BLACKSBURG, Va.- – The Virginia Tech Hokies are gearing up for Week 2 with Old Dominion coming to town. Last year, the Monarchs won on their turf 49-35 and now they're coming off a Week 1 win against Norfolk State.
Before hostin ODU, The Hokies have some adjustments to make after their loss to Boston College on Saturday.
"When we make a mistake, when we make a mental error or a critical error, that's no different than us turning the ball over or throwing a pick," defensive coordinator Bud Foster said. "It doesn't come out in the stats as a turnover, but it can cost us a football game."
It's all about the little things. A football cliche heard many times over. But it couldn't be more true for the Hokies, who lost to Old Dominion last year due to those little things.
"It's always going to be mistakes and mess ups and things like that," running back Keshawn King said. "We just have to execute more and just find a way to overcome the bad plays, keep pushing. You will always have mess ups and things like that, you just can't look at that. We have to move onto the next play."
After the loss to Boston College in Week 1, the Hokies are also riddled with injuries. But they are the third-youngest team in the FBS-- over 50% of the team is made up of freshmen to lean on.
Which fares well in depth when they need it the most.
"Those young guys have been playing for the first time, I thought they played really solid and played for us when it was all said and done," Foster said.
"Whoever is making plays, make a play. I always want to win," linebacker Dax Hollifield said. "I always want to win. I don't care how much playing time I get as long as we win, to be honest with you."
But like any in-state game, the best Virginia team wants to come out on top.
"We go into every game the same way, prepping, going in there with a 1-0 mentality to win," wide receiver Tayvion Robinson said. "I saw the game last year, everybody knows what happened, we just have to go out there and play."