West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech: Preview, predictions, TV schedule and more

Keys for West Virginia 

Despite entering the season with top-25 hype, Holgorsen has to be concerned with a West Virginia roster that has a lot of production to replace all over over the field.

A big key for West Virginia’s season will be just how much of an improvement Grier is at the quarterback position, as the former Gators signal caller enjoyed a generally solid six-game run but hasn’t played since October of 2015. Grier will also need some unproven receivers to emerge as reliable targets, as the Mountaineers lost a pair of stud receivers to the NFL draft and will be relying too heavily on senior Ka’Run White as things stand.

The Mountaineers also lose a pair of all-conference linemen, although returning starters Kyle Bosch and Colton McKivitz alongside a whole bunch of transfers could help the unit remain fairly stable. Virginia Tech has a number of defensive players with the ability to get in the backfield often, so the West Virginia offensive line will need to gel quickly.

Gibson has a good group of linebackers to work with, but there’s a whole lot of uncertainty at the other two levels of the defense. Sunday’s key unit will be a defensive line that lost three starters, as a bunch of sophomores like  Adam Shuler II and Reese Donahue will be counted on to slow Jackson and running back Travon McMillian.

All of that means Crawford, Kennedy McKoy and Martell Pettaway will need a huge day on the ground against a Virginia Tech front that is just a step behind the rest of the defense, something they are certainly capable of. Holgorsen and Gibson have survived roster turnover before, and new offensive coordinator Jake Spavital could open things up behind Grier.