Hokie ClubTelevision: ESPNU
Play-by-Play — Roy Philpott
Analyst — Tom Ramsey
National Radio: SiriusXM
Sirius — 211
XM — 381
Internet — 967
Local Radio: Virginia Tech IMG Sports
Play-by-Play — Jon Laaser
Analyst — Mike Burnop
Sideline — Andrew Allegretta
Flagship — 105.3 FM
VIRGINIA TECH RETURNS TO ACC PLAY
• Virginia Tech returns to ACC play with a road trip to North Carolina (10/13).
• The Hokies are coming off a 45-23 home loss vs. Notre Dame (10/6). Tech trailed by a 17-16 margin at halftime before the Irish broke off 21 unanswered points.
• North Carolina is coming off a bye following a 47-10 loss at Miami (9/27).
• The Hokies are 8-1 under Justin Fuente in their next game following a loss.
• Tech's last road trip resulted in a 31-14 win at Duke (9/29) and it will be deja vu all over again as the Hokies will stay in the same Chapel Hill, N.C. hotel for this trip.
• Virginia Tech has outscored the Tar Heels by a combined 93-10 margin in two previous contests under Fuente.
• Virginia Tech's most recent trek to Kenan Stadium resulted in a 34-3 win (10/8/16) in a game played amidst Hurricane Matthew.
• The Hokies are 7-3 in ACC road games under Fuente, including three straight wins dating back to a 10-0 victory at UVA (11/24/17).
• UNC has lost five of its last six home ACC games dating back to the 2016 campaign.
• Saturday's contest will mark Virginia Tech's third straight ACC road game to open the 2018 season. The Hokies won't play an ACC foe at home until facing Georgia Tech (10/25).
CONNECTIONS: VIRGINIA TECH-NORTH CAROLINA
• The Hokies feature 13 North Carolina natives: D.J. Crossen (Greensboro), Zion Debose (Salisbury), Divine Deablo (Winston-Salem), Drake DeIuliis (Charlotte), Caleb Farley (Hickory), Houshun Gaines (Rocky Mount), Dax Hollifield (Shelby), Hendon Hooker (Greensboro), Joe Kane (Wake Forest), Jimmie Taylor (Jacksonville), Nadir Thompson (Rocky Mount), Alan Tisdale (Greensboro), Tré Turner (Greensboro).
• North Carolina WR Dazz Newsome's older brother, Deon, graduated from Virginia Tech in 2018 and played for the Hokies from 2014-17.
• Deon started the final two games of the 2017 season for the Hokies at whip linebacker at Virginia (11/24/17) and vs. Oklahoma State in the Camping World Bowl (12/28/17).
• Myron Newsome, Dazz and Deon's father, also lettered at Tech from 1995-96 for Frank Beamer.
• UNC defensive coordinator John Papuchis graduated from Virginia Tech in 2011 with a degree in business management and worked as a volunteer assistant at Blacksburg High School as an undergraduate under former head coach David Crist.
HAZELTON MAKING AN IMPACT
• Expected to make an instant impact at wideout for the Hokies entering the 2018 season, Ball State transfer Damon Hazelton has lived up to the hype in the early going.
• His 95.8 receiving yards per game ranks fourth in the ACC.
• He has three 100-yard receiving games, tied for the most in the ACC, and has four in his career.
• Hazelton put up 100-yard receiving games in back-to-back weeks (vs. W&M, at ODU) and has scored a touchdown in all five games this season.
• Against Notre Dame (10/6), Hazelton tied WR Isaiah Ford's program record of five consecutive games with a receiving TD (list below).
• He registered his first 100-yard receiving game as a Hokie vs. William & Mary (9/8) and his first catch in a VT uniform was a 10-yard TD catch vs. Florida State (9/3).
• The Baltimore native racked up 51 catches for 505 yards in 11 games for Ball State as a true freshman.
• He transferred from Ball State and was recommended to Tech wide receivers coach Holmon Wiggins by Texas A&M wide receivers coach Aaron Moorehead, who coached wide receivers for the Hokies from 2013-14.
• He sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, redshirted, and made friends with New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. while working out with trainer Jamal Liggin.