Virginia Tech Football: Way-too-early game-by-game predictions for 2020
By James Bowers
Virginia Tech football is looking to carry over some momentum built from the 2019 season. How will Justin Fuente and the Hokies fare?
The 2019 season marked the 20th anniversary of Virginia Tech’s Michael Vick-driven national runner-up run. Last year’s Hokies didn’t really get near that kind of success.
However, the 2019 Fighting Gobblers won eight and made a bowl game. The outcome of the 2019 season was one that was largely expected by pundits for Justin Fuente’s outfit. Hokie fans enjoyed watching the emergence of Hendon Hooker and a defense ranked in the top 50 nationally.
Spirits were crushed by the Gobblers’ first loss to hated foe Virginia in nearly two decades. The defeat cost Virginia Tech the Coastal division crown and relegated VPI to the Belk Bowl, where they dropped a one-touchdown defeat to the Kentucky Wildcats. The promising season ended on a low note for Fuente and his Blacksburg cohorts.
Saying goodbye to headline-grabbers like running back DeShawn McClease and wide receiver Damon Hazelton will not be easy to do, but the Hokies have some great returning talent. Leading receiver Tre Turner will come back for more in 2020, along with defensive hitmakers like linebacker Rayshard Ashby and cornerback Divine Diablo will again headline that side of the ball.
An undefeated season in 2020 is not a popular projection. Penn State and a surging North Carolina team are present on Tech’s schedule. The Hokies outlasted the Heels in a nail-biting overtime game at Lane Stadium last year. That same North Carolina team will have ironed out its inexperience and welcomed a top-20 recruiting class to Chapel Hill as UNC hosts Virginia Tech this year.
The Hokies worry little about the likes of Boston College and Georgia Tech, and with most key people coming back, a duplication of last year’s eight-win season is a very attainable goal.
Let’s take a closer look at Virginia Tech’s 2020 outlook.