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NC State football schedule early snapshot: Virginia Tech

MattCarterby: Matt Carter03/23/22TheWolfpacker
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Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

The NC State football schedule begins Sept. 3 with a road date at East Carolina. That’s the start of four straight non-conference games to start the year. Then it’s all ACC action from that point forward.

The Pack’s first game after a bye week is a Thursday night affair at Carter-Finley Stadium against Virginia Tech on Oct. 27.

With much anticipation for the upcoming Wolfpack season, here’s an early look at Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech in 2021

Under head coach Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech seemed to have a tendency of starting strong, raising optimism and then faltering down the stretch.

True to form, that’s how 2021 went.

Virginia Tech started the season by quickly bringing a preseason No. 10 North Carolina squad back to earth with a 17-10 victory in Blacksburg. After five games, the Hokies were 3-2 with its pair of defeats a 6-point setback at West Virginia and 3-point home loss to No. 14 Notre Dame.

Then the season started to slip away from Virginia Tech. A 28-7 home loss to Pittsburgh was followed by a stunning 41-36 home loss to Syracuse.

After 10 games and with a 5-5 record, Fuente was out as the head coach, ending his six-year run at Virginia Tech with a 43-31 record, including 28-20 in the ACC.

Former Virginia Tech defensive lineman J.C. Price was promoted to interim head coach and led the Hokies to an emotional rivalry win at Virginia to end the regular and clinch bowl eligibility at 6-6. The Pinstripe Bowl in New York did not go well, however. Virginia Tech was demolished by Maryland, 54-10.

Spring Outlook

The new head coach for Virginia Tech is Brent Pry, who had been serving most recently as the defensive coordinator at Penn State. Price stayed on as the associated head coach/defensive line coach.

For his coordinators, Pry hired Tyler Bowen (offense) and Chris Marve (defense). The latter spent the last two seasons as the defensive run game coordinator/linebackers coach at Florida State, and Marve worked with Pry for five seasons when they were together at Vanderbilt. Marve will also coach the linebackers for VT.

Bowen coached tight ends last year for Urban Meyer with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he will also coach that unit at Virginia Tech. Like Marve, Bowen has previously worked with Pry. Prior to jumping to the NFL, Bowen was an assistant for three seasons at Penn State, serving in 2020 as the co-offensive coordinator.

Pry’s staff will have to establish a depth chart that was hit fairly hard by attrition. Only 11 players who started at least half the season last year are back. Finding a quarterback will be an early key. Marshall two-year starter Grant Wells transferred into the program after throwing for 5,623 yards and 34 touchdowns with 22 picks in his career for the Thundering Herd. He completed 64.3 percent of his passes.

South Carolina transfer Jason Brown went 2-2 as a starter with the Gamecocks a season ago but completed just 55.6 percent of his passes and had nearly as many interceptions (six) as touchdowns (eight). He will likely compete with Wells.

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