Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Virginia Tech Hokies season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
– Virginia Tech Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 6-7 overall, 4-4 in ACC
Head Coach: Justin Fuente, 4th season, 25-15
– CFN Preview 2019: All The Team Previews
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRGINIA TECH OFFENSE
– The offense has to go on without a slew of players who were going to be key parts of the puzzle. QB Josh Jackson and WR Sean Savoy transferred to Maryland and TE Eric Kumah is gone to Old Dominion. But in all, five starters are back from an offense that averaged 428 yards and 30 points per game with a decent, but inconsistent year.
– With Jackson out of the picture, the quarterback job is all but set with senior Ryan Willis, a former Kansas transfer who hit just 59% of his passes, but threw for 2,716 yards and 24 scores and nine picks. 6-4, 225-pound sophomore Hendon Hooker is a promising backup who can move, and on the way is Oregon transfer Braxton Burmeister.
– Leading rusher Steven Peoples is gone after running for 786 yards and six scores, and now it’ll be a good battle between junior Jalen Holston and Deshawn McClease. The 219-pound Holston brings a little more power, and McClease – who was going to transfer, but stuck around – can handle a regular workload, too. They’ll work behind a line that gets back two starters, but should have a strong starting five around sophomore Christian Darrisaw at left tackle.
– The strength of the O is at receiver, starting with the return of the 6-2, 222-pound Damon Hazelton as a true No. 1 target. 6-2, 187-pound sophomore Tre Turner is more than just a good No. 2; he’s a killer of a deep threat averaging over 20 yards per grab.
The loss of Kumah isn’t a plus, but the tight end situation is good with Dalton Keene back after catching 28 passes, and with sophomore James Mitchell a dangerous receiver.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRGINIA TECH DEFENSE
– That wasn’t the Virginia Tech defense. The Hokie D allowed 192 points in 2017, and dropped off the map allowing more than 400 points for the first time since the 0-10 1950 season. However, it was supposed to be a rebuilding season, and now the payoff should begin with nine of last year’s underclassmen maturing into a veteran group.
– The defensive line is still young and has to be nastier. Veteran DT Ricky Walker is done, but 282-pound Jarrod Hewitt is a good leader who’ll have to be an anchor, and then it’s all about the young guys. JUCO transfer DaShawn Crawford will play a role right away at one tackle spot in a rotation with undersized 250-pound Jaevon Becton.
The ends need to get to the quarterback more. Houshun Gaines is eventually going to be a factor after suffering a torn ACL late in the season – he led the team with 4.5 sacks – and junior Emmanuel Belmar has to build off a two sack, 29 tackles season.
– Get ready for the biggest improvement to come in the linebacking corps. Dax Hollifield started on the outside as a freshman making 62 tackles, and now he’s expected to do more in the backfield. In the middle again its Rayshard Ashby, the leading tackler with 105 stops last season with the upside to grow into an all-star now that he knows what he’s doing.
– The five in the 4-2-5 are all back. The corners need to come up with more big plays after getting torched way too often, but now they’re at least experienced. There’s good size and depth on the outside around three safeties who should blow up.
Senior Reggie Floyd is the elder statesman of the group – finishing second on the team with 88 tackles at his Rover spot – Khalil Ladler was third with 66 tackles, and junior Divine Deablo has the 6-3, 220-pound size and pop to be special.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP VIRGINIA TECH PLAYERS
Best Virginia Tech Offensive Player
WR Damon Hazelton, Jr.
At 6-2 and 222 pounds, the former Ball State Cardinal has good size, is physical, and turned into exactly what the receiving corps needed last season with a team-high 51 catches for 802 yards and eight scores despite missing a few games. The Second Team All-ACC performer came up with 12 catches for 131 yards against Notre Dame, but failed to do more than 81 yards over the last eight games. Throw the ball his way and he’ll go and get it.
2. QB Ryan Willis, Jr.
3. TE Dalton Keene, Jr.
4. WR Tre Turner, Soph.
5. RB Deshawn McClease, Jr.
Best Virginia Tech Defensive Player
LB Rayshard Ashby, Jr.
The 5-10, 230-pounder was a nice special teamer as a freshman, and then he got the plum gig of being the Virginia Tech middle linebacker. He came through with a nice season, even if he wasn’t amazing, leading the team with 105 tackles with a sack and 9.5 tackles for loss. The range is good, the hitting ability is great, and he should grow more and more into the job now that he knows what he’s doing.
2. S Reggie Floyd, Sr.
3. S Khalil Ladler, Jr.
4. P Oscar Bradburn, Jr.
5. DE Houshun Gaines, Sr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Virginia Tech Offense
It would be nice if there was more offensive pop. The O wasn’t bad – the running game improved over the 2017 version, and the passing attack was good enough – but the offensive scoring punch is missing.
In Justin Fuente’s first year, the Hokies averaged 35 points per game, putting up 34 or more in ten of their 14 games – including in an ACC Championship loss to eventual national champion Clemson. In 2018, the O slipped, scoring 34 or more just three times, but the defense made up for it.
Last season, the defense needed help, and the offense couldn’t pick up the slack. The attack blew up against William & Mary of the FCS world, needed overtime to hit the 34 point mark against Virginia, and lost to Old Dominion 49-35. In all, the Hokies scored 34 or more just four times.
Biggest Key To The Virginia Tech Defense
The run defense has to be the Virginia Tech run defense again. The 2017 Hokie run D was a brick wall against the run, allowing a mere 1,554 yards, seven touchdowns, and just 3.36 yards per carry. But the defense had to undergo an overhaul going into 2019.
There wasn’t enough of a pass rush, and there weren’t enough plays in the backfield, but most of all, the defense just couldn’t come up with stops up front. The Hokies were hit for 200 rushing yards or more in six of their last eight games and was rocked for 33 touchdowns overall.
Worst of all, they were gouged for 5.46 yards per carry and got worse as the season went on. There’s experience in place now, and there’s enough depth to keep everyone fresh. The production in ACC play has to follow, which means …
Key Player To A Successful Season
DT Jarrod Hewitt, Jr.
He’s not a mammoth space-eater on the nose, but he’s strong, he can anchor the defense, and he has the experience to be ready to do more after coming up with 15 tackles. He’s not going to get behind the line, he has to be able to hold up – he missed a few games banged up – and there’s not a whole lot in place ready-made to handle the job as the anchor. No pressure, but he needs to have an all-star caliber season, even if the stats don’t show it.
Key Game To The Virginia Tech Season
at Georgia Tech, Nov. 16
Of course the date at Miami on October 5th is the big one for the Coastal, and beating Virginia can’t be taken for granted as late-season tradition – even though it now is – but to win the division, the Hokies can probably afford losses in both of those games and still be okay.
This is the year to get Georgia Tech again.
It’s been the Achilles heel of the Justin Fuente era – Virginia Tech wasn’t able to figure out the Yellow Jacket option offense. Georgia Tech ran for 1,035 yards over the last three years against the Hokies – all wins – and have won four of the last five in the series. But now the Paul Johnson attack is gone, the Geoff Collins O will be more conventional, and the Hokies finally get a break.
– Virginia Tech Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Virginia Tech Fun Stats
– Fumbles: Opponents 25 (lost 12) – Virginia Tech 20 (lost 6)
– Kickoff Returns: Virginia Tech 41 for 928 yards – Opponents 8 for 160 yards
– Average Yards Per Carry: Opponents 5.5 – Virginia Tech 4.4
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. VIRGINIA TECH WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
And here comes the bounceback.
There might not be the high-end defensive talent level of the 2018 team, and the offensive skill guys aren’t special, and the lines are still a concern, but …
The defense isn’t going to be that bad again.
The experience will translate into a bit more production, and the hope has to be for better overall health to put together a little bit of depth and a few options to play around with.
The kicking game is good, just about everyone is back on the defensive side, the offensive line will come up with a good starting five in fall camp, and the skill guys are good enough … as long as the defense is the Virginia Tech defense again.
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 8
Granted, the problems against Old Dominion last year showed how the program can’t take anything for granted, but there’s no Florida State on the slate this year – the Noles are going to be stronger – there’s no NC State, and best of all, there’s no Clemson.
Going to Miami and Virginia will be tough, and dealing with Notre Dame in South Bend won’t be a breeze, but if this is all going to work in Year Four under Justin Fuente, the Hokies have to roll through this mediocre schedule – Old Dominion, Furman, Duke, Rhode Island, North Carolina, Wake Forest and Pitt have to all be home wins – and throw in a road victory over a Boston College or maybe a Georgia Tech in there.
There are just enough concerns to keep this from being a ten-win team, but it should enter November with the Coastal there for the taking.
If the Hokies can run through the final four ACC games – Wake Forest, at Georgia Tech, Pitt and at Virginia – they’ll be playing Clemson for the ACC title.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
