A bye week fell at an opportune time for No. 14 Virginia Tech, giving the Hokies a chance to get their loss to No. 11 Georgia Tech out of their heads.

The game almost two weeks ago took the Hokies (5-2, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) out of contention for the national championship, but coach Frank Beamer said a Saturday spent watching other teams play quickly reminded him teams need to be ready every week.

"There are surprises every Saturday. You've just got to go play a game," he said, mentioning that he saw Nebraska turn the ball over eight times and lose to underdog Iowa State. "You just never know what's going to happen. In sports, you better just keep playing yourself, be as good as you can be yourself, and then see where you stand at the end."

On Thursday night, the Hokies get their first chance to show how well they listened when they play host to North Carolina (4-3, 0-3), a heavy underdog that has been struggling.

"It's definitely good that we had a bye week," linebacker Cody Grimm said. "You can get away from football for a little while and get the bodies feeling a little better and get a chance to reflect and see everything you have in front of you, and all the stuff you can do."

But getting back in action will show a lot about the team, too.

"We have a lot of stuff to prove. I think we're a really good football team and I think we're going to show people how good we can be. I'm excited to get back out there," he said.

In the Tar Heels, the Hokies will find a team with a similar mindset.

"We've got to get back in the win column, get back on track and start playing like we can," quarterback T.J. Yates said. "We know we have a tough road ahead of us for the rest of the season. We've just got to do everything we can and get as many wins as possible."

North Carolina is coming off a tough loss, too. Playing its first Thursday night home game, the Tar Heels led Florida State 24-6 after halftime and then fell apart, losing 30-27.

"We need to make a big statement," defensive end E.J. Wilson said. "We need to go out and have a great week of practice and film study. We need to go out there and have our A-game. We know they're going to bring their A-game. It's a Thursday night in Blacksburg."

That last part is the one that has Tech tailback Ryan Williams fired up. He was a redshirting freshman last season when the Hokies hosted Maryland on a Thursday night. In the game, freshman tailback Darren Evans ran for a school record 253 yards in a 23-13 victory.

"Last year, because I didn't really go to any games, I was in the dorm watching the game and just hearing the atmosphere of that Thursday night game when Darren played Maryland," Williams said. "It was exciting. I'm just excited to play in that type of atmosphere."

Williams is averaging 119 yards rushing and has scored 11 touchdowns. The next TD will break the Hokies' freshman record set by Evans last season.

He and the other Hokies said the key now is taking care of their business, and trying to win out one game at a time, rather than casting one eye toward Georgia Tech. If the Yellow Jackets lose to Wake Forest or Duke, the Hokies could re-enter the ACC title picture.

"If we don't win out," left tackle Ed Wang said, "none of that really matters."