TV: ESPN, national game.

Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network (locally - WCHL-1360AM, WRBZ-850AM or WRDU-106.1FM)

The Teams: North Carolina (4-3, 0-3 ACC) Tar Heels & Virginia Tech (5-2, 3-1 ACC) Hokies. Va. Tech is ranked No. 13 and No. 14 in the AP and USA Today coaches' poll. UNC is not ranked.

The Coaches: Butch Davis: 16-16 (3rd season) at UNC; 67-36 (9th season) overall. Frank Beamer: 182-91-2 (23rd season) at VT; 224-114-4 (29th season overall).

The Series: Virginia Tech leads 16-9-6; , 2-1 at Blacksburg, Va. Last meeting: Virginia Tech 20, UNC 17 (2008 at Chapel Hill). Last VT win at home: 2007 (17-10). Last UNC win at VT: 1930 (39-21).

Last week: North Carolina lost to Florida State, 30-27; Virginia Tech had an open date.

Noteworthy: Butch Davis' Tar Heels will be playing their second consecutive Thursday night contest . ... Virginia Tech is 5-0 vs. UNC since joining the ACC in 2004, and the five-game winning streak matches the longest by either team in the series. ... The Tar Heels won five straight between 1929 and 1945. ... 19 of the 31 games have been played at neutral sites, and UNC will be making just its fourth appearance in Blacksburg. ... Virginia Tech rallied from a 17-3 third-quarter deficit to win last year's game in Chapel Hill. (UNC lost QB T.J Yates, with a broken left ankle, in the third quarter of that game.).

Players to watch: UNC RB Shaun Draughn rushed for a season-high 126 yards vs. Florida State ... Virginia Tech freshman RB Ryan Williams leads the ACC with 123 ypg rushing. ... VT QB Tyrod Taylor (38-for-55) has completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 710 yards and 6 TDs with just 2 INTs. ... Despite last week's loss, UNC's defensive unit led by LB Quan Sturdivant still ranks 7th nationally in total defense.

Quotable: "I feel like he needs more guys around him ... to just give him a place to go with the ball. It's not T.J.'s fault." - UNC receiver Greg Little on criticism of QB T.J. Yates. "