel groups to sub-packages, they’re playing a little more 3 downs, great job of mixing it up and getting it all taught,” Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente said.
But Virginia Tech, notorious for their resiliency after a loss, has a shot to potentially scramble Clemson out of the college football playoffs.
“I feel like this is a great opportunity for us to showcase our talents and showcase all the hard work we’ve been putting in over the weeks and bouncing back from the past couple weeks,” quarterback Hendon Hooker said. “Showing everyone we are a good offense, efficient, and we can move the ball and score points.”
But in true Hokie mentality, it doesn’t matter who is coming into Lane Stadium, the mindset is still the same.
“At the end of the day we’re out there playing football, I don’t see a difference between this game and any other game,” Hooker finished.
Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.