A preview of the first four games
Projected record: 3-1 (overall), 1-0 (conference).
Wins: Old Dominion Monarchs, Boston College Eagles, Wofford Terriers
Losses: West Virginia Mountains
If you missed it and want more details, check out Part One of the Virginia Tech Hokies 2022 Season Preview.
The Virginia Tech Hokies’ second four-game stretch of the 2022 season is a perfect gauntlet and represents the toughest stretch the Warriors will face this year. Let’s get right into it!
Game five
Virginia Tech Hokies @ North Carolina Tar Heels
UNC is returning 13 starters, five on offense and eight on defense. UNC had 10 AP starts last season. And he was the No. 9 coaches, but finished with a 6-7 record and lost the Duke Mayo Bowl to Shane Beamers’ South Carolina Gamecocks 38-21. Mack Brown brought in Gene Chizik to revive the defense, but the offense was depleted.
After QB Sam Howell is drafted for the NFL, there is a great deal of uncertainty surrounding who will fill in for him. Projections lean toward redshirt freshman Drake Maye, but sophomore Jacolby Criswell is by no means out of the hunt. Either way, UNC is looking to make a comeback at the QB position. Josh Downs is the best WR in the ACC and one of the best receivers in college football. Not being able to unlock his full potential is a big question mark. The Tar Heels have experience on the OL, but only two starters return from last season. They lost 1,000-yard rusher Ty Chandler, who had 828 yards and 11 touchdowns this year, and No. 2 rusher Sam Howell. Brit Brooks (295 yards and four TDs in 2021) looks to lead an inexperienced rushing unit. The offense that got them to a bowl game last year is gone and Mack Brown’s marketing of his “magic” and team skills is under heavy scrutiny.
Gene Gizik He won a national championship with the Auburn Tigers in 2010 and stepped in as the new defensive coordinator. UNC was supposed to have a dominant defense in 2021, but it never materialized. The Heels now have two national championship coaches on staff, and Gene Chizik is expected to significantly improve North Carolina’s defense. There is incredible talent and athleticism around the defense, one should be considering that UNC’s last three recruiting classes were all ranked in the top-14, but it simply didn’t show on the field. The DL looks to lead an improving secondary and LB corps, and all signs point to Chizik unlocking the potential UNC has developed defensively. The projected DL starting lineup is long. Desmond Evans is 6’6″ and Noah Taylor is 6’5″. The shortest on the UNC DL is 6’3″, the tallest projected starter on the VT DL. The LB and DB corps have been bolstered by the transfer portal, especially former UVA LB, Noah Taylor. Oddly enough, North Carolina’s 2021 team’s weakness appears to be its 2022 strength.
I don’t like this game being played in Chapel Hill. The matchups do not favor the Hokies in any way. A strong DL, athletic LB corps and Chizik at the helm of the defense will likely put a lot of pressure on VT starting QB Grant Wells. On top of that, UNC’s DL and LB have the talent and athleticism to handle Malachi Thomas and Hokey’s rushing attack. It will be imperative on the VT line to protect Wales from getting the ball to the likes of Lofton and Gallo. Josh Downs will be open and ready no matter how well VT’s secondary plays. He is very good. Virginia Tech’s DL should put pressure on whoever starts for UNC and stifle his ability to get the ball downfield. I’m at UNC, but I know all too well the talent deficit the Hokies are facing. VT DL needs to beat North Carolina OL in the trenches to win this game. If they can’t, anyone under center for the Tar Heels will have a chance to bring the ball down. I think VT’s offense will hurt Chizik’s defense as well. Like the BC game, the Hokies will need to keep this game close if they want to have a chance to win. I’m not sure VT can keep up that whole game. UNC, like BC, will have more talent on the field, but not him. I think North Carolina took this one and took it after last year’s disappointing opening loss to Virginia Tech.
Projected record: 3-2 overall, 1-1 ACC
Game six
Virginia Tech Hokies @ Pittsburgh Panthers
The Panthers return 15 starters, eight on offense and seven on defense. The preseason rankings have yet to be announced, but the game against Pitt could easily be the first of a three-game series against top-25 teams with the Hokies.
USC QB transfer, Kedon Slovis Jr. Despite Slovis’ experience, he is expected to rebound in the QB game. Additionally, arguably the best receiver in the ACC last year, Jordan Addison, transferred to USC. That the Panthers must play their passing game remains legitimate even with the reload. With Addison’s departure, instead of having the best WR corps in the ACC Pit is one of the “best” WR corps in the ACC. There is a certain amount of chaos in the Alpha game, though, with a deep and capable breeding corps led by the dangerous Israel Abanikanda. Pitt has one of the best OLs in the ACC, if not the NCAA overall. That line will protect Slovis and open pits for that RB team. The Panther offense will take a step back from what it was during their ACC championship season, but they certainly remain a dangerous, experienced and athletic unit.
Narduzzi has spent the last seven years working to build his body armor and now has it. The Panthers return six all-ACC players from a defense that ranks second nationally in sacks per game. LB starters are powerful, but there are deeper questions. The DL regularly sends players to the NFL, but it returns three of its four starters starting in 2021. The secondary also returns three starters and Pittsburgh’s defense looks solid.
Last year, Abanikanda averaged 140 yards per carry and 6.7 YPC against VT. The Panthers held the Hokies to 224 yards while their offense rushed for 411 yards. This is another tough home game that could get ugly early on. Unfortunately, I don’t see the Hokies escaping the Iron City with a win.
Projected record: 3-3 overall, 1-2 ACC
Game seven
Miami Hurricanes @ Virginia Tech Hokies
The Hurricanes return a symmetrical 14 starters, seven on offense and seven on defense. Mario Cristobal has a full house left by Manny Diaz and company. This is the toughest matchup the Hokies will face in 2022, perhaps only matched by their next game against NC State.
I could write so much about Miami, but I don’t need to, because Tyler Van Dyke is a monolith that the Virginia Tech Hokies simply can’t argue with. Everything about their offense is at or near the top of the ACC. Their RB, receiver and OL cadre are in the hunt for the conference’s best. Three starters return to the lineup and guard one of the best QBs in the NCAA. The Hokies’ defense excelled at every level against the Hurricanes’ offense. Assuming Van Dyke is healthy and barring other apocalyptic injuries, Miami’s offense will dominate Virginia Tech’s defense.
After the Hurricanes’ defense struggled in 2021, Mario Cristobal moved to Portal to gain depth and experience. The linebackers return five with starting experience and the DL is loaded with talent from Portal, as is the secondary. The offense will overwhelm the VT defense, but Miami’s defense will have little trouble rebuilding the Virginia Tech offense.
Like I said, this is going to be a short post. Miami is going to destroy the Hokies. Homefield advantage doesn’t answer the post when facing Miami with talents like Van Dyke and his athleticism on the ball.
Projected record: 3-4 overall, 1-3 ACC
Game eight
Virginia Tech Hokies @ NC State Wolfpack
Another brutal home game. NCST brings 17 returning starters to tackle the most experienced team in the ACC. Seven in attack and ten in defence. The Wolfpack, like Miami, are legitimate contenders for the CFB Playoff.
Wolfpack QB, Devin Leary, is very experienced and enters his fourth year as a starter. Leary’s defense is an offensive line that returns four starters and features three seniors. The WR corps loses its top receiver, but senior Thayer Thomas and junior Devin Carter look to lead a deep unit and production isn’t expected to drop. The exponent class holds many questions. NC State lost its top two running backs (Zonovan Knight and Ricky Man). Speedster, Jordan Houston, projects to be a starter for a squad that doesn’t have many starters, but there isn’t much to help young bullies develop than a strong OL.
NCST’s defense features three All-ACC LBs and figures to be one of the best LB corps in the ACC and the best in the entire country. Their defensive line, with the top DAs in the ACC, Cory Durden and Savion Jackson, is primed to wreak havoc on QBs. NCST allowed just 124.0 rushing YPG last season and should continue to be one of the top rushing defenses in the NCAA. With ten starters returning, every defensive unit is full of experience, and the Wolfpack secondary is no exception. They return all four starters and, like the LB corps, expect the DB unit to be at the top of the ACC and among the best in the country. The only defense, in the entire ACC, thought to be better than NC State’s is the Clemson Tigers’ near pro-level defense.
This game might be tougher than the Miami game. NCST’s defense is going to eat up VT’s offense. The DL and LB corps should have trouble easing Thomas and loading VT’s QB. The best DB unit in ACC can feed anything that ends up on the air for VT. Unfortunately, the Hokies suffered two consecutive massacres.
Projected record: 3-5 overall, 1-4 ACC
Three of VT’s toughest games go away, and back-to-back sweeps of Pitt, Miami and NCST would be a nightmare stretch for any program facing a coaching transition and full rebuild. This four game streak is the toughest the Hokies will face all season. It will be a miracle that they get 1-3 out of it. Regardless of this stretch penalty, the Hokies need to shake things up, as their last four games have been more winnable and VT should find purchase in the final third.
