Trailing 21-16 late in the fourth quarter on Saturday afternoon, the Virginia Tech football team was facing a pivotal 4th-and-3 from the Louisville 37-yard line. It was a no-brainer for interim coach Philip Montgomery to go for it to keep the drive alive.
Quarterback Kyron Drones picked up just 1 yard, and the Hokies turned the ball over on downs. The 16th-ranked Cardinals drove down the field and put the game away with a touchdown for a 28-16 win at Lane Stadium.
After the game, Montgomery pointed the blame for the call and execution as it was a play that never had a chance of working for a first down.
Philip Montogmery points the blame for fourth quarter decision against Louisville
After the loss that dropped the Hokies to 3-6 on the season heading into their second bye in three weeks next weekend, Montgomery spoke to he media and quickly pointed the blame for that call.
"You can put that on me. Maybe I should have called a better play,'' said Montgomery.
It's not surprising that Montgomery pinned the blame on himself after the game, as he is also the offensive play caller still, but truth be told, it was mistakes that were made well before that had Virginia Tech in the position they were in, down five.
Virginia Tech's inability to run the ball, commit penalties, and not stop a Louisville offense that took off after halftime put them in the hole. Miller Moss and Isaac Brown, before he was injured late in the game, hurt the Hokies throughout the second half.
Virginia Tech hurt itself with momentum multiple times in the game, both late in the first half and in the second half. Now they get two weeks to stew about this loss before a trip to Florida State on Nov. 15.