This was the position of interest for both team coming into the season, and continues to be for one of the teams. North Carolina starter Joe Dailey had a forgettable first outing in Kenan Stadium, losing to perennial loser Rutgers. Dailey must have a short memory though, as he gets ready to face one of the best defenses in the ACC. Dailey must stay away from turnovers, unlike he did against Rutgers. Dailey was a very efficient passer, going 24-36 and throwing 234 yards, but he did throw two interceptions. The Hokies thrive on turnovers and have always been able to score on defense.

The Virginia Tech starter, Sean Glennon, had a very impressive first start for the Hokies. He went 15-18 for 222 yards and three touchdowns, and was very impressive leading the team. He was perfect, with the exception of two drives in the 2^nd quarter. On one of the drives, he tried to make a play on a botched screen and ended up throwing an interception. Glennon must do a good job of protecting the ball and managing the game in a tough road environment. The Tar Heels will do a better job of blitzing then Northeastern did, so Glennon must throw the ball away when nothing is available.

ADVANTAGE: VIRGINIA TECH

The Hokies had a very good game on the ground, but not what many expected against a hopeless Northeastern team. Overall, the Hokies ran for 111 yards, good enough for a 4.1 average. They were led by Branden Ore, who had 54 yards on just 11 carries and one touchdown. George Bell was very disappointing and lacked the explosiveness that he once had, while Elan Lewis showed a good burst in just a few carries. Ore must have a good day to take some of the pressure off of Glennon, and allow the Hokies to play their kind of game. Two years ago at Kenan Stadium, the Hokies set a school record for rushing yards in a game. Rest assured that Frank Beamer will attempt to duplicate that performance.

ADVANTAGE: VIRGINIA TECH

North Carolina had a very successful day passing the football, so their receivers obviously had a good game against Rutgers. The Tar Heels were led by two young guys, sophomore Brooks Foster and freshman Hakeem Nicks. Foster had 11 catches for 120 yards, while Nicks had seven for 63 yards and one touchdown. Virginia Tech has very young corners, so this will be an interesting matchup. The Heels need to find a way to get their tight ends involved, as the Hokies had a big problem defending the middle in their first game against Northeastern.

Virginia Tech’s biggest asset coming into the season was the wide receiver position, and they did not disappoint in the opener. The numbers from the opener do not necessarily jump out at you, but they did a lot of the little things. The most impressive thing was the blocking on flanker screens and coming back to meet the ball. The Hokies must also improve in finding the tight end, as Greg Boone really struggled in his debut. Frank Beamer has to decide whether to stay with Boone, or give Sam Wheeler a chance. One important thing to watch is whether Eddie Royal, the best Hokie receiver, plays with a sprained toe or not. The Hokies should not rush him back as they have plenty of others to pick up the slack.

ADVANTAGE: VIRGINIA TECH

The Tar Heels hopes may rest on the offensive line if they hope to beat the Hokies. They have a fairly good line, and they fared fairly well against Rutgers. The Hokies will be much more of a test, as Bud Foster loves to send his linebackers and mix up his defensive line rushes, with stunts and dropping lineman into coverage. The big matchup on the line will be LT Brian Chacos (301lbs) against DE Chris Ellis. Ellis is extremely quick and strong, so Chacos will have his work cut out for him. If the Heels want to pull the upset, Chacos will need to play really well.

The Hokies could least afford an injury to the offensive line, but they suffered a huge one last Saturday. LT Brandon Frye left the game with a sprained right elbow. While he is progressing faster than first expected, do not look for him to play in this one. Nick Marshman will fill in for him, and he played well last game after Frye was hurt. RT Duane Brown was probably the biggest disappointment for the Hokies as he gave up the only sack of the game, and looked lost at times. The Hokeis must keep Glennon upright and allow Ore plenty of room to run.

ADVANTAGE: VIRGINIA TECH

The Tar Heels got run on over and over and over again by Raymell Rice of Rutgers, and they must find a way to stop that. They have given up over 250 yards rushing to the Hokies the past two years, and they will be tested again this year against Tech. The Heels were dominated up front and missed numerous tackles in the secondary against Rutgers, and they need to change it this week. Tech is going to run numerous times, and if they can not stop it, then look for Tech to run it some more. The key to this game will be the ability of the Heels to stop the run. It sounds like a broken record, but if the Heels do not stop the run, they have no chance to beat the Hokies.

The Hokies have one of the best defenses in the country, and they started the season with a shutout for the first time since 1999. They stopped the run and the deep pass against Northeastern, but they struggled covering the tight end. Bud Foster seemed to focus on his zone coverage in the opener, but I don’t expect that to happen too much more. Look for the Hokies to stuff the run and make Joe Dailey beat them over the top. The key will be the matchup between corner Victor Harris and receiver Brooks Foster.

ADVANTAGE: VIRGINIA TECH

The Tar Heels boost a very good kicker in Connor Barth, who has been a star since his game-winning FG against Miami his freshman year. As good as Barth is, their punter, David Wooldridge, really struggled in the opener. His two kicks went for a combined 62 yards, and that needs to improve. The Heels must be perfect in the kicking game, and cannot allow the Hokies to change the momentum with a blocked kick. That is much easier said than done though.

Frank Beamer promised better special teams play, and he did not disappoint. Tech blocked two kicks, a punt and a kick, and the return game faired much better, although it is very tough to tell how well against Northeastern. Brandon Pace was 1-1 in FG, knocking one in from 30 yards and punter Nic Schmitt was very solid in his only punt (48 yards). Tech did have a kick blocked, but that was with the second special teams unit (Pace was not kicking), so it was not a huge deal for Beamer. Look for the Hokies to go after the first few kicks in an attempt to take the crowd out of the game.

ADVANTAGE: VIRGINIA TECH

Stop the run game of the Hokies

Run the ball well, and control the clock

Win the special teams battle

Run the ball well to take the pressure of Glennon

Take the crowd out early, and allow Glennon to relax

Force Joe Dailey into making bad decisions

This is the ACC opener for both teams, so they will be hungry for a win. North Carolina is staring another 0-2 start in the face, and being at home, will want to take control early. Virginia Tech has never lost an ACC road contest (8-0), and the big reason for that is the defense and running game. Once again, they will be the key for Tech. The big question will be whether Sean Glennon can handle the pressure of a road conference game as the starting QB. Look for Frank Beamer to run the ball a ton, and allow his defense to take control early and grind the game out. North Carolina must stop the run, and judging by their performance against Rutgers, that is not too likely. Look for the Hokies to struggle at first, but behind Ore and a good offensive line performance to wear out the Heels in the 2^nd half.