Hokies host West Virginia in Thursday night matchup

After taking care of business the last two weeks, the Virginia Tech football team is set for a primetime clash with long-time foe West Virginia under the lights in Lane Stadium this Thursday night, Sept. 22.

Kickoff of this highly-anticipated matchup is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, with pregame coverage beginning at 6:00 PM on 103.3 FM WESR.

Bill Roth will handle play-by-play duties while Mike Burnop provides color commentary and Zach Mackey reports from the sideline.

Brett, Tom and ER will be taking the night off on Throwback Thursday.

Three Things to Know

1. Thursday’s matchup has a throwback twist. In a series that dates back to 1929, it’s no secret that Virginia Tech and West Virginia are long-standing rivals. The two programs have squared off 53 times coming into this week, including annual on-campus meetings from 1973 through 2005. The series took a 12-year break before a neutral site meeting at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland in 2017 briefly reunited the two foes, until Tech visited Morgantown last September in the first of a two-game agreement made back in 2013.

Thursday’s game will mark the Mountaineers’ first trip to Blacksburg since 2004, a game the Hokies won 19-13. The fact that this year’s contest falls on a Thursday is even more special, as it marks the 28th anniversary to the day of the Hokies’ first-ever ESPN Thursday Night game. Their opponent that night? None other than West Virginia.

Fans in attendance at this Thursday’s game will notice a throwback feel throughout the evening, including videoboard content and other in-venue elements that harken back to the mid-’90s, when this rivalry was at its peak.

2. The return of Hokie Effect. The theme asks those in attendance to wear either orange or maroon depending on their seat location. Instead of a stripe like years past, this season’s Hokie Effect will see the North half of Lane Stadium turn orange while the South half is covered in maroon. Find out what color you need to wear and get the corresponding T-shirt through this partnership with Virginia Tech’s Undergraduate Student Senate. Parking lots around Lane Stadium will open at 3 p.m. that afternoon.

3. Something has to give. Tech’s defense has been sturdy so far this season, with being ranked in the top-five nationally in four main defensive categories, including third in third-down conversions (17.1%), third in rushing defense (42 ypg), fourth in yards per play (3.51) and fifth in yards allowed per game (202). However, the Mountaineers have a high-powered offense that has been able to score 46 points per game, which is tied for 11th-best in the nation, as well as being able to convert at a high clip on third down (54.3%) to rank 14th nationally. So be on the lookout as those two units crash course Thursday in what could be a low-scoring affair or shootout.