Points of Emphasis: Louisville vs. Virginia Tech

On the heels of having to escape with a hard-fought win at home against Boston College, the Louisville football program is heading back on the road, traveling to Blacksburg for a matchup with Virginia Tech.

Here are some of the more notable points of emphasis heading into Saturday's game:

Injury Update

As expected, both Louisville and Virginia Tech are dealing with a handful of noteworthy injuries.

For the third straight game, running back Duke Watson has been ruled "out" for Louisville. Additionally, star wide receiver Chris Bell was added to the first injury report, although he was listed as "probable."

Meanwhile for Virginia Tech, they have 14 players that have been ruled out. Among them are starting safety Quentin Reddish and starting right guard Montavious Cunningham, although starting linebacker Jaden Keller was removed after being listed last week,

Virginia Tech Players to Watch: QB Kyron Drones (Offense) and DE Ben Bell (Defense)

Virginia Tech might not have had the season that they expected up to this point, but it isn't because of a lack of talent. The Hokies have a handful of impact playmakers on both side of the ball that easily change the complexion of the game.

Over on the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Kyron Drones is an electric - albeit sometimes inconsistent and turnover prone - dual threat option for VT. Up to this point in the season, he has completed 59.7 percent of his throws for 1,516 yards plus 14 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Drones has been playing his best ball since Virginia Tech dismissed head coach Brent Pry. In the first three games of the year, Drones had four touchdowns plus three interceptions, had a QB Rating of 113.9, and averaged 42.3 rushing yards per game. In the five since since Pry's firing, Drones had thrown for 10 touchdowns plus three picks, posted a QBR of 139.2, and ran for 57.4 yards per game.

Virginia Tech hasn't been superb on the defensive side of the ball, but there have been a couple standouts here, including defensive end Ben Bell. From a statistical standpoint, Bell hasn't had a super impactful season putting up just 2.5 tackles for loss plus 1.5 sacks to go with his 27 tackles.

But the advanced stats show just how much Bell impacts the opponents' offensive line. Despite not having gaudy TFL and sack stats, according to PFF, Bell has 28 total QB pressures. Not only is that double what the next player on the Hokies has, it's tied for sixth in the ACC among edge rushers, and tied for 15th at the power conference level.

Matchup to Watch: Louisville WR Chris Bell vs. Virginia Tech's DBs

Considering how much Virginia Tech's defense has disappointed this season, there are a handful of individual matchups that favor Louisville's offense despite them not playing at their best. No matchup favors the Cardinals more than wideout Chris Bell against Virginia Tech's secondary as a whole.

For starters, Bell is arguably the best wide receiver in the ACC up to this point, and is on pace to have one of the best pass-catching seasons in program history. In seven games, he has 48 catches for 687 yards and six touchdowns, the latter two of which are the best in the conference.

Conversely, Virginia Tech's passing defense has been routinely giving up big chunks of yards through the air. Their 231.3 passing yards allowed per game ranks 88th in the FBS, while their team passing efficiency defensive mark of 149.42 is 118th. On PFF, their team coverage grade of 52.8 is 129th in the FBS and third-to-last among power conference teams (Oklahoma State, Colorado).

VT does have one solid defensive back in Isaiah Brown-Murray, as the cornerback has a PFF coverage grade of 76.3. However, every other Hokies player with at least 70 coverage snaps (10 in total) does not have a coverage grade higher that 63.5 - and six of them have a grade lower than the average of 60.0.

Louisville Trend to Monitor: A Surging Offensive Line

There's no doubt that the biggest thing holding back Louisville's offense from realizing their full potential this season has been their play on the offensive line. At this current moment, their 5.43 tackles for loss allowed per game is 77th nationally, while their 2.14 sacks allowed per game is 92nd.

However, mainly due to the return of starting left tackle Trevonte Sylvester, over the last couple games, the offensive line has played at a much higher level. Against Miami, who sports one of the best defensive lines in the entire sport, the line gave up "only" one sack and five tackles for loss. Last week, Boston College could only muster one sack.

As per the usual, the advanced stats showcased how well the O-line did last week against Boston College. Their 61.7 pass block grade was their highest since week two against James Madison, and their 85.1 run blocking grade was a whopping 25.7 points better than their previous best mark this season - which was 59.4 against Miami the week prior.

Virginia Tech Trend to Monitor: Playing with Renewed Energy

"Lifeless" might be the best way to describe how Virginia Tech looked to start the season. In the three games under head coach Brent Pry before he was fired, the Hokies averaged 339.0 yards and 19.0 points on offense, while giving up an average of 448.0 yards and 37.7 points on defense.

Following an 0-3 start and an embarrassing 45-26 home loss to Old Dominion, VT finally pulled the plus on Pry. Since then, the Hokies have looked markedly better. In their five games under interim head coach Philip Montgomery, they have averaged 394.6 yards and 29.2 points on offense, while giving up only 318.6 yards and 25.2 points on defense, going 3-2 in the process.

On one hand, their three wins aren't exactly super impressive. One was a blowout over FCS Wofford, the next was against an NC State team that might move on from Dave Doeren after this year, and they most recently needed double overtime to take down a Cal team that has not looked good in ACC play. But a win is a win, and there's no doubt that Virginia Tech is playing much better right now.