Believe it or not, Virginia Tech took the early lead a couple of drives into what was a crushing loss for the Hokies at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill.
Following a defensive stop on North Carolina’s first series of the ball game, Tech marched down the field. Kaleb Smith flipped the field once he took an RPO slant pass 34 yards into field goal range. Once the Hokies offense stalled in the next few plays, they settled for a Will Ross field goal to give them the 3-0 lead. What followed each team's opening drive was pure calamity for the visiting Hokies.
We’re still over a month and a half away from Thanksgiving, but Drake Maye carved up the Hokies defense on an early Saturday in October. Maye amassed 436 yards of total offense, 363 passing and 73 rushing, with five total touchdowns. He looked dynamic as a runner and sharp as a passer from start to finish.
“He’s got it all right now and he’s a tough kid,” Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry told the media postgame. “He extended plays and we should’ve done a better job corralling him.”
In fact, Maye’s performance was so electric that it even broke the record for most total yards given up by a freshman player in Tech school history. Whether it was with his legs or his arm, Maye and the Carolina offense caused confusion in the Hokies defense.
“He’s a really good player and will be playing on Sunday soon,” linebacker Dax Hollifield told the media after Tech’s loss. “He’s the kind of guy that can beat you with his legs as well and we had to do a better job of collapsing the pocket and closing off running lanes.”
Much like last week's loss to West Virginia in the battle for the Black Diamond Trophy, the Hokie defense fell short of high expectations. Through the first three weeks, Tech ranked first in the ACC in total defense. But after facing the high powered offense of the Mountaineers and now the Tar Heels, those numbers are sure to drop down a few pegs.
Outside of Maye, the Tar Heel skill players had their way in every opposing one-on-one matchup. Junior wideout Josh Downs racked up eight catches for 120 yards and looks to be on track for back-to-back 1,000-plus yard seasons. Bryson Nesbit roasted Tech’s inside corners for 98 yards and a touchdown on just four receptions. Despite leaving a lot to be desired, the Tech defense won’t waiver on their confidence.
“We’ve been through a lot of adversity already and our practice habits have stayed true to what we believe,” Hollifield explains to the press. “We haven’t declined in our belief and that’s all you can ask for. We’re going to give our best each and every day.”
Hollifield himself was the Hokies’ leading tackler, totaling 10 total tackles, with seven coming on his own. Keonta Jenkins, too, was stellar in the middle of the field, totaling five tackles with a half of those being for loss. Newcomer Mansoor Delane played well in his first true action of the season. The freshman from Silver Spring, Maryland finished with three tackles, one of which was an excellent shoestring tackle for loss on an opening play of a UNC second half drive.
On offense, the story is the same old same old for Virginia Tech in 2022. It simply couldn’t sustain any semblance of balance or rhythm for more than a couple drives. The Hokies looked pedestrian in the passing game and subdued running the football.
To put it in perspective, Carolina held Tech to just 273 yards of total offense, 174 passing and 99 rushing. Yet, the Tar Heels still rank last in multiple ACC defensive categories. UNC ranks last in the ACC in points allowed both total and per game, air yardage and total yards allowed. If there was ever a game for the Tech offense to break out, it was going to be this one. And the Hokies dropped the ball.
“We’re not presenting enough challenges and we have to create more opportunities,” Pry said. “[We’ve got to] find ways to create and garner explosive plays on offense and on special teams.”
Tech quarterback Grant Wells struggled to create explosive plays in the pass game on yet another Saturday for the Hokies. Wells went 16-for-29 for 139 yards with an interception, unable to find the endzone in the air. His best play came when he navigated past two closing in rushers off the edge and gained six yards out of a busted play. However, Wells followed that up with Cedric Gray picking him off.
“They disguised their coverage by rolling from two-high to one-high, [Gray] didn’t bite on the run as much as I thought,” Wells explained. “I got some pressure but that’s still on me.”
On the positive note for the Hokies, Keshawn King still ran hard in-between the tackles. Tech’s leading rusher gained 52 yards on only nine carries for 5.8 yards per carry overall. Dae’Quan Wright led the team in receptions with four and racked up 31 yards on those receptions. The freshman tight end from Perry, Georgia got his first run in his college career and took advantage.
After a loss like that, it’s easy for fans of the Hokies to call it quits on the season and give up hope. Much was expected even in just the first season of the Brent Pry era. Sure, Tech was never going to turn it completely around in year one of Pry’s tenure, but flashes and slivers of improvement was the bare minimum. After Saturday’s loss, the flashes of hope are getting dimmer and dimmer by the game.
“Just believe, we’re a family and Hokie Nation is a part of this and their impact is way bigger than they think it is,” Jenkins said when asked about what to say to the fan base. “They mean so much to us and we couldn’t do any of this without their support.”
