What Improvements Does Ethan Grunkemeyer Need To Make From Week One to Week Two?

Ethan Grunkemeyer threw three incomplete passes Saturday night. Two of them were the throws Virginia Tech actually needs him to make.

Everything else read like a quarterback conversation ending. Grunkemeyer went 17 of 20 for 224 yards and two touchdowns, wasn't sacked, and was on the sideline midway through the third quarter with the Hokies ahead 52-0 in a 73-3 win.

Then you look at who it came against. VMI entered No. 405 in Bill Connelly's SP+ and had already lost to Idaho State 38-10 a week earlier. Old Dominion, which visits Lane Stadium at noon Saturday on The CW, sits at No. 88. Virginia Tech is No. 25.

So Saturday is the first real data point. It's Grunkemeyer's second start in Blacksburg and the ninth of his career, after he started the final seven games at Penn State last season. Three things are worth watching.

The deep ball has to land

Both of Grunkemeyer's meaningful misses went to Duke transfer Que'Sean Brown, and head coach James Franklin didn't dance around it Monday.

"We had some opportunities for two big explosive plays that we missed; we've got to be able to hit those," Franklin said. "We're going to need those moving forward." He added that Grunkemeyer played well overall.

He's shown he can hit them. In his last game at Penn State, Grunkemeyer dropped a 73-yard touchdown on Trebor Pena in a 22-10 Pinstripe Bowl win over Clemson. Backup Bryce Baker hit his against VMI too, a 40-yard score to Chanz Wiggins.

Old Dominion allowed 19.6 points per game last season, 15th nationally. Stringing together a 12-play drive against that will be incredibly difficult, so being able to connect on the long ball will be crucial.

Be able to move the chains on third down

Here's the number that got buried under 73 points: Virginia Tech converted just 3 of 8 third downs against VMI.

The Hokies never needed them. They piled up 619 yards, scored on their first six possessions and didn't punt in the first half. Franklin noted that his team needs to improve in the area.

"We've gotta hit those gimmies specifically on third and fourth down, so we can stay on the field and not put our defense in a challenging spot," he said.

How does Grunkemeyer respond when he is hit

The Monarchs led the Sun Belt with 39 sacks last season and tied for fourth in the country in sacks per game (3.1).

The Monarchs led the Sun Belt with 39 sacks last season and tied for sixth in the country in sacks per game. Defensive coordinator Blake Seiler is in his seventh year in Norfolk and has turned down Power Four offers to stay. Last weekend his group held Norfolk State to 220 yards on 60 plays in a 31-10 win.

Grunkemeyer has seen worse. He drew starts against Ohio State, Indiana, and Clemson last fall. He just hasn't done it here, behind this line, in an offense where coordinator Ty Howle is calling plays at the Power Four level for the first time.

There's a familiar shape to the week. Last September, Virginia Tech lost to Old Dominion 45-26 at Lane Stadium, fell to 0-3, and fired then-head coach Brent Pry the next day. Franklin was asked Monday whether that was fuel.

"We'll watch last year's tape and be aware of it, but no, I don't think we're going to need to offer things like that as fuel," he said.

Grunkemeyer wasn't here for that one. Saturday, he answers for it anyway.

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