Thursday links

It's Thursday, and this week and next, that means it's game day for Virginia Tech.

Although weekday home games are not welcomed by everyone in Blacksburg, there should be plenty of buzz on campus as kickoff approaches. Last week, North Carolina certainly embraced its first Thursday night home game.

To get the mood just right on was promising to be a rowdy evening, a recording of Virginia Tech punter Brent Bowden playing Metallica's "Enter Sandman," the Hokies' entrance song, will bring the team onto the field. Bowden is a fan of heavy metal and an impressive guitar player. (See video, below.) Earlier in the year, Bowden floated the idea to play "Enter Sandman" before a game while appearing on "Tech Talk Live," a weekly radio show in Blacksburg. It might have seemed far-fetched at the time, but now Bowden will get his wish. It should make for a fun scene.

At 0-3 in the ACC, North Carolina comes to Blacksburg in desperate need of a conference win. North Carolina was considered a possible contender entering the season. Quarterback T.J. Yates has shown promising signs at times. But seven games into the season, neither Yates nor the Tar Heels are playing like anyone predicted.