Hokies to face Clemson in ACC Championship game Saturday

This is Tech's sixth ACC title game appearance, most of any school in the league

November 28, 2016

No. 19 Virginia Tech will travel to Orlando, Florida this Friday as the Hokies prepare for the 2016 Dr Pepper ACC Championship Game battle with Atlantic Division winner and No. 3-ranked Clemson in Camping World Stadium. The game, which can be seen nationally on ABC, will kick just after 8 p.m. on Saturday night.

• GAME NOTES page - includes links to Tech's game notes, this week's opponent's game notes, ACC weekly notes and head coach Justin Fuente's quotes from Monday's press conference.

HOKIES SEEK FIFTH ACC TITLE

• Virginia Tech (AP No. 19, Coaches No. 18) squares off with Clemson at Camping World Stadium in Orlando (12/3) as the Hokies seek a fifth ACC Championship. Since VT joinied the ACC in 2004, no team owns more ACC Championships (4). FSU also has four.
• VT is appearing in the ACC Championship Game for the first time since facing Clemson in the 2011 game.
• Virginia Tech will make its first appearance in Orlando since claiming a 13-10 OT win vs. Rutgers (12/28/12) in the Russell Athletic Bowl.
• The Hokies have won five of their last six games and are coming off a 52-10 victory vs. UVA (11/26), marking VT’s 13th consecutive win against the Cavaliers.
• Clemson boasts a 25-2 record since the start of the 2015 campaign with those only losses coming by a 45-40 count vs. Alabama (1/11/16) in the 2015 CFB Playoff Championship Game and a 43-42 home loss vs. Pitt (11/12/16) that snapped a nine-game win streak.
• Virginia Tech is seeking its first 10-win season since 2011 which would make Justin Fuente the first coach in school history to claim 10 wins in his debut campaign.
• Virginia Tech’s last win in this series was a 41-23 victory at Clemson (10/6/07). The Tigers own three straight wins vs. VT, getting a 38-17 win in the last meeting (10/20/12).
• Clemson registered a 56-7 win vs. S. Carolina (11/26).

KEY STATS ON ACC CHAMPIONSHIP CLASH

• The Hokies are 7-2 in ACC play dating back to last season’s 23-20 win at UVA (11/28/15).
• VT is bowl eligible for the 24th consecutive season, the longest active streak recognized by the NCAA.
• VT is 2-2 & Clemson is 3-1 vs. common ACC foes.
• The Hokies are 40-3 (.930) in ACC play when scoring 30+ points, including a 5-0 mark in 2016. • Clemson is 67-5 (.931) under Dabo Swinney when scoring 30+ points.
• Virginia Tech has outscored its foes by a 39.9-16.3 ppg margin in its nine wins in 2016.
• Virginia Tech is +6 (17 takes/11 gives) in its nine wins and -8 (3 takes/11 gives) in its three losses.
• Dating back to the start of the 2015 season Clemson is -3 (47 takes/50 gives) in the turnover column.
• Virginia Tech owns 38-3 record (.927) dating back to 1996 when forcing three or more INTs.
• Clemson QB Deshaun Watson threw three INTs in a 43-42 loss vs. Pitt (11/12), completing 52 of 70 passes for 580 yards with three TDs in that game.

DISRUPTIVE #LPD DOING IT AGAIN IN 2016

• Among P5 defenses, only Michigan (20.9%) & Wisconsin (26.6%) have lower third-down conversion rates than Virginia Tech’s Lunch Pail D (26.8%).
• VT (98.0) is seventh in the FBS in TFLs, while Clemson (104.0) is tied for second behind Michigan (115.0).
• VT ranks eighth in the P5 in pass defense (186.4 ypg), while Clemson is fifth (180.2 ypg).
• VT is tied for the ACC-low by allowing 18 Red Zone TDs. • LB Andrew Motuapuaka leads VT with 102 tackles (47 solo). He scored the fourth defensive TD of his career with a 70-yard fumble return vs. UVA (11/26).

HOKIES SEEK ANOTHER FAST START

• VT has led at halftime in eight of its nine wins. The Hokies rebounded from a 24-14 halftime deficit to register a 34-31 win at Notre Dame (11/19). VT has trailed at halftime in its three losses.
• VT owns a 208-131 first-half scoring edge in 2016, while Clemson owns a 288-80 advantage. VT & Clemson led by a combined margin of 63-0 at halftime in their rivalry games last week.
• Clemson has led or been tied at half in every game this season.
• The Tigers have shut out nine opponents in the first quarter in 2016, owning a 152-20 edge in the opening period.
• The last time Clemson trailed at halftime was the 2016 CFB Playoff Semifinal (12/31/15). Oklahoma held a 17-16 halftime lead but was shut out in the second half of a 37-17 Clemson victory.
• Virginia Tech has shut out six opponents in the first quarter - UVA, Pitt, UNC, ECU, BC and Tennessee.
• Clemson has posted 20 games with 50+ points under Swinney, including four this season.

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