Grant Wells and Virginia Tech have a big task on their hands on Thursday with No. 24 NC State. (Ivan Morozov)[/caption]

Through seven games this year, the stingiest defense Virginia Tech faced was Pitt. Ironically, that was the only time the Hokies broke 400 yards of total offense against an FBS team in 2022.

In that 45-29 loss in Acrisure Stadium, Tech was a threat offensively. 277 yards through the air, 126 on the ground, 21 first downs, 5.2 yards per play and five plays of 20-plus yards. What's more, Tech ran 10 plays in the red zone, the second-most all season behind 14 vs. Boston College.

Opponent Pass Yards Rush Yards Yards Per Play First Downs 20+ Yd Plays Red Zone Plays
Old Dominion 197 136 4.4 19 3 6
Boston College 140 144 4.1 14 2 14
West Virginia 193 35 4.3 14 4 2
North Carolina 174 99 3.8 14 2 7
Pitt 277 126 5.2 21 5 10
Miami 179 78 4.1 19 2 7

Four of those six numbers numbers were season-highs against FBS opponents. Grant Wells completed 25-of-47 passes and threw a touchdown to Da'Wain Lofton, and the Hokies were down two points with 13 minutes to play.

The return of Malachi Thomas was a big plus, and the team made plays in multiple phases of the game. Keonta Jenkins intercepted Kedon Slovis in the second quarter, which set up a touchdown, and P.J. Prioleau blocked a punt that led to a score.

"That’s the closest we’ve come to complementary ball, which we hope to do," Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry said after the Pitt loss

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Yet just when things were looking positive, the Hokies reverted back to their old selves vs. Miami. They posted their second-fewest rushing yards on the year and had just 118 yards through three quarters.

After an open week that included self-reflection, Virginia Tech turns to NC State and the best defense it will see this season. The Wolfpack (5-2, 1-2 ACC) are tenth in FEI defense. Pitt (No. 22), Liberty (No. 26), Virginia (No. 45) and Georgia Tech (No. 46) are the only other teams on Tech's schedule that sit in the top 50.

Here are some ranks for the NC State unit:

Fourth down conversion defense: 1st in FBS (.182)
Team passing efficiency defense: 6th (106.45)
Passes intercepted: 7th (11)
First downs defense: 10th (110)
Scoring defense: 14th (16.9 ppg)
Passing yards allowed: 20th (188.4 ypg)
Turnover margin: 24th (0.71)
Third down conversion defense: 25th (0.319)
Rushing defense: 36th (122.4 ypg)

"They’ve got a nice group," Pry said on Monday. "I don’t know if anybody jumps out necessarily. ... They don’t have a bunch of breakdowns or execution errors. They tackle well, run to the ball well. I think it’s a good, fundamentally sound group."

Drake Thomas, Payton Wilson and Isaiah Moore are the three linebackers for the Wolfpack, who play a 3-3-5 scheme. The trio has combined for 131 tackles (30% of the team total), 13.5 tackles for loss and 13 quarterback hurries.

The Hokies allowed six sacks against Miami. (Ivan Morozov)

Meanwhile, the Tech offense allowed six sacks against the Hurricanes, including three in four plays between the second and third quarter. Wells lost 28 yards on the day, and the Hokies spent most of the game behind the sticks; they were 2-of-11 on third downs of four-plus yards.

The two conversions: Malachi Thomas's touchdown on third-and-14 and his 16-yard catch on third-and-eight in the fourth quarter.

Virginia Tech has to put itself in better situations in the final five games of the season. Should it end up in those tight spots, though, it's important that the right players are on the field. That goes back to Tech's self-scout from the bye week and Pry's comments after Miami.

"Number one, we’ve got to make sure we’re playing the right personnel that can make the plays that are necessary," Pry said then. "Number 2, we’ve got to be difficult enough – we can’t just line up and be vanilla. ... We’ve got to get our best people out there."

During the bye week, the staff analyzed things like its 12 and 11 personnel and who the specific players are in each formation. In addition, the Hokies also looked at what helps the offense flow the best. Pry and offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen understand that they need to be more creative.

[caption id="attachment_7449366" align="alignnone" width="2100"] How much are Thomas, King, Wright and Smith on the field together at NC State? (Ivan Morozov)

"We’ve tried to be that two-tight end team that we wanted to be at the onset, and run the ball and play-action and be multiple with our tight ends, and it just hasn’t gone like we’ve hoped," Pry said.

What do the Hokies look like on Thursday at No. 24 NC State against the most challenging defense they've faced all season? Will Keshawn King and Thomas play alongside each other? How much will Wright contribute in the passing game alongside Smith?

Wells knows they have to be well-balanced, but he said Tech had a good week of practice. Does that translate to a good performance, similar to the one at Pitt?

"They’re a good, physical defense," Wells said. "They’re going to stop the run, but they’re also going to drop a lot in pass coverage. So we have to be really balanced on offense. And I think we can do that.

"We gained a lot of confidence in the bye week. We worked on what we needed to work on, but we also got a lot of reps of the plays that we’re good at and gained confidence in that aspect."