Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – No. 13 Virginia Tech will square off against in-state foe Old Dominion on Saturday, Sept. 23, at Lane Stadium as part of Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame weekend in Blacksburg. Kick is set for 2 p.m. and can be streamed on ACC Network EXTRA via WatchESPN.
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HOKIES, MONARCHS MEET FOR FIRST TIME
• Virginia Tech (3-0) is preparing for its first ever meeting with Old Dominion (2-1) on Saturday.
• Tech is coming off a 64-17 win at East Carolina (9/16). The Monarchs are facing their second straight ACC opponent after suffering a 53-23 loss vs. UNC (9/16).
• Tech is seeking to start the season 4-0 for the first time since 2011 when the Hokies finished 11-3 after advancing to the ACC Championship Game and the Sugar Bowl.
• Old Dominion has competed at the FBS level since 2014 and is 0-8 all time against Power Five foes.
• Tech is tied for the ACC lead with a plus-5 turnover mark (6 takes/1 giveaway).
• Virginia Tech has won four straight games dating back to the Belk Bowl and is seeking five straight wins for first time since 2013.
• The Monarchs are 0-7 all time vs. ACC programs. Their first game against an ACC opponent came on Sept. 7, 2013 against Maryland, a 47-10 loss.
• Head coach Justin Fuente spent his first season as a head coach in Conference USA at Memphis in 2012. The Tigers went 4-8 overall and 4-4 in league play.
• The Hokies are 18-6 all time against opponents in the current configuration of Conference USA.
ODU CONNECTIONS
• Old Dominion offensive line coach Chris Malone is a 1996 graduate of Virginia Tech and lettered for the Hokies from 1992-95.
• Malone started in 47 straight games on the offensive line for former head coach Frank Beamer, the second-longest streak in program history, and he was an All-BIG EAST performer as a senior in 1995.
• Malone also cut his teeth in coaching at Virginia Tech, where he served as an offensive line graduate assistant from 1999-2001.
• Virginia Tech running backs coach Zohn Burden was an assistant under head coach Bobby Wilder at Old Dominion from 2012-14 when he was the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach.
• Burden helped lead the most prolific FCS offense in 2012, as the Monarchs led the nation in scoring (45.2 ppg), total offense (548.2 ypg) passing offense (393.8 ypg) and touchdown passes (44).
• Burden is also a Virginia Beach native who graduated from Salem High School.
• Old Dominion will be going up against 13 Hokies who came from their own backyard in the Tidewater region of the Commonwealth: Andrew Motuapuaka (Virginia Beach), Parker Osterloh (Williamsburg), Trevon Hill (Virginia Beach), Deon Newsome (Hampton), Ricky Walker (Hampton), Daniel Griffith (Chesapeake), Hezekiah Grimsley (Williamsburg), Jarrett Hopple (Suffolk), Sean Daniel (Chesapeake), Jovonn Quillen (Hampton), Devon Hunter (Chesapeake), Phil Patterson (Virginia Beach) and Deshawn McClease (Chesapeake).
• The Hokies have a long history of recruiting the 757, having produced greats such as Bruce Smith (Norfolk), Michael Vick (Newport News), DeAngelo Hall (Chesapeake), Kam Chancellor (Norfolk), Tyrod Taylor (Hampton), Bryan Randall (Williamsburg), Darryl Tapp (Chesapeake) and Xavier Adibi (Hampton).
JOSH JACKSON OFF TO A SIZZLING START
• Quarterback Josh Jackson is seeking to become the first Virginia Tech signal caller to win his first four starts since Logan Thomas in 2011.
• Jackson leads the ACC and ranks 10th among Power Five quarterbacks with a 177.8 rating. He’s completed 55 of 85 passes (64.7 percent) for 829 yards, with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s also Tech’s second-leading rusher with 115 yards and a touchdown.
• Jackson is one of three FBS quarterbacks to lead his squad to a 3-0 start while throwing eight or more touchdowns and no interceptions.
• Jackson leads all FBS freshmen quaterbacks in yards (829), rating (177.7) and touchdown passes (eight).
CAM PHILLIPS ON RECORD-SETTING PACE
• Virginia Tech has won four of its last five games. Wide receiver Cam Phillips has 45 catches for 624 yards and six touchdowns over that span.
• Phillips leads the nation in receiving yards (417) and receiving yards per game (139.0), while ranking second in receiving touchdowns (five) and is tied for third in receptions (27).
• Phillips is second in Tech history with 192 catches, needing 19 more to bypass Isaiah Ford (210) for the school record. His 2,480 receiving yards are fourth in the Tech annals.
• Phillips is on pace to register 108 catches over 12 games in 2017, which would smash Ford’s single-season mark of 79 in 2016.
VICK, TAYLOR HEADLINE 2017 VIRGINIA TECH HALL OF FAME CLASS
• The five-member Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame class will be officially inducted on Friday and then will be introduced at halftime of Saturday’s game.
• The 2017 class features football greats Michael Vick and Ben Taylor. Vick finished third in the 1999 Heisman Trophy voting, while Taylor was a two-time All-American (2000-01) for the Hokies
• Other 2017 enshrinees include Tim Buheller (baseball), Zabian Dowdell (men’s basketball) and Megan Evans (softball).