Just when you think the Virginia Tech football team is trending in the right direction, a game like Saturday happens. In control at Syracuse, 21-3, midway through the third quarter, the Hokies had a stunning collapse. Allowing 28 points over the final quarter and a half to force overtime tied at 31. The Orange scored on their only possesion of the extra session and forced a fumble on the Hokies to escape with a 38-31 overtime victory to become bowl-eligible.
The loss drops Virginia Tech to 5-4 and being banged up, finding win No. 6 to become bowl-eligible themselves might have to come down to Thanksgiving Weekend at home against Virginia. That's not out of the question. With that said, here are five critical observations from the loss in New York.
1. Closing out games is still a concern
This was loss No. 4 for the Hokies and it was another game where they let a late lead slip away without coming up with one more stop. It happened in Week 1 at Vanderbilt and then on Sept. 27 at Miami. It never should have come down to a Hail Mary replay in South Florida.
Yes, some of this is on the defense, but it's also on the offense. They had a chance to go up two scores with just outside of five minutes remaining at Syracuse, instead having to settle for a field goal. Things are different is they find the end zone on their next to last drive in regulation.
2. Clock management is still an issue
Clock management is big in football and once again, it wasn't the greatest showing for the Hokies coaching staff on Saturday. From the final drive in the first half to the final drive of the game playing for overtime, it was not a masterclass in clock management. It's little things like that which continue to haunt Virginia Tech.
3. Turnovers continue to haunt Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech, for the most part, took care of the ball, but a Jeremiah Coney fumble in the third quarter after a second Syracuse touchdown set the Orange up in plus territory to take their first lead. The difference in the game was Syracuse capitalizing on their chances off of turnovers and the Hokies did not.
4. Virginia Tech defense implodes in the second half
The Hokies defense was great in the first half. Mansoor Delane picked off Kyle McCord in the end zone and they held the Ohio State transfer to 90 yards through the air. They forced multiple three-and-outs while the offense put together some big drives.
Syracuse, which came into the game leading the NCAA in time of possession at 34:56 a game, started the second half the same way they did the first half, but a broken tackle and 55-yard catch and run by Justus Ross-Simmons shifted the momentum and Virginia Tech defense struggled to get a stop the rest of the game. To give up 28 points in a quarter in a half is tough to do at any level, but the Hokies pulled it off.
5. Win No. 6 is going to be difficult to get
There are three games left in the season and one win is needed to become bowl-eligible, but where is it going to come from? Next week Clemson comes to Blacksburg and then after a bye week, a trip to Duke is the last road game and a homecoming for Aeneas Peebles. That is not going to be an easy game, especially if the Hokies are still banged up.
There is a very realistic chance that the game at Lane Stadium on Nov. 30 against Virginia is going to be their best shot at winning. If that is the case, what a disappointment that would be. A team with high expectations needing to beat Virginia in the Commonwealth Clash was not something many people, if any, had on their bingo card when the season kicked off on Aug. 31 at Vanderbilt.
It's hard to believe the Hokies are in the position they're in, but here we are. At 5-4 through nine games, it is disappointing and the same mistakes that happened in Week 1 at Vanderbilt are happening in Week 10 at Syracuse. Disappointing, to say the least.