5 Virginia Tech Football thoughts through two games

The Virginia Tech football team picked up their first win of the 2024 season with a 31-14 win over Marshall Saturday afternoon at Lane Stadium. It was a mixed results day for Brent Pry’s team who had some good moments and some shaky moments. However, at the end of the day, a win is a win as they get ready to prepare for a non-conference game at Old Dominion this upcoming weekend.

As the Hokies prepare for a trip to Norfolk, here are some Week 2 Virginia Tech thoughts.

Offensive Line is a big concern

One concern going into the season was just how good was the offensive line going to be for the Hokies. So far, the returns have been less than impressive. Mainly in the first half of games, quarterback Kyron Drones has been scrambling too much and it limits his reads on his throws. The running game has taken some time to get going because of lack of holes being opened.

The second half of games have been better, but going forward, unless things are figured out and they better, it’s hard seeing Drones staying healthy this season and losing him would be a huge blow for the Hokies. Figuring out the offensive line struggles is a must before ACC play begins.

Need to Ali Jennings involved more

Ali Jennings is a big part of the offense and getting him involved early and often should be a priority going forward. He took advantage of a blown coverage against Vanderbilt for a big-play touchdown, but he didn’t have a catch against Marshall. Throwing to him early against his former team who he had two touchdown catches against last year would be beneficial this week.

Virginia Tech’s youngsters playing well on defense

Through the first two games defensively, two young players have stuck out and played well, Mose Phillips and Dante Lovett. Phillips was involved in a lot of tackles against Vanderbilt and Marshall and he even tipped a pass in the third quarter that led to a Mansoor Delane interception. Lovett played very well against Marshall and they picked on him in the second half and he was up to challenge with pass breakups, including one on fourth down that caused a turnover on downs. Both have a bright future in Blacksburg.

Jaylin Lane is electric returning punts

Losing Tucker Holloway is a tough blow to the Hokies punt return game, but it’s nice to have Jennings and Lane on the roster to fill in for Holloway. Against Marshall, Lane showed how explosive he can be by returning a punt for a touchdown on the final play of the first quarter.

On that return, he showed his speed and explosivness to get by the defense. Even a face mask penalty couldn’t slow him down. It was a juch-needed big play for the Hokies and putting Lane and even Jennings back there will make that happen.

Adjustments need to be made before halftime

For a second straight week, Virginia Tech went into halftime and made some very good adjustments, but they need to be made earlier in the game, especially against good teams like Rutgers and once ACC play begins. The biggest adjustments made have been on offense and it just feels like some of them could be made before halftime. Getting off to faster starts will help.