VIRGINIA TECH FOOTBALL AMERICA’S LONGEST ACTIVE BOWL STREAK - 27 STRAIGHT • 11 CONFERENCE TITLES - 4 ACC TITLES • 899.0 SACKS, 396 INTS LEAD FBS SINCE 1996 • #HARDHATMENTALITY VIRGINIA TECH (1-0, 1-0) Oct. 3 • 4 PM • ACC NETWORK • Durham, NC. • Wallace Wade Stadium (40,004) DUKE (0-3, 0-3) Justin Fuente David Cutcliffe Alma Mater: Murray State (1999) Alma Mater: Alabama (1976) Record at VT: 34-20 (5th Season) Record at Duke: 72-71 (13th season) Career Record: 60-43 (9th Season) Career Record: 116-111 (19th season) GAME 2 Record vs. Opp: 3-1 Record vs. Opp: 3-9 TECH HITS THE ROAD FOR ACC TILT AT DUKE NEW COACHES, SAME NASTY DEFENSE DYNAMIC RB ADDITIONS SHINE IN VT DEBUT • A severely depleted VT squad missing 23 players and • Tech alum and former NFL player Justin Hamilton enters his initial • Kansas transfer RB Khalil Herbert played in 35 games for the multiple coaches managed to jump off to a 17-0 lead en season as defensive coordinator in 2020. New additions to the Hokies’ Jayhawks, producing 320 carries for 1,735 yards (5.4 avg.) route to a convincing a 45-24 win vs. NC State (9/26). defensive staff also include former Minnesota head coach Tracy Claeys with 14 TDs. He racked up a career-high 291-yard rushing • The Hokies travel to Duke (10/3) for their first ACC road (linebackers), longtime NFL coach Bill Teerlinck (defensive line), Tech All- performance at WVU (9/23/17). contest of the 2020 campaign as Tech seeks to avenge a American and 12-year NFL playing veteran Daryll Tapp (co-defensive line) • Herbert registered 104 rushing yards with a 37-yard TD to go 45-10 loss last season at Lane Stadium (9/27/19). and Virginia native Ryan Smith (cornerbacks). along with 46 receiving yards vs. NC State (9/26), as well as 45 • Virginia Tech is 10-6 in ACC road contents under head • With Hamilton unavailable last week, Smith called the defensive signals KO return yards. It marked his fourth career 100-yard rushing coach Justin Fuente, including a 4-0 in conference games as Tech held NC State scoreless until midway through the second quarter. performance. • The Hokies registered two INTs and are now 11-2 under Fuente when played in North Carolina. (2-0 vs. Duke, 2-0 vs. UNC). • Herbert ranks second in the ACC in all-purpose yardage (195.0 picking off two or more passes. • Tech’s last trip to trip to Durham pitted an unranked Hokies ypg), trailing only GT’s Jahmyr Gibbs (197.0 ypg). He’s also • Tech posted 6.0 sacks in the win vs. NC State (9/26), including a pair squad against No. 22 Duke (9/29/18). After trailing 7-3 at the second in rushing (104.0 ypg) behind Louisville’s Javian Hawkins from transfer DE Justus Reed. The Hokies are 19-3 under Fuente when end of the first quarter, Tech rattled off 21 unanswered points (104.3 ypg). in the second and third quarters en route to a 31-14 win. registering 3.0 or more sacks, including a string of 10 straight wins dating back to a 31-14 win at Duke (9/29/18). • In 27 games (14 starts) at Rutgers, RB Raheem Blackshear • Tech is 13-3 against Duke in ACC play and haven’t lost • LB Rayshard Ashby led the ACC with 120 tackles (61 solo), making rushed 211 times for 912 yards with six TDs and three 100-yard back-to-back games to the Blue Devils since 1950-51. him the only active player in the league with back-to-back 100-tackle games. He also caught 80 passes for 810 yards with six TDs with • Duke is seeking its first victory of the season and is seasons. Ashby had six stops and a sack vs. NC State (9/26). three 100-yard games. Blackshear returned 30 kickoffs for 518 coming off a 38-20 loss at UVA (9/26). • True freshman DB Keonta Jenkins started in his first collegiate yards (17.3 avg.). TECH DOMINATES THEIR STATE game last week, leading the team with eight tackles. • Despite missing practice time prior to the game, Blackshear ran for 31 yards with an eight-yard TD vs. NC State (9/26). • Virginia Tech owns a 9-1 record against teams from SPECIAL TEAMS STILL SPECIAL AT VIRGINIA TECH • Tech’s 314 rushing yards vs. NC State (9/26) marked only the the state of North Carolina under Fuente. • K Brian Johnson has made 15 consecutive FG attempts dating third time since VT joined the ACC in 2004 that the Hokies had • VT owns a combined 35-8 all-time record in ACC back to a contest vs. UNC (10/19/19), including six makes of 40+ racked up 300+ yards on the ground in an ACC game. VT also play against teams from the state of North Carolina: yards, two of which (46, 49 yards) came vs. NC State (9/26). He had did it with 317 yards at NC State (10/2/10) and 333 yards at 13-3 vs. Duke, 13-3 vs. UNC, 5-1 vs. NC State and a career-long 54-yard make vs. Kentucky (12/31/19). UVA (11/19/05). 4-1 vs. Wake Forest. • P Oscar Bradburn set a Tech single-season record with a 46.5- • Tech’s 314.0 ypg rushing avg. ranks second in the nation behind yard average in 2019, ranking eighth among FBS punters. KEY SCORING STATS ON HOKIES, BLUE DEVILS only Army (320.0 ypg). Miami (232.3 ypg) is the next-closest • VT is 24-5 when scoring 30+ points under Fuente and • Bradburn boomed four punts for 189 yards (47.2 avg.) with two ACC squad in rushing ypg. inside the 20 and a long of 62 yards vs. NC State (9/26). 11-0 when scoring 40+ points. TRE’ & TAYVION ARE TALENTED WRS FOR TECH • Duke has lost 16 of its last 17 contests when allowing 30 • Only GT’s Pressley Harvin (48.2) owns a better average in the • WR Tre Turner led Tech with 34 catches and 553 yards in 2019 to go points or more, including nine straight losses. ACC than Bradburn. along with four TDs catches. He was Tech’s second-leading rusher vs. • VT owns a 29-2 mark under Fuente when leading at half. STAND UP, BIG STONE GAP! NC State (9/26) with 53 yards and a long run of 51 yards. • VT is 31-2 when holding foes to 21 points or fewer dating • Big Stone Gap, Va. native TE James Mitchell posted three catches • WR Tayvion Robinson tied for second on the squad in 2019 with 31 back to the start of the 2015 season (6-1 in 2019). for 68 yards with a long of 33 yards and a 16-yard TD vs. NC State receptions, adding 404 yards with one score. He led Tech with four • Duke is 4-26 when scoring 21 points or fewer dating (9/26). PFF College graded him at 93.1 last week to rank No. 2 catches for 40 yards with a 15-yard TD vs. NC State (9/26). back to 2015, including nine straight losses. among FBS TEs behind only Florida’s Kyle Pitts (95.7). • VT has won 25 straight games when limiting foes to 17 MORE ON TECH’S TRIO OF TALENTED QUARTERBACKS RANKINGS & MISC. DATA points or fewer (6-0 in 2019). • Tech’s trio of QBs who have all walked off the field after guiding their team to victory • VT is No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. • Duke has lost 17 straight games when scoring 17 points against a Power Five opponent - Hendon Hooker, Quincy Patterson & Braxton Burmeister. The Hokies were the top vote-getter to finish or fewer. • In his six wins as Tech’s starter in 2019, QB Hendon Hooker completed 68 of 108 outside the AP Top 25 (195 votes). • After last season’s loss vs. Duke (9/27/19), Tech is 7-3 in passes (63.0%) for 1,126 yards with 10 TDs and no INTs (181.1 rating) in those • Tech leads the ACC in scoring (45.0 ppg) and its last 10 games, hitting the 30-point mark in eight of those contests. He also rushed 83 times for 266 yards with four TDs in those six victories. passing efficiency (193.0). • Tech ranks second contests and averaging 35.3 ppg over that span. • Hooker started eight contests for Tech in 2019 and did not throw an INT in seven of in the ACC and ninth in the P5 in total offense BURMEISTER WINS FIRST VT START those contests. He threw for a career-high 311 yards at UVA (11/29/19) and had a (496.0 ypg). Only Miami (499.0 ypg) is better • Oregon transfer QB Braxton Burmeister made his initial season-high 76 rushing yards at Miami (10/5/19). in the ACC. start for Tech vs. NC State (9/26), in place of QB Hendon • Prior to his winning Tech debut, QB Braxton Burmeister last tasted victory after • Tech’s 314 rushing yards vs. NC State Hooker, who was unavailable. Burmeister became the leading Oregon to a 41-20 win vs. Utah (10/28/17). (9/26) are the most produced in a game fourth different opening game starter under Fuente, joining • QB Quincy Patterson relieved an injured Hooker and led Tech to a 43-41 six-OT featuring two ACC foes in 2020.