Virginia Tech's problem is at the back of its defense. In the 51-28 loss at SMU, Tech held up early and then gave up 21 unanswered points in the third quarter. Gobbler Country's recap said the Hokies "had no effective defensive secondary to speak of." For a team that won at Clemson 3 weeks ago, that's an ugly way to hand back the momentum. The loss came in a Friday game, so Tech gets 8 days before this one.
The second-half fades are what these 2 teams share. Stanford fell apart after halftime in Louisville, and Tech did the same in Dallas. That matters more than either season record. Whichever defense can still tackle in the third quarter probably wins. Stanford's offense has come alive lately, with 34, 31 and 24 points in its last 3 games, so a Tech secondary still sorting itself out will get tested.
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Lane Stadium is where Tech's season has looked most normal. The Hokies beat Georgia Tech 34-24 there and lost to Pittsburgh by 2 in a 33-35 shootout. Neither result suggests Blacksburg will be an easy place to end a 15-game road streak. Early forecasts put kickoff in the high 30s with a 12 mph wind, but that's 8 days out and will change.
The stakes aren't even. Virginia Tech has 6 wins and is playing for bowl positioning. Stanford is 4-5 and 2-4 in the ACC, so it has very little room left if it wants to play in December. That's reason enough for Stanford to show up desperate. The question is whether Stanford's road games have been bad luck or a real flaw, and 3 road losses by a combined 133 points make a strong case for the second.
