Hokies' 2022 Schedule Set In Stone

By Carter Hill

Staff Writer

January 31, 2022

BLACKSBURG — When Brent Pry walked off of his university-owned private charter jet at the Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport on the opening day of December, he knew he was stepping into a fairly sizable rebuild in terms of the future of Virginia Tech football on the national stage.

Strolling through his own stomping grounds, on Southwest Virginia soil, Pry proceeded to saunter into the Merryman Athletic Center later that afternoon. With his head high and morale strong, the former Tech graduate assistant then made his way into the dark, cramped tunnel, resting just beneath the North End Zone stands.

There, with a slight touch of the Hokie Stone that reads “For Those Who Have Passed, For Those To Come, Reach For Excellence.”

Now, just a day shy of two months since arriving, passed by countless hours of recruiting the Commonwealth and assembling a staff, Pry now finally has his 2022 schedule all mapped out. And with that, so does the early stages of the rebuilding of Virginia Tech football.

Ironically enough, the 2022 campaign starts out near a former cornerstone for Tech recruiting. On either the opening Friday (Sept. 2) or Saturday (Sept. 3), the Hokies will travel to S.B. Ballard Stadium in Norfolk, where they’ll face off against Old Dominion in Hampton Roads for the first time since the infamous 2018 49-35 defeat.

Pry’s home debut then comes a week later, when Tech hosts Boston College on Saturday, Sept. 10 inside Lane Stadium.

Wofford comes to town the following week on Sept. 17, before the renewal of the battle for the Black Diamond Trophy proceeds to take place on a date Hokie fans are ever so accustomed to. Thursday, September 22 will be the day that nearly 66,000 conundrum shakes the Earth once again, when West Virginia pays a visit to Blacksburg for the first time since 2004 — Tech’s first season in the ACC.

The 2022 season then treks on with a gauntlet of a stretch — in Chapel Hill, N.C. against North Carolina (Oct. 1), in the Steel City against Pittsburgh (Oct. 8), and inside Lane Stadium to welcome in the Mario Cristobal-led Miami Hurricanes (Oct. 15). THose three dates become a make-or-break stretch for the Hokies in the upcoming campaign.

After a bye week on Oct. 22, Virginia Tech then makes its second visit to the Triangle area of 2022. This time to the always-hostile Carter-Finley Stadium, where NC State awaits for a Thursday night showdown on Oct. 27. It’ll be the first time the maroon and orange travel to Raleigh since 2010, and should be a fantastic opportunity for Tech to secure a signature road victory.

November then rolls in with the “Battle of the Techs” on November 5 when Georgia Tech comes to town, and continues with a third visit to North Carolina for a date with Duke on November 12.

Then, how about this slate to close it out? The Hokies will travel to Lynchburg for the first time in program history on Nov. 19 to face off against Liberty, before finishing it up by hosting the always-potent Virginia Cavaliers on Nov. 26.

Should the Hokies clinch their first ACC Coastal Division title since 2016, the ACC Championship Game will be held in Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium on Saturday, December 3.

There’s oh so much potential for Virginia Tech that fans can’t wait to see untapped. Now, there’s a clearer picture when that may happen during the upcoming 2022 season.

The pieces are starting to be put in place for Brent Pry behind the scenes.

Now, can it execute on the field? Buckle up, it should be a fun ride.

2022 Virginia Tech Football Schedule:

9/2 or 9/3: at Old Dominion

9/10: Boston College*

9/17: Wofford

9/22: West Virginia (Thursday night)

10/1: at North Carolina*

10/8: at Pittsburgh*

10/15: Miami*

10/27: at NC State* (Thursday night)

11/5: Georgia Tech*

11/12: at Duke*

11/19: at Liberty

11/26: Virginia*

*Denotes in-conference matchup