VT coach sees 'fantastic opportunity' in Clemson gameday |
Leading up to kickoff around 8 p.m. Saturday night, Virginia Tech's football program will get quite the infomercial from ESPN and then ABC. How it goes from there comes down to how Justin Fuente's No. 12 Hokies play versus the second-ranked Tigers.
ESPN’s College GameDay being in Blacksburg brings an extra spotlight for the primetime game. “I think it's a fantastic opportunity for us to not just show off our football program but our school,” Fuente said on Wednesday’s ACC teleconference. “There is a tremendous amount of school pride here at Virginia Tech. I think that will be on display Saturday morning and throughout the day and into the game. I'd like for people to see a young football team that is on the rise and fighting and scratching and clawing for everything that they can get. “I think we play an attractive style of football on both sides of the ball. We have a culture of people that value those same things are attracted to. Hard work and trying to do things the right way. So hopefully people will be able to see that through their television sets.” Earlier this week, Fuente compared preparing for Clemson to “defusing a bomb.” The second-year coach called Dabo Swinney’s program “one of the elite teams in all of America right now” Wednesday, but similar to pregame talk out of Clemson this week, added it’s just one game in the season. “I haven't really talked to our guys about measuring ourselves versus anybody else other than our own best,” Fuente said. These two programs have led the way consistently since Virginia Tech joined the ACC in 2004. In that span (2004-17), Virginia Tech and Clemson have each totaled a league-best 75 conference wins, with the Hokies taking four ACC titles and six division crowns and Clemson claiming three ACC championships and four outright division titles. The Hokies’ last win over Clemson came five games and a decade ago in the series, a 41-23 win in Death Valley. Since then, Clemson has won by 19 points a game with the closest result being last year’s ACC Championship (a 42-35 final). “We're anxious to go play. We're excited to play this game at home and see how things go,” Fuente said. Clemson and Virginia Tech are two of five undefeated ACC teams through four weeks, joined by Wake Forest, Duke and Miami. Both Fuente and Swinney weighed in on the early ACC success Wednesday. “I think we've got a bunch of great teams and a bunch of great coaches in this league,” Swinney said. “It's a huge, huge challenge week in and week out, but it's good to see the league having success, but it's also one of those things if you're going to be successful in the postseason, you know, what you see week in and week out in your conference to me helps prepare you for that.” “I think a rising tide floats all boats,” Fuente said. “I think good coaches and good athletes are all across this conference. I wouldn't bury Florida State just yet. I wouldn't be surprised to see them win a bunch of games this year. And the season's early. We're only four games into it. But we take all of that stuff with a grain of salt and just try to move forward. “But I certainly think having good teams helps the profile of the league as a whole.” More from Fuente (ACC transcript) On Clemson’s defensive line: Well, I tell you, scouting report on their entire defensive line is big, aggressive, fast, physical. They're both equally disruptive in the run game and the pass game. I think it's the strength of their defense, and they've got some really good players in the secondary and at linebacker. So it's incredibly talented from front to back. But those defensive linemen are pretty special. On Clemson’s secondary in light of injuries: Well, Clemson has been recruiting at a pretty high level for several years now. So they've got good players across the board and great depth. I see guys in the back end that are aggressive and well coached and physically talented, understand their scheme. They're part of the reason they're only giving up six points to a team like Auburn. I mean, they're pretty darn good. On redshirt freshman QB Josh Jackson playing in his first big game and his look this week: Well, I thought the first game was a pretty big game. Pretty fantastic atmosphere against another quality opponent. Obviously Clemson is defending national champions. I'm certainly not comparing those two schools, but he played well in the first big game. I've seen his preparation remain the same throughout our first four weeks. I was anticipating he'd continue throughout the season… I haven't seen anything out of character for Josh. Obviously we all know and recognize that we have a tremendous challenge in front of us, but I haven't seen any change in Josh's demeanor or preparation… He's a pretty level-headed kid. Takes everything in stride, the good with the bad. I mean, I think he fully understands the challenge that's in front of him and he's going to do his best to have a great week of preparation and try to play as solid a game as he can.
Upgrade Your Account
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now
