Here is a scouting report on 2-5 Virginia Tech, who play at No. 24-ranked NC State at 7:30 p.m. Thursday on ESPN.
Five Virginia Tech players to watch
Senior middle linebacker Dax Hollifield
The 6-foot-1, 245-pounder from Shelby (N.C.) High has been a factor for five years. He has 325 career tackles, 11 sacks and four interceptions. Hollifield has 52 tackles and a sack this season, and had a season-high 11 tackles in the loss at Old Dominion on Sept. 2, and he had 10 stops in the 41-10 loss at North Carolina on Oct. 1. Hollifield has gotten double digits in tackles in eight career games.
Redshirt sophomore punter Peter Moore
Moore has been an active punter with 45 punts for an average of 41.1 yards and a long of 67. He has landed 17 inside the 20-yard line, 20 have been fair caught and he’s booted 11 that are at least 50 yards. Moore earned third-team All-ACC last year after averaging a lofty 44.5 yards, with 24 punts of at least 50 yards.
Senior safety Nasir Peoples
The 6-0, 205-pounder has 34 tackles and one pass defended this season, but miss most of the Miami (Fla.) loss due to a targeting penalty. He had 10 tackles in the season-opening loss at Old Dominion on Sept. 2. Peoples had 86 tackles last year, with four games with at least double figure tackles en route to honorable mention All-ACC honors. He had a season-high 12 tackles and an interception in a 32-29 loss vs. Notre Dame on Oct. 9, 2021.
Sophomore running back Malachi Thomas
The 6-0, 198-pound Thomas has returned from injury the last two games. He has 28 carries for 125 yards and a touchdown, plus 11 receptions for 57 yards and a score. He rushed 15 times for 84 yards and a score against Pittsburgh in a 45-29 loss Oct. 8. Thomas rushed for 433 yards and three scores last year, including back-to-back games against Syracuse and Georgia Tech where he tallied 46 carries for 254 yards and three scores.
Redshirt junior quarterback Grant Wells
The 6-2, 208-pounder who transferred in from Marshall has the physical tools, but hasn’t found his true rhythm with the Hokies. He has gone 141-of-237 passing for 1,439 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. Wells has also added 57 carries for 148 yards and three scores. He threw for 3,532 yards and completed 66.3 percent of his passes last year at Marshall, but also had 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions with the Herd. He threw for a season-high 277 yards in a 45-29 loss at Pittsburgh on Oct. 8.
What to watch for from Virginia Tech
1. Offensive balance. Virginia Tech has aimed for balance this season, but it’s been hard. The Hokies have rushed 238 times and passed 249 times, which shows the effort considering the offense has had to turn to the passing game when trailing.
The passing game has suffered with a lack of quality targets, but 6-2, 222-pound Kaleb Smith has put together a solid season. The senior has 28 catches for 428 yards and two scores this season, with a bulk coming against Pittsburgh. He had nine catches for 152 yards at the Panthers. Senior tight end Nick Gallo has added 23 catches for 167 yards, but no scores. Former NC State commit and UNC transfer Stephen Gosnell is in the wide receiver rotation.
The return of of a healthy Malachi Thomas has bolstered the backfield. The sophomore is in a rotation with senior Keshawn King and senior Jalen Holston.
2. Offense goes as Grant Wells goes. The offense might be balanced, but it also puts a lot of pressure on quarterback Grant Wells to make plays. He has the arm talent but something has just been off at times. He threw for over 320 yards in seven game last year with Marshall, including a season-high 433 yards and a touchdown in a 42-38 loss vs. East Carolina on Sept. 18, 2021.
Wells did end his Marshall career with a whimper, throwing for 99 yards in a 36-21 loss vs. Louisiana in the New Orleans Bowl, and he had 76 yards passing in a 53-21 loss vs. Western Kentucky in the season finale, getting injured in the second quarter.
Wells can avoid the pass rush some with his mobility, and rushed 16 times for 35 yards and a score in the 20-14 loss vs. Miami (Fla.). Both numbers were easily season-highs for him, but he does have nine carries in two other contests.
Three keys to the game for NC State football
1. Can NC State pass the ball well? This will be a redundant theme the rest of the season with redshirt junior quarterback Devin Leary out for the season.
To be accurate, NC State wasn’t passing the ball all that explosively with Leary, but backup Jack Chambers has struggled. With a week to prepare, Chambers went 18-of-30 for 160 yards and was sacked three times in the 24-9 loss at Syracuse on Oct. 15. Chambers has enjoyed an off week to get ready for Virginia Tech, and so has true freshman MJ Morris.
It’s easy to buy into the thought process that Morris will play more against Virginia Tech. How much can he handle? That’s something the Wolfpack coaches would know. No point in playing him if he can’t handle everything, but having some specific themed series here and there until he is ready could be the way to go.
2. The injured calvary needs to arrive: NC State played Syracuse with several other key cogs out.
Sophomore running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye was the biggest loss against the Orange. H-back Trent Pennix should be ready to go after getting hurt in the season opener. Enigmatic redshirt junior wide receiver Devin Carter also missed the Syracuse game, and senior left guard Chandler Zavala got hurt 14 offensive plays into the game.
NC State needs all hands on deck and some offensive play calling to make up for the lack of healthy talent. Otherwise, it will be another game where senior kicker Christopher Dunn makes 4-5 field goals.
3. The defense should dominate. The Wolfpack defense doesn’t defeat themselves for the most part.
The final statistics by Syracuse’s offense looks good on paper — 210 passing yards and 179 rushing yards — but it also took some terrific individual catches from Oronde Gadsden II to make that happen. Virginia Tech doesn’t have a 6-5 Gadsden going up high to make plays. He had eight catches for 141 yards and two scores.
What the NC State does need to do is create turnovers at the Virginia Tech end of the field. The Pack can gift wrap some offensive opportunities for an offense that is struggling.
3. Defense bends some but also breaks: Opposing teams are averaging 25.1 points per game against the Hokies, but Pittsburgh and North Carolina gashed them for a combined 86 points.
The biggest statistical issue for the Virginia Tech defense is the lack of forcing turnovers. The Hokies have just two interceptions and have recovered three fumbles in seven games. The lack of turnovers combined with the lack of punching in touchdowns and the train has gotten off the track.
The Hokies have gone with a 4-3 alignment as a base defense. Shelby (N.C.) High linebacker Dax Hollifield is the leader of the defense, and former Greensboro (N.C.) Page standout Alan Tisdale is fully back healthy at outside linebacker and had nine tackles against Miami (Fla.). Ex-Clayton (N.C.) High safety J.R. Walker is now a 6-0, 223-pound rotational linebacker.
The defense has 13 sacks on the season, with 6-1, 255-pound TyJuan Garbutt leading the way with 3.5 sacks. The defensive line is on the smaller side, similar to Syracuse.
Three numbers of note
16 Sacks that Virginia Tech has allowed, which contrasts with NC State being last in the ACC with eight sacks.
34 Thursday Night Football games on ESPN since 1994 for Virginia Tech, going 23-11, but have never played NC State.
966 Sacks for Virginia Tech from 1996-to-2021, which is second to Clemson nationally during that stretch, just ahead of Ohio State. NC State defensive line coach Charley Wiles was the defensive line coach at Virginia Tech from 1996-2019.
Follow on Twitter:
@NCStateRivals or @JaceyZembal
Subscribe for free on YouTube:
For Jacey Zembal or The Wolfpack Central
Like on Facebook:
ATTENTION SUBSCRIBERS: Our NETWORK-WIDE, all-access pass allows you to read every premium message board in the Rivals.com network as part of a bundled add-on to your subscription!
Subscribers can add the All-Access Pass or a 3-Site Bundle in your account profile, under the Subscriptions tab: HERE
