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Virginia Tech will open its season on Monday night against defending national champion and preseason No. 1 Ohio State in Lane Stadium at 8 p.m. The game can be seen live on ESPN.

Below are some of the top Bullet Points for Tech's season and home opener against Ohio State

• Tech hosts defending national champion OSU in one of the most highly-anticipated games in Lane Stadium lore.
• The Hokies handed the Buckeyes a 35-21 loss at Ohio Stadium (9/6/14) before 107,517 fans, the largest in-stadium crowd ever to witness a VT game, snapping OSU’s 25-game regular season winning streak.
• OSU’s last two losses have come vs. ACC foes (35-21 to Virginia Tech & 40-35 vs. Clemson on 1/3/14).
• OSU hasn’t lost consecutive contests to the same foe in back-to-back years since losing 18-15 vs. USC (9/12/09).
• For the second time in three years, the Hokies open the season against the defending national champions after facing No. 1 Alabama to start the 2013 season. OSU is 38-3 overall under Urban Meyer.

Tech’s Offense Continues to Progress Under Loeffler, Key Scoring Stats on Hokies & Buckeyes

• Scot Loeffler’s notable QB pupils include Tom Brady & Tim Tebow, as well as second-year VT starter, Michael Brewer.
• After throwing 10 INTs (5.2 INT %) in his first five starts, Brewer cut that total in half during the final eight games of the season (5 INTs, 2.0 INT %). He set VT highs with 345 yards & a 138.7 rating vs. Boston College (11/1/14).
• Versatile TE Bucky Hodges (team-high 7 TDs) WR Isaiah Ford (team-best 56 recs./709 yds and 6 TDs) are both back.
• Three Tech RBs had five 100-yard games in 2014: J.C. Coleman (2), Marshawn Williams (2) & Shai McKenzie (1).
• VT (41-125, 1 TDs) outgained OSU (40-108, 2 TDs) on the ground in last year’s meeting in Columbus.
• After a 35-21 loss vs. VT (9/6/14), Ohio State outscored its final 13 foes by an average margin of 47.5 to 21.4.
• OSU is 33-1 under Meyer when scoring 30+ points. That lone loss was a 40-35 setback vs. Clemson (1/3/14).
• Dating back to 1996, VT held opponents to less than 30 points in 94.3% (116 of 123) of its games at Lane Stadium.
• Ohio State will be the first active Big Ten school to visit Lane Stadium. The Hokies are 10-1 (.909) at home vs. current B1G members: 6-0 vs. Rutgers, 3-1 vs. Maryland and 1-0 vs. Nebraska.

Turnovers, Big Plays & Third-Down Stats, Foster Leads the #LunchPailD

• Since Bud Foster took over as VT’s sole defensive coordinator in 1996, VT (527) ranks fourth among Power Five squads in total takeaways, trailing only USC (556), Florida State (538) and Oregon (528).
• Over that same span, only Kansas State (112) has more combined defensive and special teams TDs than Virginia Tech (106). Ohio State is among four teams tied for third with 92.
• In OSU’s 38 wins under Meyer, the Buckeyes are +16 in the turnover column have committed 1.5 giveaways per game (56 total). In three losses, they are -1 (2.5 gives per game, including three gives vs. VT (9/6/14).
• Preseason All-America CB Kendall Fuller pairs with Brandon Facyson to give VT one of the top FBS corner combos.
• Among Power Five teams, only Louisville & TCU (26 apiece) forced more INTs than Ohio State (25) in 2014.
• Dating back to 1996, only Florida State (31.2) has been better in third-down defense than VT (31.5).
• OSU’s offense ranked third among Power Five teams with a third-down conversion rate of 52.0 (103 of 198).
• VT’s defense held OSU to 25.0 (4 of 16) last year, while VT’s offense converted 52.9% (9 of 17) third-down tries. In two CFB Playoff Games, OSU limited No. 1 Alabama & No. 3 Oregon to a combined 14.8% (4 of 27) on third down.

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