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

inside.hokiesports.com 19 The Hokies feature an immensely skilled group of receivers—maybe the strongest part of this team. Damon Hazelton and Tré Turner lead the unit, with Hezekiah Grimsley and Phil Patterson also in the mix and a group of talented receivers waiting in the wings (Darryle Simmons, Kaleb Smith, DeJuan Ellis and Elijah Bowick). Hazelton caught 51 passes for 802 yards and eight touchdowns a year ago, and Turner finished with 26 for 535 yards and four touchdowns. Most of Turner’s production came toward the end of the season when he established himself as a big-play threat. Together, they could combine for more than 100 receptions this season. The staff is bullish on the group. If they remain healthy—and the Hokies get consistency from whoever wins the quarterback job —they could break the school’s single-season passing yardage record (3,660 in 2016). 5 Can the receivers live up to the hype? 3 Can the Hokies run the ball better in 2019? Tech averaged 174.3 yards rushing per game in 2018, and on the surface, that appears to be a solid showing. But in today’s world of high-powered college offenses, that number ranked ninth in the ACC and 57th nationally. In fact, the Hokies pretty much ranked eighth or ninth in the league in every rushing stat (total rushing yards, yards per carry and total touchdowns). Tech lost its top rusher from a season ago in Steven Peoples, who finished with 786 yards and six touchdowns, and the Hokies need to replace three starters on the offensive line. So this is another situation that bears scrutiny. Tech should be in good shape on the offensive line, given that group’s depth, but it really needs for a tailback to jump-start the attack. Deshawn McClease (433 yards), Jalen Holston (281 yards) and Terius Wheatley (126 yards) return at the spot, but fans and others will be keeping tabs on true freshman Keshawn King, who rushed for 2,000 yards as a senior in high school and nearly 5,000 yards for his career. He could be the one to add some juice to the attack. 4 How solid is the placekicking situation? Kicker Jordan Stout entered the NCAA’s transfer portal after spring practice and ultimately transferred to Penn State, leaving a large void. Stout emerged as a weapon in 2018, booting 60 of his 71 kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks. His 84.5 percent touchback rate ranked fourth nationally among FBS kickers. He also figured into the mix as a potential placekicker this season. Brian Johnson started at kicker for Tech in 2018, and he made 12 of his 18 field-goal attempts. But Johnson only connected on three of his nine attempts from beyond 40 yards, and he missed three field goals in the Spring Game. Tech’s staff brought in some competition, with John Parker Romo transferring to Tech from Tulsa. He, like Stout, was more of a kickoff specialist, with 28 of his 59 kickoffs going for touchbacks. The kicking situation certainly bears watching. Tré Turner

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