VIRGINIA TECH’S 2011 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Sept. 3 Appalachian State
Sept. 10 at East Carolina
Sept. 17 Arkansas State
Sept. 24 at Marshall
Oct. 1 Clemson
Oct. 8 Miami
Oct. 15 at Wake Forest
Oct. 22 Boston College
Oct. 29 at Duke
Nov. 5 open
Nov. 10 at Georgia Tech (Thursday night)
Nov. 17 North Carolina (Thursday night)
Nov. 26 at Virginia

GAME-BY-GAME BREAKDOWN
APPALACHIAN STATE
Sept. 3, at Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, Va.
Last season: 10-3, lost to Villanova in the FCS quarterfinals
Key losses: LB D.J. Smith, DL Jabari Fletcher, DB Mark LeGree
Series history: Tech is 3-0 all time against App State; all three games were in Blacksburg; last meeting was Oct. 23, 1982
Lowdown: Hokies will be on full alert for this game after losing to FCS opponent James Madison last year at Lane Stadium. The Mountaineers were the original giant-killer after taking down Michigan in Ann Arbor back in 2007. App. State returns much of its offensive talent, but it loses a lot on defense, including its leading tackler (Smith), leading sack man (Fletcher) and interception leader (LeGree). Quarterback DeAndre Presley returns for his senior season. He led the Mountaineers in rushing (1,039 yards, 13 TDs) and passing (61.2 percent, 2,631 yards, 21 TDs) last season.

@ EAST CAROLINA
Sept. 10, Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, N.C.
Last season: 6-7, lost to Maryland in the Military Bowl
Key losses: RB Jon Williams, WR Dwayne Harris, LB Dustin Lineback
Series history: Hokies lead 11-5, are 4-2 in Greenville
Lowdown: Tech has won three straight in Greenville and two straight in the series. Hokies won 16-3 on Thursday night in Greenville in 2009. Pirates return a lot of offensive firepower, namely quarterback Dominique Davis (64.5 percent, 3,967 yards, 37 TDs) and second-leading receiver Lance Lewis (89 catches, 1,116 yards, 14 TDs). Must replace Harris, who had 101 receptions playing in ECU’s spread offense. Eagles also graduated top tackler Lineback, who had 119 stops last year.

ARKANSAS STATE
Sept. 17, Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, Va.
Last season: 4-8
Key losses: LB Javon McKinnon, DL Bryan Hall, DB M.D. Jennings
Series history: Teams have played three previous times, all in Blacksburg. Tech is 3-0 against ASU. Red Wolves have scored a total of 14 points in three games; last meeting was Aug. 25, 2002.
Lowdown: The Red Wolves lost five games by a touchdown or less last season and two by two or fewer points. They return a heap of offensive talent, including dual-threat quarterback Ryan Aplin, who completed 61.5 percent of his passes for 2,939 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and was second on the team in rushing with 477 yards and 11 touchdowns. ASU also returns top rusher Derek Lawson (500 yards, 4 TDs) and top receiver Dwayne Frampton (69-738-6).

@MARSHALL
Sept. 24, Joan C. Edwards Stadium, Huntington, W.Va.
Last season: 5-7 (won four of last five)
Key losses: QB Brian Anderson, LB Mario Harvey
Series history: Virginia Tech leads 8-2, it’s 0-2 all time in Huntington, WVa
Lowdown: Hokies make trip to Huntington for first time since 1940. They lost both of their games in Huntington. Marshall was competitive toward the end of the 2010 season, but they must replace quarterback Anderson and leading tackler Harvey, who had 143 stops last season. Herd returns leading rusher Martin Ward (372 yards, TD), leading receiver Aaron Dobson (44-689-5) and their top sack man Vinny Curry (12). Local players Brandon Sparrow, a defensive linemen from Liberty-Bedford, and Anthony Fletcher, a linebacker from Amherst, could see a lot of playing time this season. Sparrow played in 10 games last year.

CLEMSON
Oct. 1, Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, Va.
Last season: 6-7, lost to South Florida in the Meineke Car Care Bowl
Key losses: DE Da’Quan Bowers, SS DeAndre McDaniel, QB Kyle Parker
Lowdown: Very winnable game against a team that will use the offseason to jump start a stagnant offense and find replacements for its top two defensive players. Clemson retooled its offensive coaching staff and hired a new offensive coordinator (Tulsa’s Chad Morris). The Tigers return some top playmakers – running backs Jamie Harper and Andre Ellington combined to gain 2,164 all-purpose yards and score 22 touchdowns last season – but they must replace quarterback Kyle Parker, who is giving up football to focus on his professional baseball career. Parker’s heir apparent is sophomore Tajh Boyd, who was plucked right out of Tech’s backyard in Hampton (Phoebus High). Boyd is big (6-2, 230 pounds) and athletic and could be a dynamic playmaker in Clemson’s spread offense. Tigers only had seven seniors on its bowl game two-deep roster. Three of those were starters. Parker and Bowers both have eligibility left, but both chose to pursue professional careers – Bowers is a projected high pick in the upcoming NFL Draft and Parker was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the first round of last year’s baseball draft.

MIAMI
Oct. 8, Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, Va.
Last season: 7-6, lost to Notre Dame in the Sun Bowl
Key losses: DL Allen Bailey, LB Sean Spence, WR Leonard Hankerson
Lowdown: The Hurricanes have a new head coach – former Temple coach and UVa assistant Al Golden – and the usual suspects at quarterback – senior Jacory Harris and sophomore Stephen Morris. Neither of those two inspire confidence from the Miami fans, especially Harris, who has been mistake prone his entire career. The Hurricanes not only lost a head coach, they lost three underclassmen to the NFL draft and a ton of seniors. Eight Miami seniors were invited to the NFL’s draft combine. Not sure a team can lose all that and be competitive the next year, especially after a mediocre season like 2010.

@WAKE FOREST
Oct. 15, Grove Stadium, Winston-Salem, N.C.
Last season: 3-9
Key losses: LB Hunter Haynes, S Alex Frye
Series history: Tech leads series 23-11-1; Hokies last visited Wake Forest on Nov. 18, 2006 (27-6 win)
Lowdown: The Demon Deacons missed a bowl game for the second straight year after suffering their worst season since 2000 (2-8). They lost only five starters from last year’s team. They return their top offensive skill players, including sophomore quarterback Tanner Price (56.8 percent, 1,349 yards, 7 TDs, 8 INTs), super fast sophomore tailback Josh Harris (241 yards, 2 TDs vs. Tech last season) and wide receivers Devon Brown and Chris Givens. They lose top tackler Haynes and their interceptions leader in Frye, but coach Jim Grobe has a strong track record of cultivating talent, and this could be the year the Deacons blossom.

BOSTON COLLEGE
Oct. 22, Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, Va.
Last season: 7-6, lost to Nevada in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
Key losses: LT Anthony Castonzo, LB Mark Herzlich
Lowdown: Eagles lost nine seniors from their two-deep roster, including former ACC defensive player of the year linebacker Mark Herzlich and projected first round left tackle Anthony Castonzo. But BC returns a lot of young talent, including senior tailback Montel Harris, who had 1,243 rushing yards and eight TDs last year and led the ACC last year in rushing yards per game. BC also returns sophomore Chase Rettig, who went 5-4 at quarterback last year, and junior linebacker Luke Kuechly, who led the country with 183 tackles last year.

@DUKE
Oct. 29, Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, N.C.
Last season: 3-9
Key losses: LB Abraham Kromah, DE Patrick Egboh
Series history: Hokies lead series 11-7, their last visit to Durham came on Oct. 3, 2009, won 34-26
Lowdown: Junior Sean Renfree was one of the most touted high school quarterbacks a few years back, and he had a good first season last year for the Blue Devils (61.4 percent, 3,131 yards, 14 TDs, 17 INTs). If he can take the next step, the Blue Devils could become bowl eligible for the first time since 1995. Duke returns top rusher Desmond Scott (530 yards, 3 TDs) and top receiver Conner Vernon (73-973-4), but they must replace top tackler Kromah and Egboh, who led the team with 4.5 sacks.

@GEORGIA TECH
Thursday, Nov. 10, Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.
Last season: 6-7, lost to Air Force in Independence Bowl
Key losses: RB Anthony Allen, QB Joshua Nesbitt, S Jerrard Tarrant, LB Brad Jefferson
Series history: Virginia Tech leads series 5-3, lost 28-23 last time it visited Atlanta in 2009
Lowdown: Most of the key players from the Yellow Jackets 2009 ACC championship squad, namely former ACC player of the year quarterback Joshua Nesbitt, are gone. This could be a major rebuilding year for Georgia Tech, as it loses its top two rushers, its top passer, and several top defenders from a team that fell off big time when Nesbitt suffered a season-ending injury against Virginia Tech on Nov. 4.

NORTH CAROLINA
Thursday, Nov. 17, Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, Va.
Last season: 8-5, beat Tennessee in the Music City Bowl
Key losses: QB T.J. Yates, LB Quan Sturdivant, LB Bruce Carter, S Deunte Williams
Lowdown: There aren’t many teams in the country that lose more talent this year than UNC. There were 11 senior starters listed on the Tar Heels’ Music City Bowl two-deep. Among those seniors were quarterback T.J. Yates, who holds 31 school records and defensive stalwarts Quan Sturdivant, Bruce Carter and Deunte Williams. That’s not to mention defensive linemen Robert Quinn and Marvin Austin, both of whom are projected first-round draft picks but missed the entire 2010 season because of suspensions. UNC had an ACC-high 12 players invited to the NFL draft combine. Sophomore-to-be Bryn Renner is the heir apparent at QB. He’s a Virginia native with ties to the Hokies. His father Bill was a punter at Virginia Tech and with the Green Bay Packers. The younger Renner has attempted only two career passes.

@VIRGINIA
Nov. 26, Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, Va.
Last season: 4-8
Key losses: RB Keith Payne, QB Marc Verica, CB Ras-I Dowling
Series history: Tech leads 50-37-5, has won seven straight and 11 of 12
Lowdown: Year two of the Mike London era. Who is the QB: Michael Rocco, Ross Metheny or someone else? A lot of question marks surrounding this team. London has had success recruiting. It’s still uncertain whether he can turn that into sustained success on the football field.