By Marty Gordon
Virginia Tech will play Maryland in the Dec. 29 Pinstripe Bowl in New York City, but there are plenty of questions on and off the field.
COVID-19 restrictions are very strict in the Big Apple, and some fans and Tech officials are wondering if there will even be a bowl game. The city is considering cancelling this year’s ball drop because of the large number of people, and the historic football game, which will be played in Yankee stadium, could also be on the list.
Fans attending the game also need to remember the State of New York and New York City itself have plenty of restrictions surrounding the ongoing struggle with COVID-19. Remember to keep a mask with you at all times as most places within the city require masks for entry. This includes bars and restaurants.
In addition, in most of those same cases, you will be required to show proof of your vaccination. So keep that card handy. If you’re not vaccinated, expect plenty of restrictions that might keep you out of public places like restaurants.
But the biggest question is on the field as 15 players have either opted out of the game or announced their plans to enter the transfer portal. Fans will need a printed roster to know who is on the field during the bowl game.
The Hokies will be without their starting quarterback, top two receivers, an offensive lineman and close to 17 players that had become household names.
Receivers Tre Turner and Tayvion Robinson are gone. Turner has declared for the NFL draft and opted out of the game on Dec. 1. The 6-2, junior from Greensboro, N.C., finishes his
Blacksburg career with 134 receptions for 2,292 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Robinson announced his plans to transfer shortly after the firing of head coach Justin Fuente and has already joined the University of Kentucky.
Also, defensive lineman Jordan Williams who had transferred to Tech from Clemson, opted out on Dec. 3. He posted 33 tackles this year, his only one in Blacksburg.
But the biggest announcement came from starting quarterback Braxton Burmeister, who had transferred to Tech two years ago from Oregon. This year he completed 142 of 255 pass attempts with 1,960 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also rushed for 508 yards with two touchdowns. His backup, Knox Kadum, had previously said he, too, would transfer out of Blacksburg.
With this being said, Tech will have to start either a transfer from Texas A&M or a true freshman under center.
Junior Conner Blumrick comes to Tech via Texas A&M, while Taj Bullock has served as the scout team signal caller this past year.
Blumick has seen action this season and has been utilized as a runner. He rushed 20 times in the Miami win for 132 yards but has completed only five of 11 passes for 39 yards in his short Hokie career with 231 rushing yards this year with a pair of touchdowns.
Bullock came to Blacksburg with a lot of hype but has yet to see the field in a Hokie uniform. The 4-star quarterback is from St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, N.J. His team finished 4-2 during the 2020 campaign as Bullock threw for 814 yards and 12 touchdowns and ran for 306 yards and six touchdowns. He was a first-team all-state pick and a first-team all-conference selection.
As a junior, he led St. Peter’s Prep to a state championship, earning first-team offensive all-state honors, and was considered by analysts to be one of the nation’s top 20 dual-threat quarterback recruits. That season, he threw for 2,274 yards and 26 touchdowns and also had 480 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
Redshirt-sophomore Kaleb Smith is the only remaining receiver with game experience. He played in all 11 games, making nine starts, and has totaled 19 receptions for 250 yards with two touchdowns this season.
Running back Raheem Blackshear is the team’s leading receiver with 23 catches for 233 yards with a touchdown.
News of notes:
The Pinstripe Bowl marks Tech’s 34th all-time berth appearance.
The Hokies have won five of their last six games against Maryland in a series that dates to 1919.
The most recent meeting was in 2013 when Maryland won 27-24 in overtime.
These former ACC foes are scheduled for a four-game future home-and-home series with Tech hosting the game in 2027 and 2029. Maryland will host the Hokies in 2026 and 2028.
West Virginia is the only common opponent this season for the two teams, Tech lost 27-21 to the
Mountaineers. Maryland pulled out a 30-24 win on Sept. 4.
Maryland has scored an average of 37.8 points this season while allowing 18 points per game.
Virginia Tech has allowed 22.6 points average in the last five games, holding three of those opponents to 17 points.
Virginia Tech had two players earn spots on the Athletic’s All-Freshmen All-American Team. Punter Peter Moore was first-team after finishing the regular season with a 45.1 average. Offensive lineman Kaden Moore, no relation to Peter, was named to the second-team squad. He has started all 12 games this season at right guard.
The Hokies have five Maryland natives on the roster while five Maryland players hail from the commonwealth.
The Terps are led by quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, who set Maryland single-season records for both passing yards (3,595) and completions (308). The junior completed 68.4% of his passes and threw 24 touchdowns while ranking among the top three in the Big Ten in nearly every passing category. If you remember that last name, Taulia is the younger brother of former Alabama and current Miami Dolphin quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
The Terps finished the regular season with a 6-6 record, defeating Rutgers, 40-16, in its season finale to garner bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016.
Game time for the Pinstripe Bowl is 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 29.
