Virginia Tech and West Virginia will renew their regional and one-time conference rivalry when they battle Thursday night for the Black Diamond Trophy on a national stage in Blacksburg, Virginia. The two schools played every year from 1975 until 2005, including a run from 1991-2003 as members of the Big East. With the Mountaineers now in the Big 12 and the Hokies in the ACC, it’s taken some effort to keep this fierce rivalry going in the modern era.
Thursday night’s matchup is the second leg of a home-and-home agreement that already provided thrills with West Virginia beating Virginia Tech 27-21 in Morgantown last season, increasing the Mountaineers’ all-time series lead to 29-23-1. Though a lot has changed since that game, most notably a coaching change for the Hokies and new starting quarterbacks for both teams, the passion felt up and down both rosters to win this rivalry game has not lessened. Plus, considering how the season has started for both teams, there should be plenty of urgency to snag a victory in one of the true toss-up games on the schedule.
So while coaches Neal Brown and Brent Pry have just one combined appearance in the battle for the Black Diamond Trophy, there will be plenty of players and fans with intimate awareness of what’s at stake. Let’s get into the keys to the game and our official prediction.
West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech: Need to know
JT Daniels leads the West Virginia offense: The 2017 Max Preps National Player of the Year is on his third college stop, having started and won games at USC, Georgia and now West Virginia. Daniels has six touchdowns and two interceptions through three games, and it hasn’t taken long for him to identify junior Bryce Ford-Wheaton as the most dynamic option in the passing attack. Ford-Wheaton is one of just two wide receivers in the Big 12 to have four touchdown receptions already this season, and his 6-foot-3, 224-pound frame allows Daniels to take some chances in one-on-one situations knowing the wideout has the better chance of winning 50-50 balls.
The Lunch Pail Defense is back: Pry got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant working under legendary Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster. In his return to Blacksburg, Pry has brought back the famous lunch pail that represents the group’s blue-collar approach. That defense is the strength of this team so far; the Hokies rank third in the country…
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