Collegiate Times

Alonzo Tweedy (#28) tries to strip the ball from Andre Williams (#44)

The Virginia Tech Hokies hit the road again this weekend to take on a battered Boston College team that will be looking to make its final home stand.

Tech and BC have played every year since 1993, except in 2004, with the Hokies holding a commanding 14-6 advantage over the Eagles; two of those wins came in ACC Championship games, but this Saturday’s matchup won’t be nearly as prestigious.

The Hokies enter the game at 4-6 in a must-win situation if they hope to keep their 19-year bowl streak alive. While Tech is favored heavily in the match, one can’t ignore the 0-7 elephant in the room that is the Hokies' losing streak away from home.

Head coach Frank Beamer isn’t exactly sure why the Hokies fortunes on the roadhave been so poor, but thinks some small part of it may have to do with toughness.

“Really, we don't do anything different,” Beamer said. “We have talked this season about your mental toughness and physical toughness away from home. I think there's something to that. But other than that, I think the effort's been good.

"We just haven't gotten it done. I think we played some good football teams away from here and got teams that played extremely well against us away from here. But again, we haven't played as well as we need to, that's for sure.”

While BC may not be considered a good team this season, it’s not hard to imagine that the Eagles, a long-time rival of the Hokies, would love to play spoiler and end Tech’s bowl streak.

“I think Boston College is a typical, very physical football team,” Beamer said. “Very big up front both ways. Defensively, they make you drive the field, keep things in front of them. They execute extremely well and their quarterback is throwing the ball for a lot of yardage — I think completing 57 percent of his passes, 16 touchdowns and only nine interceptions. Just a very well-coached, tough football team.”

Though the Hokies lost last Thursday, they should be carrying some confidence this week as they did put out one of their best performances of the year, nearly toppling No. 10 Florida State. Tech’s focus will be on trying to keep that momentum, as consistent play has evaded the Hokies all season.

Boston College ranks poorly in nearly every statistical category save for passing yards where they rank 32nd overall nationally. BC’s quarterback Chase Rettig has had an up-and-down year, showing flashes of brilliance with 2,803 passing yards and 16 touchdowns, but has been inconsistent in his play.

The Hokies will look to get some serious pressure on Rettig to force him to make mistakes, similarly to their attack of FSU’s EJ Manuel. The Eagles don’t offer much in the ground attack, ranking 122nd nationally in rushing yards per game, so Tech should be able to focus on shutting Rettig and his go-to receiver, Alex Amidon, down.

Tech’s offense should be holding its head a little higher going into the game against BC, as it totaled 385 yards against the Seminole’s No. 1 ranked defense, with quarterback Logan Thomas throwing for 298 yards.

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A version of this article appeared in the Nov 15 issue of the Collegiate Times.