TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Finally, the 2018 season is set to kick off, and Virginia Tech finds itself in Florida's capital getting ready to take on Florida State in a rare season-opening conference affair.
The two teams, who will be meeting in a season opener for the first time, started this series in 1955 – a game in which Virginia Tech won 24-20 thanks to Jack Prater's interception setting up a late touchdown. Tech actually won in Tallahassee the following year, too, but the Hokies' last win at this location came in 1974, and they have lost six straight road games to the Seminoles.
This Labor Day matchup certainly brings forth some intrigue, with Florida State now operating under a new coach in Willie Taggart – a person and coach whom Tech head coach Justin Fuente knows quite well. They played against each other in college and coached against each other when Taggart served as the head coach at South Florida and Fuente at Memphis.
Neither coach knows what to expect from his team. Both teams lost a ton on defense, and both possess some nice skill talent. Yet there aren't a lot of proven entities on either roster.
What will happen tonight? Fans have debated this for months, and no one really knows.
With that said, here are some things to watch:
• How will Tech's young players hold up?
The Virginia Tech staff brought 14 true freshmen to Tallahassee on Sunday, including four defensive backs as part of a rebuilding of the secondary. That makes winning in a hostile environment in a season-opening game quite the challenge. Adding to the consternation of the staff, several sophomores, like Zachariah Hoyt, Rayshard Ashby and Dylan Rivers, only played a handful of snaps in 2017, and yet move into starting roles. Fuente likes his team, but the young players are going to grow up a lot this evening.
• Can Tech's offense take advantage of a young FSU defense?
The Hokies appear to have an advantage in this matchup, as Tech returns eight starters on offense. The Hokies feature a big, physical offensive line and a lot of skill players with upside, but most importantly, they return a starting quarterback in Josh Jackson who knows the offense and has looked like a calm, confident player in the lead-up to this game.
The guess here is that the Hokies need to score at least 24 points to win this one – they are 16-2 under Fuente when they reach that number.
• Can a young Tech defense hold up against FSU's tailbacks?
Normally, a person could bet his/her house on a Bud Foster defense stopping an opposing team's running attack. But the Hokies lost seven starters off the 2017 unit, and those moving into starting roles lack experience, especially at the important linebacker spots.
Complicating matters, the Seminoles feature maybe the ACC's best tailback in Cam Akers, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a true freshman a year ago. The former 5-star recruit averaged more than 5 yards per carry. Jacques Patrick ran for 748 yards and, he, too, averaged better than 5 yards per carry. The two combined for 14 rushing touchdowns.
A stat to note: Florida State rushed for at least 200 yards in six games a year ago. The Seminoles went 5-1 in those games.
With a new offensive coordinator, Florida State might lean on its running game early in the season. How well the Hokies hold up probably will go a long way toward determining their chances of winning.
• Can Tech's special teams give it an advantage?
As has been stated many times, Tech was excellent on special teams a year ago. Greg Stroman returned two punts for touchdowns, the Hokies blocked a bunch of kicks, and both Joey Slye and Oscar Bradburn enabled Tech to own field position.
Stroman and Slye are gone, as are some other important players on special teams. Can the Hokies block a kick against the Seminoles, or return a punt for a score? Can Jordan Stout boot kickoffs into the end zone? Can Brian Johnson make a 40-yarder late in the game to give Tech a lead?
These questions, and many others, will start to be answered tonight – and hopefully Tech fans will like what they see.