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A look at who has the edge Saturday in Virginia Tech's season opener against VMI. Quarterbacks Ethan Grunkemeyer makes his Virginia Tech debut after starting in seven games last season at Penn State. He threw for 1,234 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions as a starter, and he gained plenty of experience playing against Big Ten competition. VMI’s JoJo Crim threw for 16 yards on 3-of-7 passing against Idaho State. Edge: Virginia Tech Running backs The Hokies have a two-back attack with Marcellous Hawkins and Jeffery Overton Jr. Hawkins led the team with 794 yards last season, while Overton tallied 146 yards in four games. Both averaged more than five yards per carry. VMI utilizes multiple options in its flexbone triple-option attack. Four runners topped 40 yards at Idaho State. Edge: Virginia Tech People are also reading… Receivers/tight ends The Hokies are still figuring out the depth behind starting receivers Ayden Greene, Que’Sean Brown and Marlion Jackson. There’s no debating how the tight end room looks with Luke Reynolds, Benji Gosnell and Ja’Ricous Hairston at the top of the list. VMI pass catchers totaled 11 yards on five receptions against Idaho State. Edge: Virginia Tech Offensive line Virginia Tech has a veteran offensive line with four players who made at least four starts projected to start Saturday night (Layth Ghannam, Kyle Altuner, Montavious Cunningham and Aidan Lynch). VMI’s offensive line allowed 10 tackles for a loss and two sacks at Idaho State, but the Keydets totaled 229 rushing yards on 52 attempts. Edge: Virginia Tech Defensive line VMI’s front three did not record a sack or tackle for a loss in the opener at Idaho State. Tackle Elijah Brooks did clean up with four tackles. The Hokies return one of the ACC’s best defensive tackles in Kemari Copeland, who is coming off a season in which he led the team with 4.5 sacks to go along with 7.5 tackles for a loss, and boast a deep rotation up front. Edge: Virginia Tech Linebacker VMI’s defensive scheme at Idaho State featured the linebackers playing more in space, which led to fewer tackle opportunities (Isaiah Grevious had four stops). The unit will need to be more productive against the Hokies. Tech has three solid options with Noah Chambers, Keon Wylie and Kaleb Spencer, with Spencer being the most versatile one on the roster. Edge: Virginia Tech Secondary The Keydets’ corners and safeties frequently were making tackles against Idaho State. Safety Nic Land had a team-high six solo tackles to go with an interception. Cornerback Robert Powell had six tackles. That group gets plenty of work. The Hokies are rolling out a new secondary that should be strengthened by cornerbacks Jaquez White and Joshua Clarke. Edge: Virginia Tech Special teams The Keydets’ best weapon may be punter Ben Shrewsbury. He averaged more than 51 yards on eight punts and helped flip the field at Idaho State. The Hokies can counter with placekicker John Love, who has made 84.4% of his field goal attempts and is 5 of 8 on attempts of 50-plus yards over the last two seasons. Edge: Virginia Tech