One Last Exhibition
What remains of the 2024 Virginia Tech Hokies to face Minnesota as major underdog
In theory, the Duke’s Mayor Bowl features a really even matchup between two teams that are better than their records would lead you to believe.
In theory, anyway.
In reality, the bowl features X% of the 2024 Golden Gophers against Y% of the 2024 Hokies, and it is impossible to solve for those variables.
The Hokies would appear to be without more key players than Minnesota, but until the game kicks off, it is anybody’s guess as to how many of the remaining players for both teams actually want to play the game.
Before the transfer portal prematurely gutted rosters, the old adage was that, outside of the major bowls, the team that wanted to be there the most often won the game.
At the team level, the motivation factor would seem to be a push, but this game could come down to a few elite individual performances. Those will depend on both motivation and individual matchups.
This should be a fascinating game, and aside from watching for pure enjoyment, there are a number of key factors to which I will be paying close attention.
What to watch for
1) Will Tyler Bowen succeed in scheming around the offensive line’s deficiencies?
Although PFF grades make a compelling case for solid improvement along the offensive line this year, the top three linemen from the 2024 team have already left the team, putting Virginia Tech at a distinct disadvantage.
What’s worse is that there will be no Kyron Drones or Bhayshul Tuten to bail out the offense and keep drives alive.
Tyler Bowen has had some really good game plans this year, but he will need to be at his absolute best if the Hokies are to have a chance to put up a decent offensive showing.
2) Who will make a case for a starting role in 2025?
Although Tech will be without most of its top performers from this season, the guys behind them on the depth chart were, in many cases, more talented.
Many of these players are still a year or two away, but standout performances in Charlotte could really accelerate career trajectories.
The players all know this is a big opportunity for them.
Best case scenario, the fanbase will emerge from this game with three names to hype during the offseason who, up until kickoff, had been afterthoughts.
If the Hokies can net out positive on great vs. terrible performances from the depth pieces forced into action, they will have a chance to actually win the game.
3) Will Bud Foster’s contributions be noticeable?
The big knock on the defense under Chris Marve was that it was slow to adapt to the other team’s adjustments to his original game plan.
Bud Foster was the king of adjustments during his long tenure patrolling the Hokie sidelines.
In fact, one can imagine that, if Brent Pry were giving out White House-like titles, Foster would be the Defensive Adjustments Czar.
Long-term, Foster’s return to the team in some capacity is more fraught than many realize. Imagine what defensive coordinator candidates must be thinking. If they take the job, they would literally have Bud Foster being paid to look over their shoulder.
That, however, is a problem for tomorrow.
For Friday’s game, bringing Foster back is a brilliant move, and one that should make for a much more spirited, and exciting, defensive effort.
One last thought
Ali Jennings might be the Hokie most motivated to play well on Friday night. He was not invited to the Senior Bowl, as injuries have limited him for large chunks of time during his two years in Blacksburg.
At this point, he is unlikely to be drafted, and even a rookie free agent deal is far from certain.
Without the recently departed Jaylin Lane and Da’Quan Felton, and with Pop Watson at quarterback, Jennings appears primed for a big game.
While unlikely, it is not entirely out of the realm of possibility that Jennings could emerge from the Duke’s Mayor Bowl as the Hokies’ leading receiver on the season.
He is currently third on the team in yardage:
Stephen Gosnell - 27 catches for 497 yards
Jaylin Lane - 38 catches for 468 yards
Ali Jennings - 15 catches for 373 yards
Gosnell will play on Friday, and would figure to receive his fair share of targets.
Still, don’t be surprised if Jennings has a big day and ends the season with more than 500 yards receiving.
For context, that would be more than Eddie Royal ever had in a single season.
In his two most productive years, 2006 and 2007, Royal had 497 yards receiving and 496, respectively.