Virginia Tech Football
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VIRGINIA TECH FOOTBALL AMERICA’S LONGEST ACTIVE BOWL STREAK - 27 STRAIGHT • 11 CONFERENCE TITLES - 4 ACC TITLES • 893.0 SACKS, 394 INTS LEAD FBS SINCE 1996 • #HARDHATMENTALITY No. 20 VIRGINIA TECH (0-0, 0-0) Sept. 26 • 8 PM ACCN • Blacksburg, Va. • Lane Stadium (65,632) NC STATE (1-0, 1-0) Justin Fuente Dave Doeren Alma Mater: Murray State (1999) Alma Mater: Drake (1994) Record at VT: 33-20 (5th Season) Record at NC State: 48-42 (8th season) Career Record: 59-43 (9th Season) Career Record: 71-46 (10th season) GAME 1 Record vs. Opp: 0-0 Record vs. Opp: 0-1 TECH OPENS FIFTH SEASON UNDER FUENTE LB RAYSHARD ASHBY = TACKLING MACHINE LOOK WHO’S BACK FOR 2020! • Virginia Tech opens its fifth season under head coach • LB Rayshard Ashby led the ACC with 120 tackles (61 solo), RETURNING OFF./DEF. STARTERS (17) Justin Fuente in 2020 as NC State visits Lane Stadium. making him the only active player in the league with back-to-back OFFENSE (9) - T Christian Darrisaw (13), G Lecitus Smith (12), • The Hokies will open the season with an ACC opponent 100-tackle seasons. He enters 2020 as the ACC’s top returning WR Tre Turner (11), C Bryan Hudson (10), G Doug Nester (10), for the third consecutive year after two straight road tackler for the second year in a row. T Silas Dzansi (8), QB Hendon Hooker (8), TE James Mitchell (8) openers at BC (8/31/19) and at FSU (9/3/18). • Ashby’s 120 tackles were the most by a VT player since Vince Hall & WR Tayvion Robinson (6). • Tech owns a four-game winning streak vs. NC State, but had 128 in 2006. He’s accumulated 225 tackles the past two years, DEFENSE (8) - LB Rayshard Ashby (13), LB Dax Hollifield (13), this contest will mark the first clash against the Wolfpack the most in back-to-back seasons since Hall’s 228 (2005-06). DE Emmanuel Belmar (13), S Divine Deablo (13), DT Jarrod under Fuente. The two teams haven’t met since 2015 and • Ashby earned ACC Linebacker of the Week honors five times Hewitt (13), CB Chamarri Conner (13), DT Deshawn Crawford NC State hasn’t won in Blacksburg since 2004. in 2019, the most POW accolades of any defensive player in the (10), CB Jermaine Waller (10). • NC State finished the 2019 campaign with a 4-8 mark league in 2019. • 2019 starts in parentheses - minimum six starts and is seeking to snap a five-game ACC losing streak. • Ashby led Tech and ranked third in the ACC with 17.0 tackles for RETURNING SPECIALISTS (4) - P Oscar Bradburn, K Brian • Fuente’s 33 wins are the most accumulated by any Tech loss in 2019, a total that ranked eighth among FBS linebackers. Johnson, LS Oscar Shadley, KO John Parker Romo. head coach in his initial four seasons with the Hokies. Those 17.0 TFL ranked third by a Tech player since 1999, trailing • Clemson’s Dabo Swinney is the only active ACC head Tremaine Edmunds (18.5 in 2016) and Taylor (18 in 2001). TECH’S RECEIVING TALENT coach who can top Fuente’s 33 wins in his first four full HAMILTON TAKES OVER TECH’S DEFENSE • WR Tre Turner led Tech with 34 catches and 553 yards in 2019 to go along with four TDs catches. seasons at an ACC school. • Tech alum and former NFL player Justin Hamilton enters his initial • WR Tayvion Robinson tied for second on the squad in 2019 with 31 • Tech is ranked No. 20 in the AP Top 25 and is No. 24 in season as defensive coordinator in 2020. New additions to the Hokies’ receptions, adding 404 yards with one score. the Amway/USA Today Coaches Poll. defensive staff also include former Minnesota head coach Tracy Claeys • TE James Mitchell scored four rushing TDs on five carries in 2019. • The Hokies haven’t played their opening game this late in (linebackers), longtime NFL coach Bill Teerlinck (defensive line), Tech All- He tied for fourth on the squad a year ago with 21 catches for 361 70 seasons since opening 1950 vs. Quantico (9/30/50). American and 12-year NFL playing veteran Daryll Tapp (co-defensive line) yards with a pair of TD catches. and Virginia native Ryan Smith (cornerbacks). • NC State opened its season with a 45-42 home win vs. • Villanova transfer WR Changa Hodge caught 65 passes for 1,118 • Tech’s defense returns six players who started all 13 games in Wake Forest (9/19). yards and 13 TDs. He posted five career 100-yard receiving games 2019: LB Rayshard Ashby, LB Dax Hollifield, DE Emmanuel Belmar, at Villanova, including an eight-catch, 236-yard outburst with four TDs HOME SWEET HOME - LANE STADIUM S Divine Deablo, DT Jarrod Hewitt and CB Chamarri Conner. vs. Delaware (11/23/19). • Virginia Tech is 4-0 in home openers under Fuente and has • Those six players accounted for 59.2% (22.5 of 38.0) of Tech’s • Kansas transfer WR Evan Fairs posted 28 receptions for 392 yards won its last three ACC contests at Lane Stadium. sacks and 57.8% (48.0 of 83.0) TFL in 2019. with one TD during his tenure with the Jayhawks. • Tech went 6-1 at home in 2019, marking the third time in • Tech racked up 38.0 sacks in 2019 after registering 24.0 during the four seasons under Fuente that VT has suffered only one entire 2018 campaign. DEVIN TAYLOR JOINS TECH’S DBS home loss. • Five players with 50 total tackles or more in 2019 are back: Ashby • Illinois State transfer CB Devin Taylor played in 35 career contests for (120), Deablo (84), Conner (68), Hollifield (67) and LB Alan Tisdale the Redbirds, registering 80 tackles, nine INTs, 31 passes defended KEY SCORING STATS ON HOKIES, WOLFPACK (52). and one sack. • VT is 23-5 when scoring 30+ points under Fuente. • Tech led the ACC in Red Zone defense (78.8 scoring pct.) and • Taylor led the Missouri Valley Football Conference with 24 passes • NC State is 7-23 in ACC play when allowing 30+ points ranked sixth among Power Five squads. Tech allowed 23 TDs on defended in 2019, including a league-high 19 breakups. He ranked under Doeren, including an 0-6 mark in 2019. 42 opponent Red Zone possessions, good for a 54.8 Red Zone sixth in the FCS in passes defended with 1.6 per game. • VT owns a 28-2 mark under Fuente when leading at half. touchdown percentage allowed. • VT is 31-2 when holding foes to 21 points or fewer dating back to the start of the 2015 season (6-1 in 2019). TECH BOASTS A TRIO OF TALENTED QUARTERBACKS VT’S DYNAMIC RB ADDITIONS • NC State is 2-25 under in ACC games under Doeren • Tech boasts a trio of QBs who have all walked off the field after guiding their team to victory • Kansas transfer RB Khalil Herbert played in when scoring 21 points or fewer (0-6 mark in 2019). against a Power Five opponent - Hendon Hooker, Quincy Patterson & Braxton Burmeister. 35 games for the Jayhawks, producing 320 • VT has won 25 straight games when limiting foes to 17 • In his six wins as Tech’s starter in 2019, QB Hendon Hooker completed 68 of 108 carries for 1,735 yards (5.4 avg.) with 14 TDs. points or fewer (6-0 in 2019). passes (63.0%) for 1,126 yards with 10 TDs and no INTs (181.1 rating) in those He racked up a career-high 291-yard rushing • NC State is 3-20 under Doeren when scoring 17 points contests. He also rushed 83 times for 266 yards with four TDs in those six victories. performance at WVU (9/23/17). or fewer. • Hooker started eight contests for Tech in 2019 and did not throw an INT in seven of • Versatile Rutgers transfer RB Raheem BUSINESS IS BOOMING FOR BRADBURN those contests. He threw for a career-high 311 yards at UVA (11/29/19) and had a Blackshear can also line up in the slot and is a season-high 76 rushing yards at Miami (10/5/19). dangerous return man. In 27 games (14 starts) • P Oscar Bradburn set a Tech single-season record with at Rutgers, he rushed 211 times for 912 yards a 46.5-yard average, breaking the previous mark of 45.1 • QB Braxton Burmeister sat out the 2019 campaign after transferring from Oregon. with six TDs and three 100-yard games. He (Jimmy Kibble, 1997). Bradburn currently holds Tech’s He completed nine of 12 passes with one TD in a 41-20 win vs. Utah (10/28/17). also caught 80 passes for 810 yards with six record for career punting average at 43.7. Head coach Justin Fuente has indicated he anticipates Burmeister playing in 2020. TDs with three 100-yard games. Blackshear • QB Quincy Patterson relieved an injured Hooker and led Tech to a 43-41 six-OT • The Ray Guy Award semifinalist ranked eighth among returned 30 kickoffs for 518 yards (17.3 avg.). FBS punters with that 46.5-yard gross avg. in 2019. win vs. UNC (10/19/19), rushing for a career-high 122 yards, including a 53-yard TD scamper. He started the following week at Notre Dame (11/2/19). • Blackshear totaled 2,239 all-purpose yards during his career at Rutgers. 2020 FOOTBALL SERIES HISTORY FIRST FOUR SEASONS AT VT FOR JUSTIN FUENTE PREP QBS EXCEL IN NEW POSITIONS FOR VT • Head coach Justin Fuente produced a 33-20 (.623) record in • Virginia Tech has a long tradition of converting talented high Games Played .............................