Seventeen seconds remained in the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday, when Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli found tight end Noah Meyers alone on the left side of the end zone. Meyers had never scored for the Orange before that catch. The touchdown beat SMU 30–27 and knocked the Mustangs out of the AP Top 25.

Virginia Tech should have that clip on a loop.

The Hokies (6–2, 3–2 ACC) visit SMU (6–2, 4–2) at 7 p.m. ET Friday on ESPN. The Mustangs are 5–0 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium this season and 6.5-point favorites.

Their defense holds up better against the pass than the run, and its injuries are stacked in the middle of the field. Two of my predictions start there. The third starts with what Syracuse did to Kevin Jennings.

1. Luke Reynolds has his best game since September

SMU doesn’t give much away through the air. Opponents complete 62.6% of their passes and average 6.0 yards per attempt.

The one real hole is at safety. Sophomore Tyren Polley Jr., third on the team with 34 tackles, tore a pectoral muscle in October and is out for the season. SMU has played two games without him: a 59–20 win over Cal and the loss at Syracuse. Help could be coming. Ahmaad Moses, a first-team All-ACC safety in 2025, is questionable after missing the whole season while SMU works on his eligibility.

The junior tight end has 50 catches for 493 yards and six touchdowns, and his 50 catches lead all FBS tight ends.

The last three games have been quieter: 13 catches for 120 yards since Pitt. Two of those 13 went for touchdowns at Clemson, including the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter.

Friday, he clears 100 receiving yards for the third time this season and finds the end zone again.

2. Jeffrey Overton Jr. snaps his 100-yard drought

Overton last reached 100 yards on Sept. 26, when he ran for 209 at Boston College, the sixth-highest single-game total in Virginia Tech history. He has 230 yards in four games since and averaged 2.6 yards per carry at Clemson. The sophomore still leads the Hokies with 639 yards on 113 carries.

Two things change Friday.

The first is the offensive line. “We’re going to get some guys back, which is helpful, especially on the offensive line,” coach James Franklin said Monday. Guard/tackle Montavious Cunningham and guard Brody Meadows are expected to play. Left tackle Justin Terry is still out.

The second is the defense across from him. SMU allows 125.9 rushing yards per game and 3.8 yards per carry. Those numbers flatter the Mustangs. College football counts sacks as rushing plays, and SMU has 23 sacks for 148 yards. Pull them out, and opponents are averaging 4.8 yards per designed run.

Those 23 sacks matter for Virginia Tech in another way. Ethan Grunkemeyer has been sacked 23 times himself. A run game that works keeps the Hokies on schedule and gives SMU’s rushers something else to think about.

Overton gets his third 100-yard game of the season.

3. Virginia Tech sacks Kevin Jennings at least four times

Before Halloween, SMU hadn’t allowed more than two sacks in a game this season. Syracuse got six.

Look at who was playing on the left side. True freshman Drew Evers moved over from right tackle to start at left tackle, and fellow true freshman Sam Utu made his first career start beside him at left guard. It was only the second college game of his career.

SMU could get some help back. Guard Alex Woods, a starter, missed Syracuse, and tackle Andrew Chamblee, who has started at both tackle spots, hasn’t played since Oct. 17. Neither is on Thursday’s availability report. Watch the first series to see who lines up on the left.

Either way, Virginia Tech has the rushers to test it. The Hokies average 3.4 sacks per game, sixth in FBS, and three players have more than four: Aycen Stevens with eight, Cortez Harris with five and Mylachi Williams with 4.5. Defensive tackle Kemari Copeland said this week the plan is to “cage” Jennings and take away his scrambles to the right.

Friday, the Hokies get to Jennings at least four times.