AMERICA’S LONGEST ACTIVE BOWL STREAK - 23 STRAIGHT | 11 CONFERENCE TITLES - 4 ACC TITLES | HOME OF THE #LPD - 758.0 SACKS & 349 INTS LEAD FBS SINCE 1996 | 100% GRADUATION RATE OF SENIORS SINCE 2012 HOKIES HIT THE ROAD AT UNC HOKIES AMONG THE ACC’S ELITE POLL POSITION • The Hokies are 3-1 under Justin Fuente after a • Since the Hokies joined the ACC in 2004, only Florida • After a 35-poll absence, Virginia Tech is back in the AP 54-17 win vs. East Carolina (9/24). State (118) owns more overall victories than Virginia Tech Top 25 at No. 25 this week. The Hokies were last ranked • UNC is 4-1 after a 37-35 win at No. 12 FSU (116) and Clemson (114). at No. 17 following a 35-21 win at Ohio State (9/6/14). (10/1) on a 54-yard FG as time expired. UNC’s • Over that 12-year span, Virginia Tech (4) and Florida State • The last time a ranked VT squad faced a ranked foe was only loss was a 33-24 decision vs. UGA (9/3). (4) are tied for the most ACC titles, while no team can top when the No. 17 Hokies faced No. 13 Michigan in the • UNC also rallied from a 36-23 deficit vs. Pitt Tech’s 70-27 record in ACC play. Sugar Bowl (1/3/12). (9/24) for a last-second 37-36 victory. ACC’S TOP TWO ACTIVE RECEIVERS MEET • Tech is 16-10 as a member of the ACC against ranked • The last time VT played its first true road game ACC foes, including a 10-3 mark on the road. • VT’s Isaiah Ford (2,249) and UNC’s Ryan Switzer (2,382) (non-neutral site) at an opponent’s home site this • A ranked UNC squad hasn’t hosted a ranked foe at are the ACC’s active leaders in rec. yards. late was at Wake Forest (10/9/04). home since No. 21 UNC beat No. 22 GT 28-7 (11/8/08). • Ford (21 TDs) is just two TD catches shy of breaking the VT- • The Hokies lost a wild 30-27 OT decision last • UNC is 3-8 against AP Top 25 foes under Larry Fedora. record 22 set by WR Antonio Freeman (1991-94). season vs. No. 12 UNC (11/21/15). • Ford has caught a pass in a school-record 30 straight HOT ROD ALERT - QB JEROD EVANS • UNC owns a nine-game home winning streak games, the longest active streak by any ACC WR. • Jerod Evans (VT) and Mitch Trubisky (UNC) are the only and hasn’t lost at home since a 35-7 loss vs. NC FBS QBs with at least 13 TDs and fewer than two INTs. State (11/29/14). MOST REC. YDS. - ACTIVE ACC PLAYERS Yards Player Team Recs. TDs POWER FIVE LEADERS - PASS EFFICIENCY #LPD ACC, POWER 5, FBS LEADERS 2,382 Ryan Switzer UNC 195 15 Eff. Player Team TDs INTs Category Stat ACC FBS P5 2,249 Isaiah Ford VT 155 21 196.3 Jake Browning Washington 17 2 3rd Dwn % 20.3% 1st 4th 2nd 2,049 Artavis Scott Clemson 185 15 194.6 Patrick Mahomes Texas Tech 18 3 Comp. All. 45 1st 2nd 1st 30-SECOND UNC SCOUTING REPORT 185.3 Jerod Evans Virginia Tech 13 1 1st Downs 49 1st 1st 1st 183.1 J.T. Barrett Ohio State 14 2 Def Pass Eff. 93.7 3rd 8th 8th • UNC is 13-2 at home dating back to 2014, with one of those 182.6 Mitch Trubisky UNC 13 0 Pass. Def 150.8 ypg 3rd 10th 7th two losses coming via a 34-17 setback vs. VT (10/4/14). Total Def. 264.3 ypg 3rd 9th 9th • UNC has outscored its foes by an average of 48.4 to 20.6 ACC LEADERS - COMPLETION PERCENTAGE • Tech’s defense has forced 30 opponent drives to ppg, owning a +10 turnover margin (18 takes/8 gives) during Pct. Player Team Comp Att go three-and-out (or less) this season. its nine-game home winning streak. 76.0 Mitch Trubisky UNC 133 175 • The Hokies are 9-3 (.750) in ACC play against 72.4 Ryan Finley NC State 84 116 • The only losses for both VT and UNC in 2016 have come at 67.0 Jerod Evans Virginia Tech 69 103 North Carolina and haven’t lost back-to-back games the hands of an SEC East opponent in a neutral-site game. against UNC as a conference foe. • Evans has thrown 13 TDs in his first four starts, putting him on • UNC leads the FBS, completing 75.8% (138 of 182) of its pace for 39 over 12 games which would easily surpass the Tech • Tech is 30-3 (.909) when registering 6.0 or more passes in 2016. single-season mark of 24 set by QB Tyrod Taylor in 2010. sacks, including last week’s win vs. ECU (9/24). • Only two QBs in Tech history have thrown for over 3,000 yards in • Since VT joined the ACC in 2004, Tech is 108- HAVE WE MET BEFORE? a season: Don Strock (3,243 in 1972) and Logan Thomas (3,013 15 (.878) when holding foes to 24 points or fewer. • Justin Fuente threw three TDs for Oklahoma in a 28-24 win at Baylor (10/19/96) while UNC head coach Larry Fedora in 2011). Evans is on pace for 2,892 yards in the regular season. • UNC has lost 10 straight when scoring 24 served as Baylor offensive assistant. • Evans is seeking to join Taylor (+19 in 2010) and Maurice points or fewer. DeShazo (+15 in 1993) as the only two Tech QBs with a +15 or • WR Isaiah Ford owns 12 catches for 224 yards (18.7 avg.) • Under Larry Fedora UNC is 22-2 (.917) when better TD-to-INT differential in a single season. and one TD, including 155 yards in last year’s contest. scoring 30+ points, including 16 straight wins. • Since the start of the 2004 season, Tech is 53-4 BIG NUMBERS - FOSTER REGISTERS WIN 200, HOKIES SCORE 103 IN LAST TWO GAMES (.930) when forcing two or more INTs, including a • The Hokies’ 54-17 win vs. ECU (9/24) marked victory 200 for VT since Bud Foster assumed co-DC duties in 1995. 21-1 (.955) mark on the road. • VT (103 points) is the only FBS team that has scored over 100 points in its last two games against FBS foes. • The LPD has allowed a mere 45 completions, with • The Hokies have outscored their foes 59-0 in the first half of their last two outings. VT owns a 49-6 scoring edge in the only four Power Five teams allowing fewer. first quarter and a 97-37 advantage in the first half in 2016. • Tech LB Andrew Motuapuaka (9.2) fourth in the • After losing nine fumbles in their first two games, the Hokies haven’t committed a fumble in their last two games. ACC in tackles per game and leads all LBs. #BEAMERBALL - IT’S BACK! • DE Ken Ekanem is tied for sixth in the ACC with • Tech special teams coordinator James Shibest was named the National Special Teams Coach of the Week (via 4.5 sacks. Ekanem was in on a sack/safety vs. ECU CoachingSearch.com) after a 54-17 win vs. ECU (9/24). (9/24). • CB Greg Stroman registered an 87-yard punt return TD, marking his second punt return score in his last five games. KEY RUSHING STATS • Stroman ranks fourth in the ACC in punt return average (13.8) and fifth in kickoff return average (22.6). He is also tied • VT is 48-7 in ACC play when rushing for 150+ net for fourth in the ACC with two INTs. yards and 40-7 with two or more rushing TDs. • VT is tied for seventh in the FBS with two blocked kicks. • During UNC’s nine-game home winning streak, it has • The Hokies blocked a punt, a FG attempt and also forced a sack on a fake punt attempt vs. East Carolina (9/24). gained 191.6 rushing ypg, while allowing 210.6 ypg. 1 MOST ACC CHAMPIONSHIPS 2004 SINCE 2004 VIRGINIA TECH 4 FLORIDA STATE 4 CLEMSON 2 WAKE 1 VIRGINIA TECH FOOTBALL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS Year Record Conference Coach 1909 6-1 South Atlantic Branch Bocock 1916 7-2 South Atlantic Jack Ingersoll 1918 7-0 South Atlantic Charles Bernier 1963 8-2 Southern Jerry Claiborne 1995 10-2 Big East Frank Beamer 1996 10-2 Big East Frank Beamer 1999 11-1 Big East Frank Beamer 2004 10-3 ACC Frank Beamer 2007 11-3 ACC Frank Beamer 2008 10-4 ACC Frank Beamer 2007ACC VIRGINIA TECH - 30 2010 11-3 ACC Frank Beamer CHAMPIONSHIP GAME BOSTON COLLEGE - 16 2008 ACC VIRGINIA TECH - 30 2010 ACC VIRGINIA TECH - 44 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME BOSTON COLLEGE - 12 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME FLORIDA STATE - 33 AMERICA’S LONGEST ACTIVE BOWL STREAK SEASON BEGAN **As recognized by the NCAA** ALL-TIME LONGEST 2015 INDEPENDENCE BOWL STREAKS BOWL School Seasons Started Ended 1. Nebraska 35 1969 2003 2. Michigan 33 1975 2007 3. Alabama 25 1959 1983 4. Florida State 24 1982 2005* 5. Virginia Tech 23 1993 present 6. Florida 22 1991 2012 *Streak snapped due to bowl appearance vacated by NCAA 2 TODAY’S COACHING MATCHUP BROADCAST Virginia Tech ..................................................School ............................................ North Carolina INFORMATION Justin Fuente ................................................. Coach................................................. Larry Fedora Murray State (1999) ...............................Alma Mater .........................Austin College (1985) Television ................................ABC/ESPN2 3-1 (First Season) .............................Record at School ....................