W2WF: Tempo Meets Grit In Blacksburg

For a matchup between old Big East opponents, the Boston College-Virginia Tech rivalry has a decidedly ACC feel.

The two schools only started playing each other in 1993, two years after the Hokies joined the Big East as a football affiliate member. They played 11 times while in the league, with Virginia Tech winning eight times, including seven in a row from 1996 to 2002. After a 2003 BC victory in Blacksburg, the Hokies left for the ACC, with BC to follow two seasons later.

It was in 2005 that BC and Virginia Tech would form the foundation of their current rivalry. Paired as protected crossover opponents, the Atlantic Division Eagles and Coastal Division Hokies would form one of the tightest competitions in the league.

BC went 3-2 in their first five meetings,including the infamous 14-10 victory on a rainy Thursday night in Blacksburg in 2007. But the Hokies consistently laughed last, twice keeping the Eagles from the Orange Bowl with wins in the ACC Championship Game.

Though Virginia Tech won another five in a row (starting with the 2008 ACC Championship), Steve Addazio won his first two games before last year's defeat - both by one score or less, BC now heads back to Lane Stadium looking to bounce back form last year's 26-10 Hokies win in Chestnut Hill.

It's a clash of styles.The big city of Boston, with its speed and congestion, contrast with the town of only 40,000 nestled near the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains. They'll play in a stadium 2,000 feet above sea level, in a place labeled as one of the scariest places in the nation for a visiting team.

Boston College heads to Virginia Tech. Here's what to watch for. In honor of his four-hour concert in Massachusetts (and because Patrick Towles and I apparently both love him), we're getting help from Bruce Springsteen and the heart-stopping, earth-quaking, testifying, death-defying, legendary E Street Band:

Born To Run

There's been an increased emphasis on the Boston College running game this week. Since it's under the microscope, that's obviously the first place of focus.

The offensive line's had just enough to keep it from working two full weeks together, something outlined earlier this week. With the point of emphasis in coaching, it's something that should move forward.

"We've got good tailbacks," said head coach Steve Addazio. "We've got a young offensive line, and our goal is to run the ball better. We've done that well around here in the past, and now that we're last year and this year breaking in a new offensive line, we have to have a little patience as we grow the O-line and grow that power run game."

Virginia Tech presents a good opportunity and challenge that feels a little bit like a showdown in the spotlight. The Hokie D is ultra-talented under Bud Foster, ranking 18th in the nation and third in the ACC in total defense. Tennesse, though, torched them last week for 239 yards on 46 carries on the ground. Both Joshua Dobbs and Jalen Hurd essentially went for 100 yards as Tennessee rallied from down 14-0 to earn a 45-24 victory at Bristol Motor Speedway. It's hard to fathom that happening to a Foster-bred defense, so expect them to come ready to play on Saturday.

"I think Bud Foster is a heck of a defensive coordinator," said Addazio. "I have, in various different capacities with different programs, gone against him a lot of years, and those defenses come to play. He does a great job of defending your formations and your plays. So I think they've got a great staff, and they've got really good players."

10th Avenue Freezeout

There's not really anyone who can explain what exactly the freezeout is. Even Bruce Springsteen himself said at some point that it doesn't really have a meaning - but it's important. Instead, look within the song to hear an interior, deeper meaning. It's the story of the E Street Band's formation, including the pivotal "important part" when the change is made uptown and the Big Man joined the band.

There's a couple of underlying coaching storylines on Saturday. Boston College offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler, who coached at Virginia Tech in the same capacity, heads back to Blacksburg for the first time. He'll go head-to-head with Bud Foster, a man he worked with and against every day.

"Scot is one of the better quarterback coaches in the country," said Addazio. "We were together at Florida. He was my coordinator at Temple, and then of course he went onto Auburn and Virginia Tech. I know Scot really well. He's a good friend, but most importantly, he's a hell of a football coach and a good mind. I wanted to make sure that we developed at the quarterback position, and I know Scot could bring that to us. So when he became available, I knew I wanted to get him on my staff, and he's done a great job."

Thunder Road

While Foster is a holdover, the rest of the coaching staff in Blacksburg is different. Justin Fuente, one of the youngest coaches in the Power Conferences tasked with replacing a legend in Frank Beamer. In a series dating back to 1993, this is the first game where Beamer isn't on the sidelines for the Hokies against BC.

Fuente's offense is based on tempo. At Memphis, his teams piled up points; over a 15-game winning streak in 2014 and 2015, the Tigers averaged 43.5 points per game. Despite losing by 21 to the Vols, VT had the better offense, gaining 400 yards in comparison to Tennessee's 330, running 73 plays along the way and owning the time of possession. The score difference can be traced back to three Hokies turnovers, all of which resulted in points for the Volunteers.

This week, the Hokies go up against a defense that's currently third best in the nation and the standard bearer in the ACC.

"I think you have to know going in that it's going to be hard," said Fuente on the weekly ACC coaches' conference call. "Yards and points are going to be hard to come by in my opinion. We've got to make sure we take great advantage of those opportunities that we do have. You've kind of got to get your mind right and get settled in for a tough, hard-nosed battle."

"Statistics don't mean all that much to me, but we're better right now fundamentally than we were a year ago," said Addazio. "We're better up front fundamentally. We still have great scheme, but we have good players, and now we have good players that are playing well fundamentally. So we can match that scheme up. We don't always have to rely on blitz patterns, although we have them all. I think we're outstanding the way we're playing right now."

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