Virginia Tech (3-3, 1-1) hosts Boston College (4-2, 1-1) at Lane Stadium in a 30-second duel between the two teams.

Boston College has both exceeded and disappointed its expectations. The Eagles started the year with a then-impressive win over No. 10 Florida State. The Seminoles are now one of the worst teams in the ACC, this win means nothing. Boston College then played a nothing game against Duquesne and kept the game within a touchdown against No. 6 Missouri. Now Missouri has fallen to No. 19 in the country after a 41-10 loss to Texas A&M. Boston College also lost by ten points to Virginia, beat Western Kentucky by just one point and narrowly edged a Michigan State team 3-3.

As far as resume goes, things are getting worse every week at Boston College. On the other hand, Virginia Tech looked better and better every week.

The Hokies' disappointing loss to Vanderbilt in Week 1 looks much different today than it did back then. At the time, Vanderbilt was considered the bottom team in the ACC and possibly one of Virginia Tech's worst opponents. Since then, Vanderbilt has upset the No. 1 team in the country and nearly escaped Missouri with another top-ten win. The Commodores are much better than previously expected, and Virginia Tech has the tremendous amount of talent needed to lead the rest of the schedule and turn things around this season.

The Hokies looked better as the weeks went on, with a 31-7 win over Stanford and what some would call a “pseudon loss” against Miami. So how do they stack up against Boston College?

Virginia Tech offense vs. Boston College defense

Boston College's defense is by far the best unit the Eagles will utilize in their game against Virginia Tech.

The Eagles allow opponents just 3.4 yards per rush and just 113 total rushing yards per game.

This is due in large part to what Tim Lewis was able to do with the Eagles' defense – particularly the defensive line. The Eagles have several tackles 6'5″ or taller who are extremely mobile and don't limit themselves to doing a lot of things in the run game. That's why Boston College has had so much success.

But the other key to the running game? It's a player.

Donovan Ezeiruaku. He might be the best edge rusher in the country, not to mention he's the best defensive edge rusher in the country. He leads the nation in sacks with 9.0, he leads the nation in tackles-for-loss with 12 and he is the biggest game-wrecker Virginia Tech has faced all season.

The Hokies also have a guy who plays a key role in the running game. What's his name?

Bhayshul toots. He leads Virginia Tech's offense in rushing, an offense that ranks 40th nationally with 182.8 yards per game. He's getting better every week, averaging 5.7 yards per carry and posting a record 141 rushing yards with a touchdown against Miami. He is by far the cornerstone of the Virginia Tech offense, and if he doesn't work in this game, that could be bad for the Hokies.

The other key, however, won't be the wide receivers, quarterback or tight ends, but the offensive line. Virginia Tech has been struggling on offense all season, Layth Ghannam is still out and the Hokies have had to adjust what feels like every week.

If the Hokies want to have success, they will have to move quickly into the second division against Boston College.

Boston College offense vs. Virginia Tech defense

Boston College's offensive identity has certainly changed.

Last year, Thomas Castellanos was often used in the running game, but since then he has given up that role to the running backs and has dropped back much more often in the passing game, an unexpected change. He's averaging just 1.9 yards per rush and has rushed for just 103 yards on the ground all year.

The running backs have taken control of this Boston College offense. Treshaun Ward leads the way with 5.7 yards per carry, followed by Turbo Richard and Kyle Robichaux with 4.9 yards per carry and 3.8 yards per carry, respectively. The offense is based on what Ward, Richard and Robichaux can do.

Ward is the fourth-leading receiver on the Eagles' offense with 141 yards through the air.

However, Bill O'Brien would like to get a lot of players involved in the passing game, just as backup wide receiver Reed Harris, who is a freshman, has four catches this year. In chronological order, his catches went for ten yards, seventy-two yards and a touchdown, sixty-seven yards and a touchdown, and twenty-seven yards against Virginia. Watch for him to maybe make some noise in the passing game.

Virginia Tech has had a shaky season on defense. In some games, like the game against Stanford, the Hokies only allowed points because of strong defense. On other days, Virginia Tech corners were exposed by Diego Pavia and the Vanderbilt offense. It's a week-by-week process.

That being said, the defense, especially the pass defense, has improved significantly since the Week 1 game.

Antwaun Powell-Ryland has turned the Hokies' pass rush into one of the best in the country. The Hokies sack the quarterback at a rate of 11.49%, second best in the country, trailing only Northern Illinois' defense.

Look for Dorian Strong to make his big comeback in this game as the Hokies try to force Boston College to pass the ball.

Final prediction

I don't think this is an easy win for Virginia Tech, but when you think about the importance of this game to the Hokies' future and think about Pry's preseason goals in the ACC, this game is absolutely of the utmost importance.

Pry will prepare the Hokies better than ever for a matchup this year, perhaps outside of the Miami game. But after a bye, Virginia Tech will be hoping to continue their winning streak, and I think they will do just fine.

Final score: Virginia Tech 25, Boston College 17

Additional links:

Virginia Tech Football: Josh Pate calls Virginia Tech the “calmest, best-rounded team”

Virginia Tech vs. Boston College: Final Score Predictions for Thursday's Game

Virginia Tech Football: Three storylines for Thursday's game against Boston College