93
One reason
quarterback
Ryan Willis could
take a big step
forward: wide
receiver Tre
Turner, who gained
20.6 yards per catch
as a freshman. The
6' 2", 190-pound
former high school
standout at point
guard—he’s the
younger brother
of former North
Carolina basketball
player P.J. Hairston—
has tremendous
jumping ability and
breakaway speed; he
rushed for 101 yards
and a touchdown on
just eight carries.
Despite limited
playing time,
Turner tied for fifth
in the ACC with
seven receptions
of 30 yards or
more. Willis has an
underrated receiving
corps, with 6' 2",
222-pound Damon
Hazelton, a second-
team All-ACC pick;
and tight end Dalton
Keene—but neither
of them has Turner’s
ceiling.
X-FACTOR
THE BIG STORY When he took
over for Virginia Tech legend
Frank Beamer in 2016, coach Justin
Fuente was regarded as one of the
game’s top offensive minds, having
revitalized a dormant Memphis
program. But he has yet to revive
the Hokies, even on the offensive
side of the ball: Tech finished
outside the nation’s top 50 in
scoring for a third straight year in
2018, its first losing season since
- The turnaround starts with
more consistency from QB Ryan
Willis, who completed 58.6% of his
passes in 2018.
CAN’T MISS The Hokies’
defense also took a big
step back last season—
ranking 98th in the
FBS—but there was one
bright spot: junior
LB Rayshard Ashby, who led Tech
with 105 tackles (tied for second in
the ACC). Ashby, who also had
91 / 2 tackles for a loss, is the
stabilizing presence on a young unit.
KEY QUESTION Can the Hokies
return to being a top unit in
yielded the most points of his
23-year tenure (31.0 per game)—but
it was also among his youngest.
Senior safety Reggie Floyd will lead
the inexperienced defense.
KEY MATCHUP
BIGGEST GAME
SI RANKING
AUG. 31
@ BOSTON COLLEGE
SEPT. 7
OLD DOMINION
SEPT. 14
FURMAN
SEPT. 27
DUKE
OCT. 5
@ MIAMI
OCT. 12
RHODE ISLAND
OCT. 19
NORTH CAROLINA
NOV. 2
@ NOTRE DAME (7)
NOV. 9
WAKE
FOREST
NOV. 16
@ GEORGIA
TECH
NOV. 23
PITTSBURGH
NOV. 29
@ VIRGINIA
THE RUNDOWN
3
6
9
12
15
7– 6 10 – 4 9 – 4 6 –7 8 – 4
WINS
Justin Fuente’s third
season was a step in the
wrong direction, but Virginia
Tech has the talent to turn
things around quickly.
Remember: Frank Beamer
went 11–21 over his first
YEAR 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019* three years in Blacksburg.
*SI PROJECTION
5 -YEAR TREND
7. 5
The Hokies face
plenty of questions,
but their schedule is extremely
favorable: If they get past
Boston College in the opener, they
could be 7–0 when they head to
South Bend in November.
OVER OR UNDER
2019
SCHEDULE
Virginia Tech
FRO
M LEFT: JO
E RO
BBIN
S/GETTY IM
AGES; M
ICH
AEL SH
ROYER/GETTY IM
AGES
22
