| Hokies, Broncos Set for Labor Day Showdown |
| By Lou Jones August 31, 2010 To be sure, the marquee showdown between Virginia Tech and Boise State at FedEx Field on Labor Day night is a big one for both schools. Ultimately, though, it’s the Broncos who have more on the line. For years, the anti-BCS contingent has screamed that the system is titled against teams like Boise State getting to the national title. They’re right, and a lot of that has had to do with a lack of love from the preseason polls. Well, this year its different. Boise returns 21 starters from last year’s unbeaten Fiesta Bowl champ. As the number five ranked team in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll (the only poll that really matters these days), the Broncos are perfectly set up for the mother of all BCS-busting seasons. Get past the Hokies and, with the exception of Oregon State, who they get at home, the rest of schedule is pure butter. Simply put, the game against Virginia Tech could amount to a one game play-in to the BCS title game. Win, and the way is clear. Lose, and the air comes out of your season before the leaves even start to change. Pressure? Just a bit. The national image of Boise State is one of trick formations and big plays and lopsided wins, of QB Kellen Moore bombing the WAC into submission. True, the Broncos were the country’s number one scoring offense last year at a whopping 42.2 points per game, and Moore is a great QB. But this perception is skewed for a couple of reasons: first, because defenses in the WAC are generally lousy, and second, because the Boise State defense is actually much better than people realize. In fact, it’s the key to their success. The Broncos put up big offensive numbers because their defense suffocates their opponents and gives them endless opportunities. In fact, they’re somewhat like a basketball team that pressures all the time: they don’t have to shoot especially well to win because they’re going to get off a lot more shots than you are. And, when they’ve played teams with real live defenses (think Oregon and TCU last year), their own defense has made the difference in the game. September 6th is big for Virginia Tech too, of course, but the Hokies’ situation is a little more complex. A win would get things rolling in a big way, but VT still has to deal with an early trip to Boston College as well as a rugged November gauntlet consisting of Georgia Tech at home followed by back-to-back road games against Miami and North Carolina. However, the flip side of such a schedule is that VT could conceivably lose to Boise State and still play its way back into the BCS title picture if it wins out convincingly the rest of the way. Unlikely, but not impossible. In a departure from recent seasons, most of Virginia Tech’s questions this year will be on defense where coordinator Bud Foster will be overseeing seven new starters. The Hokie offense, meanwhile, has the potential to be the best the program has fielded since the Michael Vick years. There are a number of experienced playmakers returning, led by senior quarterback Tyrod Taylor and All-Wow running back Ryan Williams, and the offensive line appears to have rapidly improved after emerging as a weak spot in the mid-2000s. Boise State has faced- and beaten – other big time programs over the last several seasons, but it’ s safe to say that Virginia Tech will be the fastest, most athletic team the Broncos will see this year. |
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