On Saturday, the Hokies travel to Chapel Hill and play the Tar Heels at Kenan Stadium. The Heels opened as 8 point favorites, but since then the line has moved to 9. The ESPN FPI gives the Tar Heels a 79.7% chance to beat the Hokies.
About the Hokies
Through 4 games, the Hokies are 2-2 (1-0) to start of the season, with a win over Boston College (1-3 (0-2)) and a win over the Wofford Terriers, a lowly FCS program. Grant Wells is expected to start this Saturday, just as he has all year. Wells, the Marshall transfer is slinging the ball for a completion percentage of 60.3, 844 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. The Hokies will look to take advantage of one of the worst defenses in the ACC. Running Back Malachi Thomas is also expected to return this week to help lessen the workload for RB1, Keshawn King. This could greatly help out the run game, especially against the Tar Heels, who have a horrific front 7. Hokies fans can also expect to see a lot more snaps for Redshirt Freshman receiver Christian Moss, Moss has appeared in the last 2 games and has been quite effective, burning the WVU defense for what would’ve been a touchdown if Wells hadn’t overthrown him.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Hokies have a giant task. The UNC offense is one of the best in the ACC, as they have yet to score below 30 and they have scored 56+ twice. Drake Maye has exploded onto the scene with a 69% completion percentage, over 12,00 yards, 16 touchdowns and only one interception.
About the Tar Heels
To put it simply, the UNC offense is a Goliath compared to the David that is the Hokies offense. The Tar Heels are 3-1 with their sole loss coming at home last week to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who are now 2-2. The Tar Heels have greatly struggled in history against the hokies, losing 5 of the last 6, including a 2 year span where the Heels were outscored 93-10 in 2 games (34-7, 59-7).
On the other side of the ball, the Tar Heels defense is atrocious. They allow close to 500 yards total per game along with allowing 40 points defensively. The Hokies will have a plethora of opportunities to win this game, the only thing that matters is how the Hokies can respond to their opportunity.
Responses
I’ve got to point out that our front 7 isn’t atrocious. Part of our front 7 is Cedric Gray and Noah Taylor. Both are really good, but that’s overlooked because of the rest of the defense. Vohasek is good and teams are lucky Travis Shaw and Kee-Shawn Silver arent starters because they are studs.
This is gonna be an exciting game. Tough not to go with UNC with their high powered offense