Between 100-150 is a safe bet imo... Most teams that ran for lots of yards last season had mobile QBs, or utilized the wild cat quite a bit. How your OL does against the DL in the first couple of series' will really tell you quite a bit.
Pay extra close attention to Taco (#95) and Graves (#91), because those two guys will be the cornerstones of VT's defense this season. If those two guys are blown off the ball early, then expect Bama to have a good day.
Also; I expect Bama to score on the first series, because it seems like nearly every team we play does that to our defense, so pay more attention to what happens in series 2 and 3 as opposed to the first one.
Just my two cents, and can't wait for Saturday!
I'm getting really, really antsy. I've got a feeling I won't be worth diddly-doo this week at work.
The only real question for us is our O-Line. Unless your offense turned into Florida's or Oklahoma's over the off-season, then our Defense will be just fine. If you guys put up 10+ points on our D, then you can bank on 20+ on every other team on your schedule. 20+ on our D = 25-30+ on every other team. For the record, I think you guys will take the ACC trophy home again this year.
Now, for the running game. Like I said, the only real question is our O-Line. Yes, we're starting a green QB. However, our offense is much more suited than others to maintain productivity through a QB change. We may not be the most prolific offense in the country, but we just might be the most disciplined. And we won't ask McElroy to win the game 9 times out of 10, just not to lose it. As heady of a QB as he is, that shouldn't be a problem. It doesn't matter who we play, we will run the football, we will chew up the clock, and we will score points. We may not rush for 200 yards, but you can bank on 100+. We will win the time of possession game almost every time. We may not put up 50 points, but 20+ points is a very safe bet.
I say that Bama will end up with right around 150 yards rushing in this game, for two reasons. One, Virginia Tech has a good D-Line, which should limit the rushing production some. Two, Bama will pass more and for more yardage than many are expecting. Most of Bama's rushing yardage will come in the second half, I believe, after the VaTech Defense begins to tire. Look for Bama to end up with 35+ minutes of possession. Bama's bread and butter in the first half, somewhat in lieu of the running game, will be short passes to the TE's, H-Back, and RB's out of the backfield. This will loosen up the box, tire out the defense, and eat up clock much like a running game. When you see the VaTech D-Linemen start putting their hands on their hips, then the Bama running game will sort of take over the offense.
