If not for Florida State, the hottest football team in the Atlantic Coast Conference would be Virginia Tech. The Hokies have prevailed in three straight conference games, with wins over Pittsburgh, Wake Forest and Syracuse. The Seminoles, of course, are undefeated after eight games.
That’s relevant to University of Louisville fans because Virginia Tech comes to town on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. at the L&N Stadium. The Hokies appear to have found themselves after losing three of their first four non-conference games. They are 4-4 overall, and 3-1 in conference play.
The Cardinals, who are 7-1 overall and 3-1 in ACC play, are riding high after a dominating 23-0 win over Duke last week. UofL can’t have a performance like what followed the Notre Dame game when it lost to a mediocre Pittsburgh team.
Louisville Coach Jeff Brohm and his players are determined to avoid another letdown. “It’s a one game season,” said Brohm. “It’s ok for fans and social media to look forward. We see it, our players see it. But this thing can crumble fast if you let it. I’ve been burned before.”
“They have a big strong quarterback (Kyron Drones),” said Brohm. Drones has passed for 1,236 yards and seven touchdowns and rushed for 400 yards and four touchdowns. Virginia Tech never trailed in last week’s 38-10 win over Syracuse, scoring on its first six possessions. Wide receiver DaQuan Felton hauled in two touchdown passes, including a 62-yarder from Drones. John Love kicked three field goals as the Hokies led 30-3 at halftime.
The Hokies are 0-3 on the road and are a 10 1/2 point underdog. Which means nothing except that they will have plenty of motivation to do well against Louisville.