The Hokies look to win against a ranked opponent for the first time since 2021 with Louisville coming to Blacksburg.
Virginia Tech is at Lane Stadium this Saturday for its conference game against the No. 16 Louisville Cardinals . The Hokies are coming off a double-overtime victory against California, while Louisville rides a two-game win streak, with one of the wins over then-No.
2 Miami. Tech has not beaten a ranked opponent since No. 10 North Carolina in 2021. To snap that streak, they'll need a complete start-to-finish performance. Virginia Tech leads the all-time series against Louisville 6–3, including a perfect 3–0 record at home. The most recent meeting in 2023 was at Louisville, resulting in a lopsided 34–3 win for the Cardinals — a game where Virginia Tech entered unranked at 3-5 , while Louisville stood at 7-1 and ranked nationally. With this matchup, the scenario is nearly identical, but the difference is location: this time, the game will be played in Lane Stadium. Saturday marks Louisville’s first trip to Blacksburg since 1991. With a ranked win long overdue, home-field advantage could help Virginia Tech try to flip the script.Louisville enters at 6-1 , ranked No. 16 nationally. Their only loss came to No. 15 Virginia, who remains undefeated in conference play. The Cardinals are averaging 34.6 points per game and hold the second-best defense in the ACC, allowing just 286.3 yards per game. They’ve leaned heavily on explosive plays, including a 317-yard rushing performance last week against Boston College. Virginia Tech, now 3-5 , is 3–2 under interim head coach Phillips Montgomery. The offense is gaining traction, coming off totaling 476 yards of offense in their win against California. Quarterback Kyron Drones had his first career five-touchdown game — three passing, two rushing. His dual-threat ability will be key against a disciplined Louisville defense.Louisville’s running back Isaac Brown leads the nation with 8.7 yards per carry and exploded for 205 yards last week against Boston College on just 14 carries. Virginia Tech’s defensive line, led by Kemari Copeland — who earned ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors with three sacks and four tackles for loss — will need to be disruptive to contain Brown.687 receiving yards, while Virginia Tech's secondary has struggled, allowing 231.3 passing yards per game. The Hokies will need wideouts Ayden Greene and Donavan Greene to step up and stretch the field to keep pace with the Cardinals' corps.Louisville’s strong offense and defensive consistency give them the edge, but Virginia Tech’s home-field advantage and Drones’ recent surge gives the Hokies a chance to play upset.Along with covering the Hokies for Virginia Tech On SI, Taylor also writes for Yardbarker covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NCAA football and basketball. He also runs his own baseball media company, Around the Globe Baseball, covering the MLB. He is currently a Junior at Virginia Tech and majors in sports media and analytics
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