Will Virginia Tech Cruise To Victory Against Vanderbilt Or Will The Hokies Suffer A Road Upset?

the hokes have an SEC road trip in week one can the Vanderbilt commodor hand Virginia Tech and L you are locked on acc your daily podcast on the Atlantic Coast Conference part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day shout out to the every dayers and thank you so much for making locked on acc your first listen and your first watch today we're available free wherever you get your podcast we're free on YouTube We're part of the lockon podcast Network your team every day today's episode is brought to you by 5H Hour Energy they fix tired fast with zero sugar and a convenient portable size it's the perfect pickme up for getting stuff done go to 5our energy.com use promo code locked on CFB to receive 20% off your order this offer is only valid till September 30th on one order cannot be used with other promotions go to 5our energy.com today on this episode we're going to be crossing over with Corey Burton who does an awesome job on locked on Vandy and and Kenton and I will be representing Virginia Tech for the honor of the Atlantic Coast Conference the hokes have a road trip at Vanderbilt this weekend Virginia Tech actually 13 and a half Point favorites for this noon kickoff but maybe uh Corey has something to say about that uh well welcome of course Kenton Gibbs and and welcome Cory Burton uh hopefully uh hopefully Vanderbilt gets off to a hop hot start for your sake what's the offseason Buzz been like the offseason Buzz has been a plenty there's been a lot of moves um probably the most notable move if if if I'm being honest is Jerry kill uh Jerry kill's a master program Builder um just kind of an X Factor for Clark Ley is gonna is actually allowing Clark Le to be more of a defensive coordinator and kind of fix the defense and and and do that thing but he's been phenomenal uh since since he got to campus uh new Strength Pro program which has been which has been outstanding you're seeing tremendous gains there a new coordinator bunch of new transfers I mean the buzz is it just seemed like from January until they started spring practice it just seemed like there was something every other day where you're just like okay this is awesome right so there's a lot of positive positive vibes positive Buzz going on around the program and on this episode we're g to get our game predictions for this one we'll talk about the quarterback matchup which is an interesting one familiar face at G at at Virginia Tech new face at Vanderbilt and we'll talk about those keys to the game and Kenton you I mentioned the Hokies on the road are giving 13 and a half points in this one do do you think that spread is too big or do you think the hokes are going to roll I think the Hokies are going to roll and and don't get me wrong I know that vanderbelt has some Talent on that side and I know that they've done things to improve that team in the portal however with all due respect to locked on Vandy fans this baseball season Tech is going to wreck them Tech is going to wreck them okay I'm sorry to say it but well actually I'm lying I'm not sorry to say it I think this could be the beginning of Chiron Jones's hman campaign and I mean that very seriously I think that Kiron drones is that good of a player and you know what advantage he has that most people don't not only is he getting a healthy Ali Jennings it's a transfer quarterback in what year Don year two year two that second year is something about that second year with transfer quarterbacks you bring back the head coach offensive coordinator quarterback something that vanderbelt cannot say they have that same continuity with and then you combine that with a team that when you combine that with a team that behind him I've talked at nauseum about how bad Virginia Tech run defense is their run defense in terms of statistically they were middle of the road they were very middling but the reality is they were the weakness of that team that held them back from winning more I'm not sure if vanderbelt has the horses in the stable to establish the run at an effective rate to keep PVE and Company ahead of the sticks to where you can't see all of those freakish pass rushers that Virginia Tech can Trot out at one time in their speed packages and whatnot well the numbers uh go ahead go ahead I was gonna say here's what's gonna happen in the Run game uh as far as that goes it is going to be there's G to be a lot of misdirection a lot of formations a lot of motions quarterback runs options things like that they have a package for Nate Johnson that that I wouldn't be surprised if they unveiled he's explosive Pavia is a great downhill Runner so like the Run game is something that they have been constructing from day one because that's what Tim Beck Jerry Hill did at New Mexico State they brought the entire pretty much the entire operation over over to Nashville um and if you want to get an idea of what they would look like against a team like Virginia Tech watch what New Mexico state did to Auburn a year ago I recall that one and here's the deal and here's the deal I absolutely I would not say that this vanderbelt team is like hey they're terrible they're unserious outfit anything along those line because there have been times in the past where respect respectfully exactly resp last year was the most atrocious year I've ever seen exactly there have been times where vanderbelt was not a serious operation you are absolutely right Cory they're taking steps in the right direction however I think if you're looking at these two teams and saying they're both in rebuild or in different stages of a re build you're looking at one team that's just now building back up after stripping down to the studs as opposed to one that's got the foundation in place we put the roof on we're now just adding in the little touches and trick the walls in the doors exactly we're Landscaping Virginia Tech has the copper wiring put in already they got all of that type of stuff they got the uh what's the're exactly exactly they they have they have all of the stuff to keep you warm I can't remember what the word is right now but they yeah yeah yeah they got that to keep it warm in there they've got everything going where where I think the Vander belt is just again they're at a point where it's down to the studs and building back up if this game were to happen two years from now I may have a different opinion on it I just think these are two teams in different parts of a rebuild where there are you're looking at a team with some of the most returning production and not just the power four but in all of college football against a team that could be depending on upwards of 50% of vanderbel starters could be transfered like that's a very real reality that we can see I think you may be right I have to look I have to look back at the roster at the percentages but you you might be right about that we we've got a lot of transfers and they're they're contributing now especially on the defensive line and uh in the secondary so this is uh this gonna be a fun this gonna be a fun game it's gonna be a really really fun game well Court you look at this from the Vanderbilt perspective give us some keys to the game like what has to happen for them to pull off the upset against the hookes well first of all um defensive line uh defensive front really they have to affect Kiron drones they have to get in his face they have to get him off of Rhythm they have to penetrate gaps and they have to take shots on them they have to create Havoc they have to be super aggressive if they sit back and try to play anything conservatively Virginia Tech will steamroll if they want to have any shot they've gota they've got to get takeaways tackles for loss they've got to force Virginia Tech to punt and then capitalize off those things uh offensively again Virginia Tech is going to be able to constrict the field because the vertical passing game is still they're pouring the foundation on that right now so that's still very much a work in progress the Run game is going to be a lot stronger but they're going to have to kind of build out from around that and they're going to have to do that within a constricted field and if they can do that if they can find a way to create horizontal space they can take advantage of that and maybe push some push some vertical space after that but they're going to have to they're going to have to get creative in the Run game and then of course they they've got to dominate special teams Kenton anything you want to add from the Virginia Tech point of view I I know you already outlined some some keys to a a potential steamrolling it sounded like you were hinting at but what are you looking at for keys the keys for Virginia Tech is simple stay ahead of the sticks be who you are and be good at it okay with all due respect I think that Virginia Tech receivers are good I think the offensive line in running game is better I think they're a much better group I think if you're in situation where you have to worry about in third and N I'm not worried as much about Kiron dra's legs as I am on Third and one like with all due respect he's a big guy he's bigger than people give him credit for and when he gets in those short yardage situations either him or B Shaw tutin can get you three feet it's a very different situation to ask them to get 27 feet on the ground right so with that in mind I think that the biggest thing for them is to stay on schedule on time on Target and defensively defensively you talked about it Corey the Run game is going to be there to some extent the Run game is going to be what they want to do and you talked about the misdirection you talked about the motion you talked about all those things stay your tail at home stay disciplined for those of you who don't know football talk that means don't overrun your Gap make your play in your Gap because when teams lose that discipline that's where you could see yourself get gas that's where you can see Johnson will be the fastest player on the field most likely Johnson from vanderbelt he's he is damic I know everybody was going crazy over him being the fastest quarterback on NCA 25 and all that but if you've ever seen that young man play he really does he makes fast guys that's what I'm saying he make he makes fast guys look slow that's how how fast explosive he is so if you overrun your gaps on a guy like him you will be striking up the band you will be hearing anchor down you will be hearing all the things that a game that should not be closed will be closer than it should be and I'll tell you what if you let vanderbelt hang around they have enough explosive athletes to get it done they have a tight end over there that is special he is a TM heish guy he's done everything he's played quarterback he's play tight did he's play he's done everything and he's a special guy with the ball under his right arm so I I say all this to say when I look at vanderbelt I say if I was Virginia Tech the key is to get in early and then the words of Bill Yos Blitz all night because if you let this team establish that run and keep this game close you could look up and say wait a minute did did our our season that was supposed to end in Charlotte or end in the new year six bowl or end of the playoff did we just find ourselves ending in Nashville yeah and and you you talked about Eli Stowers at tight end we're not even talking about the 67 250 pound Behemoth Cole Spence who's been lighting up at Camp I mean he's a he's a nightmare as a Target and so I I think for Virginia Tech they've got to find ways to slow him down as well um and Vanderbilt you could see them in a lot of 12 Personnel we're GNA give uh our score predictions when we come back and Virg Virginia Tech hokis are giving 13 and a half points on the road at Vanderbilt we're not done yet by my friends we got Cory Burton with us from locked on Vandy got of course Kenton Gibbs I'm Alex donno keep it locked right here on this brand new episode of Locked on acc guys I already know you're keeping it lock to factor meals because yeah we're eating healthy and that two-minute prep time is clutch you're busy you don't want to bother cooking fuel up with factors no prep No Mess meals meet your Wellness goals thanks to the menu of chef-crafted meals with options like calorie smart Protein Plus and keto factors fresh never frozen meals are dietitian approved and ready to eat in just two minutes so no matter how busy you are you'll always have time to enjoy nutritious great tasting meals with 35 different meals and more than 60 add-ons to choose from every week you'll always have new flavors to explore make your day Delicious from breakfast to dessert stay fueled with easy nutritious options treat yourself to restaurant quality meals that feature premium ingredients like filet minan shrimp and black and salmon head Toof factor meals.com loock on50 and use code locked on College 50 to get 50% off your first box plus 20% off your next month that's code locked on50 at Factor meals.com locked on50 to get 50% off your first box plus 20% off your next month while your subscription is active we are also proudly brought to you by eBay Motors my friends passion drive and patience the formula for winning championships is also what keeps your ride or die alive eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to Peak Performance superchargers roof racks exhaust kits LED headlights and more whether you're into speed power or style eBay Motors has you covered with over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die you'll always find exactly what you're looking for and with eBay guaranteed fit your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time and your money back because with eBay Motors you're burning rubber not cash with all the parts you need at the prices you want it's easy to make your car the MVP and bring home huge wins keep your rid or die alive at ebaymotors.com eligible items only exclusions apply eBay guaranteed fit only available to us customers welcome back in to this locked on acc locked on Vandy crossover so happy that Cory Burton from lockon Vandy can join us you got a Virginia Tech and Vandy opening up their Seasons uh in Nashville this weekend Saturday 12 noon and you know Kenton uh you know from where I sit uh I'm I'm usually a little bit hesitant to make week one bets uh in games between two uh Power four squads because we you know we literally have not seen either of these teams until last year you know Cory's given me a lot to think about with the way Vanderbilt has been trending I am leaning towards uh Virginia Tech minus 13 and a half do you wanna you want to talk me into locking that in Kenton before I let Corey talk me out of it in the words of my friend and my good friend Drake Tolen are now uh defunct locked on college football live I'll tell you why he what I'm going to tell you in terms of why Virginia Tech covers that spread is very simple one of these teams has Kiron drones the other does not Kiron drones is that special of a player another year continuity and his best receiver was hurt a lot of last year people greatly discount how good Ali Jennings truly is like you talk about the returning production on that team imagine returning 86% of your production and then adding in a guy that was supposed to be your number number one guy last year oi Jennings is a guy that is he he's what I like to call a 7-Eleven receiver you know what that means the man is all open he's always open he's all you can find a way to say you know what forget it Alie down there somewhere throw that thing up at zero gonna come down with it the reality of this game is that with all due respect to vanderbelt this is a team that is in the early stages of a rebuild and you're looking at them trying to stop bhaw toon you're looking at them trying to stop Kiron drones you're looking at them trying to stop um um Ali Jennings and Company out wide but you're looking at them trying to do that with a brand new core of guys and we have seen that some teams can add in flavor and pieces from the transfer portal but that's just what the transfer portal should be the transfer portal should be you adding in a little bit of spice to the food it shouldn't be the main dish it shouldn't be the whole thing and that's the place that vanderbelt is at again this is a program that's on the rise you're right Donald you're right Cory you're right this is a program churning up into the right but so is Virginia Tech they just started that Trend a little earlier so I think that Virginia Tech takes care of business handl down in Music City but you know I I will say this in vanderbel defense I will say this if they were to cover the 14 points I wouldn't be the most shocked and I wouldn't deem Virginia Tech for that I just don't think they will I think that Virginia Tech uh wins handily this one all right so before I click confirm uh on my FanDuel account for for Virginia Tech minus 13 and a half Corey you can you can sell me why the commodor are going to cover and perhaps win the game outright yeah so here's why they're going to cover right so atmosphere okay Vanderbilt is in an odd way a very tough place to play because you got an 11 A.M kick um it's usually just kind of a weird vibe lately I don't know how the vibe's going to be on on Saturday but it's uh it's definitely a weird vibe you have a lot of construction going on a lot of emotional interference happening with where Virginia Tech's gonna get dressed how they're gonna how they're gonna enter the field how they're going to deal with all all that distraction um it's going to be blazing hot um and then you have an actual coordinator calling the defense which last year I I heard Clark Lee say this in his weekly press conference and this absolutely floored me that they were only able to play one coverage last year I'll let that sink in for you guys they were only able to play one coverage their let's just say their coordinator was in over his head and then Clark Lee it just got too bad and he just couldn't do anything about it and it it it just snowballed um offensively they're going to have an identity defensively they're going to have an identity um their main Playmakers are actually Vanderbilt guys they're not portal guys so like CJ Taylor Langston Patterson der Ricky Wright um you have Cedric Alexander uh you have your uh starting um we have a strong tackle and a quick tackle like we have strong side quick side philosophy on the offensive line so that's going to be interesting so you're starting quick tackle uh as Vanderbilt guy you're starting strong guard as a Vanderbilt guy you're starting uh actually you're starting quick guard is also a Vanderbilt guy too so um you're only your three of your starting offensive linemen are Vanderbuilt guys you're two uh you're actually your three wide receivers are Vanderbilt incumbents so you've got a lot of Vanderbilt pieces out there and the transfer portal guys are actually backing them up so they're going to have an actual identity they have Jerry kill new Strength program I think they're going to cover I think all of that stuff is going to play into play into at least they're going to cover maybe outright win if Virginia Tech gives them opportunities and and and things kind of align perfectly um for an outright win and hopefully we take advantage of we hope that Virginia Tech's going to come in very overconfident because they have Chiron drones and because they have um Oly Jennings because they have toon because they because they are what they are and where they are we're hoping that overconfidence will come in and they will get surprised well could there be a shocker two weeks in a row involving ACC teams not a whole lot of people thought Georgia Tech would pull it off against Florida State last week not a whole lot of people think Vandy can pull it off against Virginia attack but first game of the Year stranger things have happened huge shout out and thank you to Cory Burton and and by the way we're we're on both channels so want to send a big shout out to locked on Vandy viewers and listeners locked on acc viewers and listeners it's always nice to connect with SEC hosts uh when we can so we we can keep that that blood Feud that we all have uh going on with the SEC going we show them we'll show them if it just means more this Saturday at High Noon we will show we will show you that it means more we'll show you how we after you make locked on acc and locked on Vandy your first and second list and make your next list and locked on college football Spencer mcclin does a fantastic job talking about all the big games and all the big stories and you know every now and then we turn up as guests on his show he does a great job so we will talk to you guys next time of course you got Vandy hosting Virginia Tech noon eastern time on Saturday we'll talk to you later on another episode right here on the lockdown podcast Network see you K Alex you guys are amazing thank you so much you're awesome