Collegiate Times

Brandon Wilds (22) of South Carolina runs over Rashard Hall of Clemson on Saturday, November 26, 2011, in Columbia, South Carolina. (Gerry Melendez/The State/MCT)

All the Hokies wanted following their 23-3 loss on Oct. 1 to the Clemson Tigers was a second chance.

Saturday night in Charlotte, N.C., they’ll have that chance, albeit against a Clemson team that has sputtered in recent weeks.

Through the first eight weeks of the season, the No. 5 Tigers were riding as high as a team possibly can. Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins were clicking and all was good in Death Valley.

A devastating loss at Georgia Tech brought the Tigers back to earth, and losses to N.C. State and rival South Carolina have given fans plenty to worry about as they prepare for the Hokies.

“(Virginia Tech) has a ton of momentum,” said Dwayne Allen, Clemson tight end. “And momentum played into it a lot. Just during the face-up championship game there has to be a big play. We have to put out a big play to get that momentum swung back into our favor.”

The Hokies didn’t make those big plays on Oct 1. Logan Thomas was sacked four times and didn’t complete a pass more than 20 yards, as the Hokies tasted defeat for the first time.

Thomas wants another shot at the Tigers because he’s a completely different quarterback than the one Clemson saw in week five. Thomas is more confident, he has total control of the offense and he learned from that loss.

“I would say what I learned that day would be don’t try and play outside yourself,” Thomas said. “You can’t be the person who played before you. You can’t be the person you look up to in the pros or whatever. You just got to go out there and be yourself.”

Thomas’ counterpart at quarterback will be Boyd, who took home first team All-ACC honors Monday. While he has the better statistical resume this season, he’s finished slow the last two weeks.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, along with offensive coordinator Chad Morris, have to get back to basics for the Tigers to keep up with the Hokies offensively.

“We have got to take what’s there, and we’ve got to support (Boyd) with our running game and our play action game where you get some of your easier throws,” Swinney said. “When we’ve been at our best, that’s what was going on. We’ve kind of gotten a little away from that.”

Defensive end James Gayle wants another shot at the Tigers as well. The redshirt-sophomore was battling an ankle injury during the teams’ first meeting but feels he’s back to where he was before the injury.

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A version of this article appeared in the Dec 2 issue of the Collegiate Times.