Virginia Tech Football: Penalties, Weather, Depth Chart Ahead of UNC

For the second time in four games, Virginia Tech committed 15 penalties in its 33-10 loss to West Virginia. Along with the insufficient ground game, the flags were at the top of Brent Pry’s list of things to fix ahead of Saturday’s game at North Carolina.

The Hokies currently rank third to last in the FBS in that category (40 through four games) and committed 10 different penalties against the Mountaineers. It was the same story in the season-opener against Old Dominion, but after committing just five infractions in each of the two weeks that followed, Pry & Co. thought the issue was resolved. As seen last Thursday night, that wasn’t the case.

“In the team meeting, I asked those guys if we eliminate 10 penalties, could we have won the football game,” Pry said on Tuesday. “And to a man, the answer was yes. The yardage we gave up and the timing of some of those penalties was just … there’s a couple things that come to mind for me. You don’t want to put it in the hands of the officials, and when you can pull off or make a better decision about how you play the player, defend the player, and not put in the hands of the officials, we want to do that.

“I met with the captains and the staff, we’re going to implement kind of a policy where we’ve got some consequences for penalties of all sorts. … I want the group to be more mindful.”

Pry said after reviewing the film, many of the mistakes were avoidable. He also mentioned how there’s a slight degree of panic and hurrying from the players when they aren’t based in their fundamentals and techniques, something that needs to change. As wide receiver Stephen Gosnell put it, “it really comes down to doing your 1/11th.”

“I think that’s part of our culture right now, and I’ve talked to the team about it a couple of times since Thursday night,” Pry said, “just the idea that they don’t have to go above and beyond. You just do everything you can, you fight and claw to do your job to the best of your abilities. That’s what required in those situations. And the plays will come.”

Run Game Struggles

Pry called it “the question of the day.” Tech’s run game has been poor through four games due to not all 11 guys being on the same page.

“In a nutshell, we’re just not getting enough guys executing in the run game each opportunity,” Pry said. “We’ll have eight or nine guys execute correctly, and we’ll have 10 and 11 not do their job. And a lot of times, it just takes one or two to misfire on a run play. And that’s what was going on more than anything.”

The Hokies posted just 35 rushing yards on 18 carries vs. West Virginia. Through four weeks, they are No. 110 out of 131 FBS teams in rushing offense. It’s made the unit one-dimensional and opponents don’t have to go to crazy lengths when drawing up schematics.

“We’re working hard on cleaning it up, owning mistakes, making sure we’re teaching it the right way,” Pry said. “Making sure we’re not doing too much, the things that creep in on execution problems, that we’ve got to get these guys.”

Pry indicated running back Malachi Thomas, who has yet to play this season, was scheduled to dress out for practice on Tuesday and go through individual work. He’s potentially a game-time decision to play at UNC.

“It’s kind of a step-by-step process,” Pry said. “If he looks really good today, then advance him tomorrow, and so on and so forth. At this point, I think he’s a candidate for this weekend, but things have to go well through the week.”

Wear Your Raincoat

Saturday in Chapel Hill won’t be pretty. Hurricane Ian is expected to make landfall on the Florida mainland on Tuesday night, and the latest projections show the storm hitting North Carolina between Friday night and Sunday morning.

It’s eerily similar to 2016 when the Hokies and Tar Heels played in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. The visitors blew the doors off UNC, winning 34-3, and Virginia Tech put up almost 200 yards on the ground.

With the aforementioned issues in the run game, the 45th edition of Virginia Tech and North Carolina might be a bit different. Nevertheless, Pry and his staff are preparing the players for the conditions. Rain is expected all day with wind gusts up to 24 mph during the 3:30 p.m. game. Pry also mentioned the possibility of a delay, something he’s experienced previously.

“We’ve got to get wet-ball work,” Pry said. “Coach Glenn does a great job of that with our quarterbacks, our backs and our receivers. But it also goes back to Stewart Carter and our equipment staff. And I think you’re thinking about a couple of things. You’re thinking about if it’s just a rainy game, right, all the way through, what can you do at halftime? Are you changing out socks? Are you changing out undershirts? Do you have a second pair of cleats?

“All those things will be important. … It’s anything that NCAA permits that will help you in wet-weather games.”

Various schools from Florida and South Carolina have already adjusted locations and game times, including South Carolina and South Carolina State playing on Thursday. As of Tuesday afternoon, no ACC games have been impacted. However, Florida State and Wake Forest are scheduled to play in Tallahassee, which is a game to monitor.

Depth Chart Updates

Virginia Tech released its updated depth chart before Pry’s press conference ahead of the UNC game. Here are some notes and takeaways:

Keli Lawson is the No. 1 option at Will linebacker with an “OR” between him and Jaden Keller. He’s no longer listed at Sam. Pry said he had a minor surgery that forced him to miss a few weeks of practice leading into the year, but he’s getting back to form now.

“He’s played Will, he’s played Sam, he can play both, but the way he throws his body around, that’s exciting to me at Will linebacker,” Pry said of Lawson. “We’ve got a couple of guys rolling through there with [Jayden] McDonald and Keller, but Keli’s going to get more of an opportunity this weekend.”

With safety Jalen Stroman out for the first half due to targeting, Jalen Hoyle made his first depth chart appearance. Pry said the absence of Stroman “puts a little more onus on some guys, on Ny’Quee Hawkins, a nickel situation, potentially DJ Harvey.” They’ll have to play a few more snaps than normal. Moreover, Pry might call the defense differently without Stroman on the field.

Running back Keshawn King is back at kick returner. Wide receiver Cole Beck and running back Chance Black were listed there for West Virginia. However, all three currently are listed on the depth chart.

Will Johnson replaced Keshon Artis as Dax Hollifield’s backup at Mike linebacker. While he’s played both Mike and Will, the staff is trying to bring a little more speed to the Mike position. “He’s a smart guy, and also looking into the future [as] a possible spot for him,” Pry said.