Friday night at Lane Stadium, the Virginia Tech football team had an opportunity to make a statement in a matchup against two undefeated ACC teams when Pittsburgh came to Blacksburg. However, when the dust settled, it was a complete nightmare for James Franklin and his team in the first major matchup of his tenure in charge of the Hokies.
Virginia Tech suffered a tough 35-33 loss at home to the Panthers, falling to 5-0. There were several reasons as to why this game was a tough one to swallow, but here are three realities that came from the two-point loss at Pat Narduzzi and Pitt.
1. Virginia Tech had too many self-inflicted mistakes
Let's be honest, this was a game where the Hokies lost more than Pitt won. Virginia Tech had four turnovers in the game after the first quarter, and some of them were bad decisions by quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer. Others, who knows what he saw.
Eight penalties for 82 yards were one concern aside from the turnovers. You can get away with some of those mistakes against lesser competition, but not against a team as good as Pitt. There are a lot of areas that need to be cleaned up before heading out to California next weekend to play the Golden Bears.
2. Is it time to be concerned about Brent Pry's defense?
After VMI and Old Dominion, the Hokies' defense has been good, but not great. There have been signs of leaks, and those became big leaks against Pittsburgh. Virginia Tech has bent but not broken at times. They broke against the Panthers.
There were some blown coverages; they failed to adjust at times to what Pitt was doing after the Panthers made some adjustments after the first two drives, when they got nothing. What was more concerning was that after Mason Heintschel went out, the Panthers ran the ball down the field to take the lead for good before a blown coverage in the fourth quarter led to a wide-open touchdown pass and a 35-24 lead. Facing Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele could get ugly if things don't change.
3. John Love never should have been in the position he was in
John Love has been nails during his time in Blacksburg, but his missed 36-yard field goal attempt was surprising. Did he actually miss it? That'll be a debate that goes on for a long time, but the senior never should have been in that position.
Four turnovers, penalties, and missed opportunities proved to be too much for the Hokies to overcome. Grunkemeyer's interception at the end of the first half gifted Pitt seven points, and then his INT in the fourth quarter took away a scoring opportunity. Virginia Tech's defense forced a safety, but when you turn the ball over four times and get outscored 35-19 after the first two drives at home, it's usually going to lead to a frustrating loss. Welcome to Virginia Tech football.
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