4 Virginia Tech football thoughts after disappointing loss at Vanderbilt

Well, that was not fun, was it? In the back of my mind when I made my prediction for Saturday's Virginia Tech season-opening game at Vanderbilt, it was in the back of my mind that this might be tougher than we originally thought. Then I said to myself, there is a different vibe this season around the program and everything will be fine.

Boy, was I wrong.

In a rather concerning performance on a lot of levels, the Hokies dug themselves an early hole against Vanderbilt trailing 17-3 at halftime to only battle back and grab a 27-20 lead late in the fourth quarter. Then the first-half issues on defense came back and it all added up to a 34-27 loss in overtime to a Commodores team that was desperately needing one. Now that the dust has settled, here are some thoughts as the Hokies look to move forward at home against Marshall this upcoming Saturday.

Virginia Tech early-season struggles continue

The first few games of the last couple of seasons have yielded some head-scratching results. You can add Vanderbilt to a list that is growing longer with each passing year. Last season it was Purdue at home and Rutgers and Marshall on the road. Two years ago, it was Old Dominion on the road and West Virginia at home. Concerning is the right word when it comes to early-season results and they need to sweep their upcoming schedule of Marshall, ODU, and Rutgers to quiet down this trend.

First-half play calling was head-scratching

Returning offensive production was what we heard about all offseason and everyone expected the Hokies to hit the ground running offensively against Vanderbilt, but it didn't happen. Offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen tried everything to get the running game going and couldn't. Then when it came to passing, everything seemed like it was short and around the line of scrimmage. With the wide receivers and play-makers on the outside, throw the ball downfield. If you're able to hit one, two, or three, it opens the run game for Bhayshul Tuten and Kyron Drones. Feels like they took too long to open things up.

Mose Phillips made an impact

One bright spot on defense was safety Mose Phillips who had seven tackles. He was all over the field and it's a promising start for a young player whom the coaching staff has been hyping up during the spring season and camp. He certainly didn't look out of place against an SEC school.

Early-season wake-up call after Week 1 is not ideal

Following the game, head coach Brent Pry met with the media and offered the following comment after the Commodores' victory.

"It's humbling. And maybe we needed some of that."

- Brent Pry

If they need a humbling loss to get them to wake up, then there is a problem. With all the hype that they had entering the season, with all the retainment, with the transfer portal additions, a loss to Vanderbilt in Week 1 was humbling and maybe they needed some of that. Yeah, maybe last year, but not this year. There is still plenty of time to recover, but if losing to Vanderbilt in Week 1 is humbling, I'd hate to see what a loss to Marshall or Old Dominion would be.

Again, there is a lot of football left, but after one week, Virginia Tech fans are already questioning whether steps are going to be taken in 2024. That's not the feeling that was expected after playing Vanderbilt.