UNC Football: Virginia Tech Scouting Report

UNC will take on a very good Virginia Tech team on Saturday afternoon in Blacksburg

The North Carolina Tar Heels face another tough opponent this week as they seek their first conference win on the year.

The last time Virginia Tech and UNC met, the conditions were not favorable. The Hokies took advantage of the poor weather, beating the Tar Heels 34-3 and taking a one-game advantage for the ACC Coastal.

For this year’s contest, Virginia Tech is still in the running for the ACC Coastal Division and is 5-1 overall including 1-1 in conference play. Their only loss came at home to Clemson.

UNC on the other hand is just 1-6 overall and 0-4 in conference. Their only win came against Old Dominion in Week 3. And this week it won’t any easier as they hope to pickup that first conference game.

Like UNC, Virginia Tech lost a lot from its team a year ago but they were able to reload on the fly and get production in key spots.

Here’s what the Hokies will bring to the table:

On offense….

The Hokies enter the game with one of the best offenses in the country. They have a  balanced attack that can beat you through the air or on the ground.

Through the midpoint of the season, the Hokies rank 25th in the nation, averaging 467 yards per game.

Their offense is led by quarterback Josh Jackson who replaced Jerod Evans as the signal-caller. The Hokies offense hasn’t missed a beat with Jackson and star wideout Camp Phillips.

Jackson has been fantastic all season long completing 65 percent of his passing attempts and throwing for 13 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions. He’s posted a quarterback rating 158.2 and is difficult to bring down, being sacked only twice.

UNC will have their hands full with the talented quarterback.

On defense…

Bud Foster’s defense is one of the best in the ACC and can really make life difficult on UNC’s offense Saturday.

This is another nightmare matchup for the Tar Heels offense, especially if they continue to struggle through the air. The Hokies are 23rd in college football giving up an average of just 320 yards per game this season.

Their biggest struggle came against Clemson but a lot of teams struggle defensively against the Tigers.

UNC’s strength is running the football with Jordon Brown and Michael Carter. The Hokies will counter with the strength of their defense in linebackers Andrew Motuapuaka and Tremaine Edmunds.

The junior Edmunds has put together a fantastic season thus far recording 50 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. It might be a struggle for UNC to move the football.

Then there is the secondary for the Hokies.

Foster loves playing man coverage in his 4-4 set with the hybrid linebacker. He will show some blitzes and hope to confuse whoever is at quarterback for the Tar Heels. The Hokies secondary is good enough to lock up UNC’s receivers, so it’s going to be up to them to make the plays on the outside when given.

Overall

This is a very tough matchup for the Tar Heels.

Both offensively and defensively they will be outmatched on Saturday and if they aren’t careful, it could get ugly early.

UNC will have to play a perfect game by not turning it over, making every opportunity they get count and playing stout defense. Running the football with success will keep the Hokies offense off the field and allow UNC to control the clock.

Next: ACC Coastal Division Power Rankings

It’s not impossible, but it will be tough.