College Football Preview – Virginia Tech Hokies vs. North Carolina Tar Heels

The favorite to win the ACC Coastal will face a tough Week 1 test as the North Carolina Tar Heels must travel to Blacksburg to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies. The Hokies are projected to be the third or fourth best team in the division, but it’s never easy for a road team to go into Lane Stadium and come out with a win.

Virginia Tech will host North Carolina on Friday, September 3, 2021, at 6 p.m. ET. This game will be televised on ESPN.

College Football Betting Odds

North Carolina -5.5

Virginia Tech +5.5

Total 64

This might be Justin Fuente’s last season at Virginia Tech. Although the Fuente hire originally looked inspired, he has piloted the program to losing seasons in two of the last three years. He has also fallen out of favor after interviewing for other jobs in recent years, so even an eight-win season might not be enough to keep Fuente in Blacksburg after this year.

Conversely, the Mack Brown hire was widely panned. Brown seemed to be a legacy hire that didn’t make a ton of sense, but he has quickly turned North Carolina into the second-best team in the ACC behind juggernaut Clemson. The Tar Heels were ranked No. 5 at one point last season, and they ended up playing in the Orange Bowl.

When Virginia Tech Has the Ball

Braxton Burmeister will be the starting quarterback for the Hokies after Hendon Hooker decided to transfer to Tennessee. Burmeister saw a decent amount of action in 2020, completing 57.1% of his passes for 687 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He isn’t as effective of a rushing threat as Hooker was in 2020, but he did average 4.0 YPC and can make defenders miss.

There are two talented targets for Burmeister to throw to on offense. Tre Turner had 34 receptions for 529 yards and three touchdowns last year, while tight end James Mitchell caught 26 passes for 435 yards and four touchdowns. Both players have the potential to be all-conference selections in 2021.

North Carolina’s defense has not been as good as expected under former Army DC Jay Bateman. While it has improved over the last two seasons, the Tar Heels allowed at least 41 points in four of their 12 games last campaign. The front seven should be pretty good in 2021, but the secondary is a bit of a red flag despite the presence of five-star cornerback Tony Grimes.

When North Carolina Has the Ball

Sam Howell is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He has been incredible since stepping on campus as a true freshman, completing 64.4% of his passes for 7,227 yards (9.4 YPA) with 68 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in two years. Howell is currently projected to be a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft if he leaves college early.

This offensive line should be solid. Marcus McKethan and Jordan Tucker have a lot of experience and are two of the top linemen in the conference. However, Howell will have to work with a new group of skill position players as the top two running backs and wide receivers from 2020 have left the program.

Virginia Tech prides itself on its defense. However, this is no longer the program that Frank Beamer and Bud Foster built together. There are major concerns at every level of this defense, particularly in the secondary. Amare Barno is one of the few quality pieces on this side of the ball for the Hokies.

Prediction

The Tar Heels are going to go into Blacksburg and come out with an impressive victory thanks to a strong performance from Howell. He led UNC to a 56-45 win over Virginia Tech in Chapel Hill last season, and he could end up with over 400 yards in this game.

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