University of North Carolina Athletics
Virginia Tech Game Guide
November 22, 2005 | Football
Nov. 22, 2005
By Adam Lucas
While other teams have wrapped up their 2005 seasons, Carolina and Virginia Tech meet in Blacksburg with plenty still on the line. As always, TarHeelBlue.com will be your home for exclusive stories and photos throughout game week. To start you off, we've put together a comprehensive Virginia Tech game guide packed with all the information you need to get ready for the Hokies. In the days to come, we'll have reports from John Bunting's Tuesday press conference, a feature on middle linebacker Doug Justice, Lee Pace's Friday mailbag, and much more.
Until then, we've broken down the game guide into five sections: the basics, storylines, at the game, watching the game on TV, and names to know.
The Basics
Game Time: North Carolina at Virginia Tech, 7:45.
Carolina's game notes can be found here and Virginia Tech's official football site is here.
The game will be televised nationally on ESPN (the game will also be on ESPNHD). The game is also available XM Radio, although the broadcast will feature the Virginia Tech announcers since XM always uses the home team feed.
Last time: On Nov. 6, 2004, Carolina came within a play of beating the Hokies and making a major push for a share of the ACC championship. Connor Barth missed a 54-yard field goal with about a minute left that would have tied the game after a drive--that would have continued had Darian Durant spotted Chad Scott open in the flat--stalled thanks to an untimely third-down sack. The Tar Heels never found an answer for tailback Mike Imoh, who rumbled for 236 yards and two touchdowns. Tom O'Leary's blocked punt in the second half was a momentum shifter and nearly propelled the Heels to the victory.
Gameday weather: Check the very chilly local weather forecast before heading for the game.
Injury report: The injuries continue to pile up for the Tar Heels. Wallace Wright, the special teams captain and a reliable receiver, saw his season ended Saturday against Duke because of a broken ankle. Tommy Davis suffered a sprained knee against the Devils but should play this week; the Tar Heels were hopeful of also getting end Brian Rackley back and possibly also Hilee Taylor.
Radio Coverage: Tar Heel Sports Network coverage begins at 6:45. Keep in mind that the local FM affiliate has changed to 106.1 FM. Fans making the trip to Blacksburg can search for the Tar Heel Sports Network in-stadium feed either very low or very high on the dial. The in-stadium frequency is determined by which frequencies in the area already contain competing stations.
Game week TV/radio coverage: John Bunting Live airs Thursday night at 7 and the John Bunting TV show airs Saturday morning at 9 a.m. on FOX Sports. If you need some Tar Heel radio coverage to get you through the week until Thursday, check out Woody Durham's daily shows or the archive of Monday's Tar Heel Talk show with Jones Angell and Adam Lucas.
Storylines
Unfriendly confines: In Chicago, it's called "Bear Weather." In Green Bay, it's the frozen tundra. In Blacksburg, visiting teams have come to expect a sellout crowd of screaming Hokie fans and harsh winter-like conditions for late November kickoffs. The third in a series of upgrades was completed prior to this season, and the facility has slowly evolved into one of the most fearsome in Division I-A football.
Winning in Blacksburg is tough--but not impossible. Since joining the ACC, the Hokies have lost two home league games: last year to NC State and this season to Miami.
A postseason playoff: College football still eschews the notion of a postseason playoff. But Saturday's game essentially represents a playoff game for both teams. Virginia Tech needs a win to earn a spot in Jacksonville for the ACC title game and a shot at a BCS slot. Carolina needs a win to clinch a winning record and earn a bowl invitation.
"Here we are 5-5 going to Blacksburg...what do we have to lose?" Matt Baker said. "They're at home, it's Thanksgiving weekend and have the BCS to play for. We're just scrappy little North Carolina up there with a 5-5 record just playing to go to a bowl game. What do we have to lose? As Coach Tranquill says, we'll throw all caution to the wind and see where it takes us."
Physical play: Virginia Tech gets plenty of attention for their do-everything quarterback, Marcus Vick. But they're much more proficient on the ground (they rank 2nd in the league in rushing offense) than through the air (10th in the league in passing offense). With temperatures expected to be frigid and the possibility of some precipitation, it's likely to be a game won on the ground. Carolina fans are well acquainted with Mike Imoh, but the Hokies have a stable of capable tailbacks that includes Branden Ore, a freshman who rushed for 115 yards against Virginia, and Cedric Humes (117 yards against the Cavaliers).
For Carolina, the key is to unlock a running game that has alternately been proficient and poor. "Any time you have a guy like Ronnie McGill you want to use him to your advantage and establish the run," Bunting said. "We want to limit the number of possessions Virginia Tech has. With Ronnie McGill you have a chance to do that. It takes a lot of people to get the running game going...We have to be very smart and very physical and very disciplined. That's the way Ronnie McGill plays, and everyone from the quarterback to the tight end to the wide receivers have to participate if we're to get that done."
At the Game
Listening to the Tar Heel Sports Network at the game: Woody, Rick, Lee and Jones will be on the air at 6:45 p.m.
Carolina team hotel: Wyndham Roanoke Airport
Tickets: The game is listed as a sellout.
How to get to the game: Football game days are a main event in Blacksburg. Public parking is $5 on campus. Check their parking page for parking maps and traffic suggestions.
Watching at Home
If you're going to watch on ESPN and plan to turn down the sound, you'll probably encounter some delay. For the Cliffs Notes version on why that happens and one possible solution, click here and scroll down to the last answer.
A full list of Tar Heel Sports Network affiliates can be found here.
Names to Know
Whether you're at the game or watching it with your buddies at home, it helps to have a few names to throw out to cement your status as the Tar Heel guru. Four to remember:
Wallace Wright: Unfortunately, this is a name to remember not because he'll play, but because he won't. John Bunting talks constantly about the importance of special teams, but injuries like the one suffered by Wright serve to drive home the importance of those particular units. Wright was a key on the kickoff return team, where the Tar Heels will audition players this week to fill his role--Trimane Goddard and Cooter Arnold are two possibilities. He was also a gunner on the punt team, forming a very capable duo with Mike Mason. Brooks Foster filled in at that position late in the Duke game and could play there again on Saturday.
Wright's injury also tests the depth of the receiving corps, where he was a good option in the five-wide package. "Losing Wallace Wright is going to change things a little bit in terms of our empty package," Bunting said. "We're getting Brooks Foster geared up to play in his place and will try to get Brandon Tate in a position where he might be able to play, too."
Marcus Vick:: It's a safe bet you won't be able to watch the game for very long on ESPN before the network notes the Vick family tree. The younger Vick has come back from a forced redshirt year and been consistently terrific for the Hokies. There's a mistaken perception that he's just an athlete playing quarterback--in reality, he ranks 9th in the country in pass efficiency with a 154.03 rating. Of course, he's also a threat to run the ball, which is where Carolina's injury situation comes into play. Attempting to contain Vick requires solid, disciplined play from the defensive ends, and that's an area where the Heels have been very thin in recent weeks. The return of Brian Rackley and Hilee Taylor would be a major bonus.
Darryl Tapp: It seems like Carolina has faced an unusually talented group of defensive ends this year. Tar Heel linemen have been tested by everyone from Elvis Dumervil to Mario Williams to Mathias Kiwanuka to--on Saturday--Darryl Tapp. A 6-1, 265-pound senior, Tapp has seven sacks this season, all of them of the solo variety. He's been especially good in the closing month of the season, including a 6-tackle, 2-sack, 2-hurry, 1-fumble recovery performance against Boston College. According to a point system used by Tech coaches, it was the best Hokie defensive performance in over five years.
Chase Page: The loquacious senior has had, by his standards, a quiet season off the field. But on the field he's been a dynamo. His 6.5 tackles for loss rank third on the squad and his 4.0 sacks trail only Tommy Davis. To win in Blacksburg, Carolina will have to control the line--Page will be a big part of that challenge.
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. He is the coauthor of the official book of the 2005 championship season, Led By Their Dreams, and his book on Roy Williams's first season at Carolina, Going Home Again, is now available in bookstores. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly or learn more about Going Home Again, click here.
