Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 12 No. 1 | August 2019

18 Inside Hokie Sports Top Storylines 5 by Jimmy Robertson I n 2018, the Virginia Tech football program suffered through its first losing season in 26 years, as a Military Bowl game loss to Cincinnati left the Hokies at 6-7. Inexperience, injuries and suspensions gradually wreaked havoc on a campaign that started with a nice road win at Florida State and then fell apart during the latter half of the season, beginning with a 49-28 Thursday night home loss to Georgia Tech. The Hokies face another road test to start this season, as they head to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts to take on Boston College in the 2019 season opener. A year ago, they started the fall with just nine seniors. This time around, they enter with only five. Still, with a manageable schedule and a group of young players who played extensively in 2018, Tech enters the 2019 fray with lofty expectations. With that said, here are the top five storylines for the upcoming season: Can Tech’s defense return to form? 1 The 2018 season was difficult for Bud Foster’s defense. The group lost seven starters from the 2017 unit, and then injuries—Houshun Gaines, Bryce Watts, Jeremy Webb, Xavier Burke and others—took a toll, forcing Foster and his staff to play a bunch of younger players who weren’t ready. Trevon Hill’s midseason dismissal hurt as well. It all resulted in Tech finishing 106th nationally in rush defense (210.3 ypg), 98th in total defense (438.7 ypg) and 85th in scoring defense (31.0 ppg). The good news for Tech’s defense is that nine starters return. The Hokies only lost Ricky Walker, an All-ACC defensive tackle, and cornerback Bryce Watts, who decided to transfer in the offseason. In all, twelve players return who started at least one game in 2018. Tech should be good up the middle this fall, with tackles Jarrod Hewitt and DaShawn Crawford, linebackers Rayshard Ashby and Dax Hollifield, and safeties Divine Deablo and Reggle Floyd. With the exception of Crawford [a junior college transfer], the remaining players played extensively in 2018 and form the nucleus of what could be a good defense. 2 Is there enough depth at cornerback? Watts struggled at times last fall, and he struggled at times this spring, but he brought speed and experience, having started 12 games as a sophomore in 2018. His departure leaves the Hokies in a somewhat familiar spot—searching for cornerbacks. Caleb Farley will man one cornerback position after starting 12 games a year ago as a redshirt freshman and finishing with 29 tackles and two interceptions. Who mans the other spot, though? Maybe Jovonn Quillen, a steady senior who has started two games in his career, though he contributes more on special teams. Tech’s staff loves both Jermaine Waller and Armani Chatman, both of whom showed an ability to make plays this spring. Both bring some size, too—Waller is 6-foot-1, Chatman 5-11—but both are young. Waller played in 12 games a year ago as a true freshman, while Chatman took a redshirt year. Can Jeremy Webb help? The former junior college transfer has torn both Achilles tendons during his time in Blacksburg. He has been practicing, but expecting him to jump in and be an instant contributor seems a little much. Head coach Justin Fuente, Foster and cornerbacks coach Brian Mitchell will need to find the answer to this question quickly. Deshawn M c Clease