Virginia Tech rules out Ballance, Terry and Laws, lists seven questionable before Clemson

Virginia Tech will play at Clemson on Saturday without linebacker George Ballance, offensive lineman Justin Terry and defensive lineman Emmett Laws. All three are listed as out on the Hokies' first availability report of the week. The bigger unknowns sit lower on the report. Seven players are questionable, and most of them play on offense.

The questionable group includes three wide receivers: Shamarius "Snook" Peterkin, L.J. Booker and Luke Stuewe. Three offensive linemen are also questionable: Nathaniel Wright, Lucas Austin and Montavious Cunningham. Cornerback Thomas Williams rounds out the questionable list. Cornerback Cam Chadwick is probable. Virginia Tech Hokies On SI counted 11 names in total. That matches the Hokies' first reports before Cal and Georgia Tech. 247Sports posted the same list and noted that no Hokie is listed as doubtful. The ACC requires these reports. The team will update it Thursday and Friday, and a final version comes out two hours before the 7 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPN.

The offensive names matter most. With Terry already out and three more linemen in doubt, the protection plan for quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer could change late in the week. Grunkemeyer has completed 72.9% of his passes for 1,984 yards, 15 touchdowns and two interceptions, according to On SI, and that yardage ranks fourth in FBS. He threw for 215 yards in the first half of last week's 34-24 win over Georgia Tech but added only 35 after halftime. The Hokies led 24-3 at the break, and Georgia Tech outscored them by 11 the rest of the way. A thinner receiver group would make that kind of second-half drop-off harder to fix.

What it means for Clemson

A win would give Virginia Tech (5-2, 2-2 ACC) its sixth victory and make the Hokies bowl-eligible. The team started 4-0 by beating VMI, Old Dominion, Maryland and Boston College. Then came two straight one-score losses, 35-33 to Pittsburgh and 25-20 at California, before last week's win over Georgia Tech. The Hokies have yet to lose a game by more than a field goal and a two-point conversion.

Clemson is 4-2 and 2-1 in the ACC, according to 247Sports, and the Tigers' results have swung widely. They lost 51-10 at LSU and 41-13 to Miami. In their four wins, no opponent scored more than 20 points, and last week they shut out Charleston Southern 37-0. Clemson also beat California 24-10 in Berkeley, the same place Virginia Tech lost two weeks later.

The board for the game has Clemson favored. Novig prices the Tigers at -133 on the moneyline, and theScore Bet has the best price on Clemson at -130. Virginia Tech is +127 on Novig, and Hard Rock Bet has the longest Hokies price at +130. That puts only three cents between the venues on either side. The spread is Clemson -2.5 on Novig, with Virginia Tech +2.5 at +102. Hard Rock Bet is the one venue offering the Hokies +3.5, priced at -125. The total sits at 49.5 points. Sportsbook hold on the moneyline ranges from 3.0% to 6.7% across the 11 venues. A short line like this leaves little cushion for either side, and Thursday's update on Peterkin and the offensive line could shift it.