Hokies, Seminoles address marque opener

Game set for prime time on Labor Day night

CHARLOTTE, NC. – With Jimbo Fisher leaving Florida State to coach Texas A & M, the Seminoles hired Willie Taggart in the offseason to take over the reins of the program. Taggart will be put to the test in week 1 as Florida State hosts the Hokies.  Virginia Tech opened last season with a neutral site thriller against West Virginia and 2018 brings another primetime matchup as the Hokies pay a visit to Florida State on Labor Day.

"It's a tremendous challenge but I love it. I think our players will embrace it. They are excited to bust out a bunch of new guys out there and we'll see how it goes. There's no sense in us dipping our toe in the shallow end. We might at well cannonball in the deep end," Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente said.

"This time of year is like Christmas in August because football is back and then to have that first game on Labor Day and have everybody watching you is huge and I know for our guys it's nothing new to them. But it is awesome to not only have that game but to have it at home," Florida State head coach Willie Taggart said.


Florida State finished 2017 with a disappointing 7-6 season, and a concern for the upcoming slate of games is the Seminole's defense that only returns four starters.

"We do lack experience but I am extremely confident that the guys we have are going to step up. That's what football is about. It's about the next man coming up and playing. So it's always next man up," Seminoles defensive end Brian Burns said.

 "Even though we only have four it's still pretty stout over there, but you expect that at Florida State. And we have some pretty good young players who haven't played yet," Taggart said.

 It's been a decade since the Hokies collided with the Seminoles in Tallahassee. Virginia Tech hasn't won there since 1974.

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