Hokies continue hot start, ‘Hoos look to rebound

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - Virginia Tech’s start to the 2020 season, on the field, is about as good as Hokies' fans could’ve hope for.

Virginia Tech is 2-0 overall and 2-0 in ACC play after defeating Duke on the road this past Saturday. The Hokies rushed for 324 yards in the win, marking the second straight week Tech broke the 300-yard mark on the ground. It also marked Virginia Tech’s second straight game, to start the season, where the program was without more than 20 players and two assistant coaches.

“I think it’s been a fantastic complement to these young people," said Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente. "To these young kids or young men. Their ability to handle adversity and kind of just plow through the uncertainty and the unknowns that we are all dealing with.”

The Hokies, who check in at No. 19 in the latest AP Poll, travel to No. 8 North Carolina for a 12 p.m. kickoff this coming Saturday. TV coverage will be on WHSV (ABC).

Meanwhile, in Charlottesville, UVA is in bounce back mode after the Cavaliers suffered a 41-23 loss at No. 1 Clemson this past Saturday.

“The ACC is a competitive league," said UVA head coach Bronco Mendenhall. "There is tons of balance. Every week is difficult. The schedule is unrelenting.”

The ‘Hoos were without seven players and one coach in the loss to Clemson due to COVID-19 test results. It marked the program’s first issues with the virus since late July.

“We’ll try to mitigate it the best we can after I have now kind of seen what this looks a little closer than from just hearing about other programs,” said Mendenhall.

UVA returns to action Saturday at noon when the Cavaliers host NC State.