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Virginia Tech football opens the 2016 season and its first year under head coach Justin Fuente this Saturday with its home opener. The Hokies face the Liberty Flames at Lane Stadium with a 12:30 p.m. kick - a game that can be seen live on the ACCNetwork - CLICK HERE to see where you can watch the game in your area.

CLICK HERE to go to football's multimedia page that includes links to Tech's game notes, Liberty's game notes (when available), ACC weekly notes and Fuente's quotes from Monday's press conference.

Lastly, CLICK HERE to navigate to the Virginia Tech Game Day Information page that includes a game information, a schedule of events this weekend, the clear bag policy and traffic and parking information.

THE FUENTE ERA BEGINS

• Justin Fuente enters his first season as Virginia Tech head coach after orchestrating a dramatic turnaround as head coach for four seasons at Memphis.
• Tech will face the Liberty Flames, who are led by former Kansas and Buffalo head coach Turner Gill, who enters his fifth season as that school’s head coach. Gill starred collegiately as a quarterback for Tom Osborne at Nebraska, posting a 28-2 as a starter for the Cornhuskers. • Liberty concluded the 2015 season with a 6-5 mark, including a 3-3 record in Big South play.
• The Hokies seek to extend the nation’s longest active bowl streak under Fuente after reaching postseason play in Beamer’s final 23 seasons at Virginia Tech.
• Fuente groomed a trio of prolific passers in his previous two stops in Paxton Lynch (Memphis), Andy Dalton and Casey Pachall (TCU). Virginia Tech fans hope he can enjoy similar success grooming signal-callers for the Hokies.
• Fuente inherits a squad that finished the 2015 campaign with a 7-6 mark with five of those last six losses coming by 5.2 ppg.

VT IN NON-CON PLAY AT LANE SINCE 1996

• Dating back to 1996 when Bud Foster took over the sole reins as Tech’s defensive coordinator, Tech is 49-4 (.925) with two of those losses coming against Top 25 foes.
• Over that span, Tech has held 29 of those non-con foes to 10 points or fewer, including 11 shutouts.
• In those 49 non-con home victories, the Hokies own a decisive +67 turnover differential (108 takes/67 gives).
• Over the past 20 years, Tech is tied for the nation’s best mark in third-down defense at 31.6%. In those 49 home non-conference wins, the Hokies have allowed a mere 26.8% conversion rate on third down (196 of 731).
• Tech’s average margin of victory in those 49 wins is 39.0 to 9.6 ppg.
• The Hokies are a perfect 36-0 at Lane Stadium against non-con foes since 1996 when scoring 30 points or more.
• Tech owns a +57.0 edge in sack differential in those 49 victories (135.0 to 78.0).
• The Hokies have registered five punt return TDs in those 49 wins. Jayron Hosley was the last to do it with an 80-yard return in a 45-21 win vs. Central Michigan (10/9/10).

TECH’S OFFENSIVE FAB FIVE

• Virginia Tech compiled 5,007 net yards of total offense and 43 offensive TDs in 2015. The Hokies return five offensive players who combined for 78.6% (3,938) of those yards and 72.1% (31) of those TDs.
• In terms of receiving yards, these five returning players accounted for 86.3% (2,533) of Tech’s yardage and 91.7% (22) of the team’s receiving TDs last season.
• All five of these players had at least one rushing attempt in 2015, accumulating 67.8% (1,405) of VT’s rushing yards and 47.4% (nine) of Tech’s rushing TDs a year ago.

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