Virginia Tech, Florida State set for Labor Day showdown

No. 20 Virginia Tech and No. 19 Florida State meet for the first time since 2012 on Monday night when the two perennial ACC powers square off in a primetime Labor Day duel under the lights at Doak Campbell Stadium.

The Hokies and Seminoles will close the book on Week 1 of the college football season, and there is plenty of intrigue around the matchup.

Both teams are coming off slightly disappointing seasons that ended very differently. Virginia Tech raced out to a 7-1 start before losing three of its final five games, while the Seminoles began 2017 with an ugly 3-6 record, but won their final four games to finish 7-6 and keep their NCAA-record alive of 36 straight bowl appearances.

When Florida State beat Virginia Tech in the last matchup between these programs six years ago, Frank Beamer was leading Virginia Tech and Jimbo Fisher ran the show for the Seminoles.

Fisher left at the end of last season for Texas A&M, while Beamer retired in 2015. Beamer, however, will return Monday night to be an honorary captain for the game alongside Florida State coaching legend Bobby Bowden, who retired in 2009.

The idea to have the duo be part of the game – Bowden, specifically – was all part of the master plan to change the football culture at Florida State by new head coach Willie Taggart. He wanted to incorporate the legends of the program who helped make it great, including re-hiring longtime defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews as a special assistant and inviting former star players, like Deion Sanders and Peter Warrick, to come around.

“I am honored that Coach Bowden accepted our offer to be the honorary captain for our first game at Florida State,” said Taggart, who was hired in December 2017 when Fisher abruptly left for College Station before the Seminoles’ bowl game. “Growing up, I admired Coach Bowden for his success on the field as well as his passion for changing the lives of young men, and I could not think of a greater vote of confidence than having him on the field for our first game. This is also a great opportunity for our fans to show their appreciation to Coach Bowden and adds to what will surely be a fantastic atmosphere on Labor Day night.”

Justin Fuente enters his third season as Virginia Tech’s head coach, replacing Beamer after the end of the 2015 season. Fuente’s gone 19-8 in two years.

Taggart certainly is ready to begin his coaching career at Florida State — a school he grew up cheering as a young football player in nearby Bradenton, Fla. — while Fuente is equally ready for his guys to put on the pads and atone for the disappointing end to last season.

“I’m excited to go compete with our guys. They’ve worked incredibly hard,” Fuente said. “Sure, we have some youth, but I like them. I like the way they’ve worked. I like the way they’re continuing to prepare. There’s only one way to get experience, and that’s to get out there on the field, and what better way to do it than jumping right in the fire.”

The Seminoles return 12 starters — eight on offense, four on defense. Although, the biggest returner is easily quarterback Deondre Francois, who missed most of last year after suffering a knee injury in Week 1 against Alabama. Francois had to battle two teammates – sophomore James Blackman and freshman Bailey Hockman — to regain the job, and he was announced as the starter earlier this week by Taggart.

The Hokies, who finished 9-4 last season, return 12 starters — seven on offense, five on defense.

–Field Level Media