Collegiate Times

It’s amazing how one punch can save a team’s season.

Virginia Tech was down 26-21, and Logan Thomas was going down for a sack to bring up a fourth and 20 toward the end of the third quarter last Thursday night. But Georgia Tech linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu swung at Thomas out of frustration, giving the Hokies new life.

Five plays later, Thomas took it into the end zone on a 12-yard quarterback sneak to give the team a lead it would never relinquish. The Hokies went on to win 37-26, bringing them one step closer to winning their fifth Coastal Division title in seven years.

But, despite knocking off arguably their best competitor in the division, the Hokies still have work left to do, starting on Thursday night with North Carolina.

After starting the season 5-1, the Tar Heels have dropped three of their last four games, all ACC contests, and now sit near the bottom of the division standings with a 2-4 conference record.

However, despite their lack of success recently, the Heels still have plenty of firepower and remain a significant threat to the Hokies on Thursday night.

Here’s why I’m afraid of North Carolina:

BRYN RENNER

The sophomore quarterback, and Virginia native, is one of the rising stars in the Atlantic Coast Conference, as he leads the conference in completion percentage (71.4) in his first year as the starter. He also ranks first in QB rating (164.7) and third in touchdown passes (19).

Renner had a career day two weeks ago against Wake Forest, completing 75 percent of his passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns, without throwing an interception. He is without a doubt one of the best signal callers the Hokies have faced all year.

DWIGHT JONES

Renner’s favorite target is one of the best in the conference and will more than likely be playing on Sundays next season.

He ranks third in the conference in yards per game (91.3), second in receptions (63) and is tied for second in touchdown catches (8). Jones is a big-play guy who has all the necessary attributes of an elite wide receiver. Only one secondary this season has held him under 72 receiving yards in a game, and that was Clemson.

It’ll be interesting to see if Jayron Hosley and company are able to give a similar effort on Thursday night.

GIOVANI BERNARD

If not for Sammy Watkins, this guy would probably be taking home the ACC’s Rookie of the Year award come season’s end.

He’s the only running back in the conference besides David Wilson and Miami’s Lamar Miller to average more than 100 yards rushing per game, and is first in the conference among running backs in rushing touchdowns, with 11. Bernard has already gone over 1,000 yards rushing on the year, and might have some luck adding to that total against the same Tech squad that gave up 243 yards on the ground to Georgia Tech last week.

ZACH BROWN

Not the band. The linebacker. He has 5.5 sacks on the season to go along with 71 tackles and 9.5 tackles for a loss. He’s the anchor of this Carolina defense, and ranks second in the conference with three forced fumbles on the year. He’s a physical guy that can disrupt plays in the backfield. Look for No. 47 to make a big play or two against the Hokies offense Thursday night.

In all honesty, this North Carolina squad is one of the more fast and athletic teams in the conference. But if both teams play their best game of the year, Tech will come out on top. Here’s why I’m not afraid of the Tar Heels:

LOGAN THOMAS

Despite being heavily criticized early in the year, Thomas has really come into his own as of late.

Since the loss to Clemson, he’s completed 86 of 144 passes for 1,257 yards with 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

He is really starting to develop into one of the conference’s — and perhaps even the nation’s — best young quarterbacks. He still has a good shot at breaking several single-season records in his first year as the starter, and should have a good bit of success against a Carolina pass defense that ranks dead last in the conference. 

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A version of this article appeared in the Nov 17 issue of the Collegiate Times.