North Carolina enjoyed a tumultuous low season full of dark horse playoffs, but Virginia Tech gave up those aspirations from the initial pitch Friday night, ending with a 17-10 victory over a stark crowd. of Blacksburg Lane Stadium, Virginia.
“Obviously, the brilliance has gone out,” UNC coach Mack Brown said of the tenth-ranked Tar Heels. “Scores mean nothing right now. We’ve been overrated today.”
Brown said he expected a tenacious attack from the Hokies, but was disappointed with how his team responded.
Virginia Tech went 75 yards to play in their opening drive, dropped after 56 yards and scored again in their third drive to go up 14-0. Meanwhile, the Hokies defense completely halted the Sam Howell and Tar Heels offense during the first half and made a series of great plays during the final stretch to secure the win.
“We keep putting them in the second half,” Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente said. “We couldn’t leave the game out of play and the defense kept growing on the occasion. It was as impressive a performance as I’ve seen. It was amazing. Continuing to answer the bell in the second half was really impressive. “
UNC lost four stars on offense last season (counterpoints Michael Carter and Javonte Williams, and receivers Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome), but Brown had offered enthusiasm for the next group of skill position players. Instead, the Tar Heels saw repeated fouls from their receivers and tight line, and the offensive line, which was believed to be a strength, struggled in the face of a relentless passing pass from Virginia Tech.
Brown said he learned a bit about who might be ready to play at a high level, but expressed disappointment that his line would not give Howell, a pre-season Heisman Trophy nominee, a chance to make many plays. .
“When you don’t get the ball right and you have six sacks and you have to run for your life,” Brown said, “we have to do a better job of protecting him. You can’t expect a guy to have a great game when he has people. around him throughout the game. You have to protect your quarterback “.
Howell finished 17 of 32 for 208 yards and a touchdown. Receiver Josh Downs had 123 yards and a TD, but the rest of the receiving bodies struggled to open the low field. UNC was without veterans Beau Corrales and Khafre Brown in the match.
Howell later said the loss should not exceed North Carolina’s expectations for the season, but admitted the team was not playing well.
“We can’t let this game define us,” Howell said. “We know what this team is capable of, even if we didn’t show it tonight. I think we just won. [tonight]. I don’t think the pressure really bothered anyone on the show and we had a good week of training and we weren’t the best team. “
UNC has lost 11 games since Brown returned before the 2019 season. This was the ninth loss by touchdown or less.
Across the field, Virginia Tech set aside an off-season season of questions and rumors about the Source to become a dynamic performance.
QB Braxton Burmeister completed 12 of 19 passes with a TD and ran 53 more yards and a score. The Hokies ’defense was outstanding, finishing with six sacks and three interceptions, including an ingenious selection in Chamarri Conner’s Howell’s final throw to seal the victory.
For Fuente, it was a declarative victory. Virginia Tech lost a game of bowling for the first time since 1992, and before the Hokies knocked out rival Virginia to finish last season, Fuente appeared on the precipice of losing his job. Instead, athletic director Whit Babcock decided to keep Fuente, but at a post-season press conference he presented a number of elements he had to watch for Fuente to stay on the show beyond 2021.
Friday’s victory offered a firm rebuttal to a fan base hoping to see a change.
“For a game that no one thought we could win, for a group that most people had left, playing like that makes me proud,” Fuente said.