Georgia Tech has had an improbable amount of success winning games in Blacksburg against Virginia Tech with their backup quarterback. The same backup quarterback from 2022 who delivered the Jackets' last win in Lane Stadium, Zach Pyron will likely start again on Saturday. We caught up with HokieHangover podcaster, ACC blogger and longtime Virginia Tech media personality Mike McDaniel to get his take on the game.

I think it truthfully depends on what your preseason expectations were as a Virginia Tech fan. This fan base has been longing for consistent, good football since the early 2010s towards the end of the Frank Beamer era. Virginia Tech made the ACC title in 2011 during the early stages of Clemson's dynasty build, and has only been back to one conference championship game since - in 2016 against you guessed it, Clemson.

The Hokies have been a far cry from what they were as a program under Frank Beamer, but this year's team returned a ton of production off a team that played very well in the second half of the season last year. Even with the production returning though, this team still had some questions, especially on the offensive line, and any time there are questions in the trenches, it lowers a team's ceiling.

I thought Virginia Tech would go 9-3 this season and probably be third or fourth in the ACC (so not quite ACC title good). The Hokies are 4-3 with a few tough games left on the schedule so four losses seems likely and five is realistic. I think if Tech finishes the year 7-5, it would be a disappointing year, because that means you dropped a game that you shouldn't have (pick either Vanderbilt or Rutgers), as well as a 50-50 game (like a Georgia Tech or a Syracuse.

An 8-4 season I think aligns pretty closely to expectations, and that's still achievable. It was a rough start to the year to lose to Vanderbilt, who is better than anticipated but still a 14-point underdog, and to Rutgers at home. Add in the ending to the Miami game and it's even more painful. The Hokies have played better over the last month though, so there's certainly some optimism heading into the back half of the schedule.

Drones's best games have come when Virginia Tech has established the outside zone running game. The Hokies do so much offensively off that play, whether it's zone read or designed QB run off the zone with star running back Bhayshul Tuten, that if a defense bottles that up, it makes the Tech offense sputter quite a bit. Drones is not a guy who is able to consistently go through several reads like a pro passer, but he is really effective in the play action game off zone read, as well as outside the pocket on designed rollout plays in the passing game.

The head of the snake offensively is Tuten, and if a defense makes it hard for him to get going, Virginia Tech becomes one dimensional offensively. Drones sitting back in the pocket is not where he is most effective, and it's clearly where he's struggled the most this season in Tech's worst ballgames.

One of Virginia Tech's biggest issues last season was its ability to limit explosive plays in the running game defensively. That has gotten better this year, but it's still not perfect. The Hokies have really struggled with consistency at linebacker, and while it's better this year, it's still not perfect. Middle Tennessee State transfer Sam Brumfield has been fine at MIKE LB this season, but I think the coaching staff was probably expecting a bit more out of him coming over from the Blue Raiders. He's a step up from what the Hokies boasted there a year ago, but Jaden Keller has been playing better and mixing in at MIKE LB, which wasn't the plan coming into the season.

Virginia Tech has also been a defense, especially over the last month, that has played a lot of "bend but don't break" defense. Tech's red zone defense has really improved over the last four games, and while the unit still gives up a lot of yards, they've tightened up overall in the scoring area. I think if Georgia Tech is able to capitalize on red zone opportunities, it could put Virginia Tech in a precarious situation come Saturday.

Bhayshul Tuten seems like such an obvious answer, especially coming off a rushing performance against Boston College where he broke a school record for rushing yards in a game, but he has to be the No. 1 answer here. He's been outstanding in the backfield for Virginia Tech and is in the conversation as one of the top RBs in school history despite only playing a season-and-a-half in Blacksburg as a transfer.

Outside of Tuten, wide receiver Stephen Gosnell has been one of Drones's top targets this season, and has become a key third down weapon to pick up first downs and keep drives alive. He does a lot of good work in the receiving game in the middle of the field, which is an area where Georgia Tech struggled to stop Notre Dame last Saturday in the slant/short passing game. Keep an eye on both him, as well as gamebreaker Jaylin Lane at receiver on Saturday in the slot.

I think if you asked me a month ago, I'd be feeling pretty good about a Georgia Tech pick here. However, with the Jackets dealing with some injuries on defense, as well as their struggles to stop the run, I think Virginia Tech is well positioned here at home to keep the momentum going and pick up a win. I know Georgia Tech is still (at time of writing) pondering who is going to play quarterback on Saturday with Haynes King banged up, but truthfully, I'm not sure how much that matters. You'd rather have King than Pyron in a close game for sure, but I think defensively is where I have more questions about the Jackets and how this game will be decided. Plus, Pyron has already gone into Blacksburg once in his career and won, as a freshman, so the QB decision doesn't change my calculus all that much here.

Give me the Hokies on the back of another strong offensive effort in a higher scoring game.

Virginia Tech 34 Georgia Tech 24