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New quarterback Logan Thomas and No. 13 Virginia Tech want to do something against Appalachian State that the Hokies have failed to do for three straight seasons - win their opening game.
The FCS powerhouse from the Southern Conference visits Lane Stadium on Saturday.
Last season, Thomas was the backup to Tyrod Taylor when the Hokies lost their first two games, the second against another Championship Subdivision power, James Madison. He doesn't expect a repeat this year.
''I don't think we're going to underestimate anybody,'' he said. ''We underestimated James Madison last year. We had that feeling. It was a terrible feeling. We don't want to have that feeling ever again, so we're taking every game like we're playing for the national championship.''
The loss to the Dukes last season effectively ended any hopes the Hokies had of playing their way back into the title hunt after an opening loss to Boise State, even though they won 11 straight after the poor start. They also became only the second ranked team in the Bowl Subdivision to lose to a lower level school. Appalachian State was the first to win such a game, beating No. 5 Michigan in 2007.
To make sure his team remembered, coach Frank Beamer showed clips of the 21-16 loss to the Dukes this week.
''I think it kind of refreshes everybody's memory,'' senior wide receiver Danny Coale said. ''I don't think we really needed that refreshment. It's pretty vivid in all of our memories. I'm going to remember a lot of games and a lot of game we won here, but I think when I leave, I'll remember some of the losses, and that'll be one of them for sure.''
The Mountaineers, among the top ranked teams in the FCS, won three consecutive national championships, beginning in 2005, but will forever more be known for that victory at the Big House, secured on a late blocked field goal.
Coach Jerry Moore's team has lost its last three games against teams from the FBS, but he prepared them for this one by showing them film of TCU's 21-19 victory against Wisconsin in last year's Rose Bowl, seeing similarities in that matchup and the one on Saturday.
Their top weapon is quarterback DeAndre Presley, who last season became just the 13th player in Division I history to pass for 2,000 yards (he had 2,631 with 21 touchdowns) and run for 1,000 (he ran for 1,038, including 264 in one game, and 13 TDs).
The key for an underdog in such a game, Moore said, is to play close to mistake-free football, ''and that's a hard thing to ask your team to do going out in the first game.''
The Mountaineers, like the Hokies, put an emphasis on special teams play, using their best players on those units. They also are throwing the Hokies something of a curveball since they have switched to a 3-4 defense, trying to take better advantage of their personnel.
The defense will get more of the Mountaineers' athletic linebackers on the field, boosting their defensive speed, but is widely viewed as difficult for college players to master, especially in the first season.
''We'll really get tested Saturday to see if we can hold up or not,'' said Moore, who is seeking his 200th victory at ASU.
The Hokies, meantime, can give Beamer his 199th victory at his alma mater, and from a defensive standpoint, show right away that they are better than the team that struggled for much of last season, and then collapsed in the second half of the Orange Bowl against Stanford.
''I definitely know from that Stanford game, for myself and a lot of other guys on defense, it's definitely got us hungry to come back and play and show everybody that we can play with the best, make adjustments and just come out and win games,'' cornerback Kyle Fuller said.
Stanford, behind Andrew Luck, outscored Virginia Tech 27-0 after halftime to win 40-12.
