Virginia Tech Football: 3 glaring concerns following disappointing Vanderbilt loss

Well, it's safe to say that things didn't go as planned for the Virginia Tech football team in their season opener. A big favorite over Vanderbilt, a team picked to finish last in the SEC in the preseason poll, came out and took it to the Hokies in a 34-27 overtime win.

It's going to be a long week in Blacksburg as the Hokies have a ton of sole searching to do as they look ahead to next week's home opener against Marshall. As we begin to look ahead, it's time to take another look back at a tough Saturday afternoon in Nashville.

Virginia Tech's defensive line was pushed around

Yes, the Hokies had a tough time getting off the field in the first half against Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia and late in the game, but it was a little concerning with how much the line got pushed around. You could say that the Commodores won the battle along the line of scrimmage during the game.

Look, it is always tough playing a team in a season-opener where there is no game film, but they had to have prepared for Pavia and the graduate student got the best of them. Is this a sign of things to come this season? Most likely not, but they are going to need a bounce-back performance next weekend against the Thundering Hurd. This is still going to be one of the top defensive lines in the ACC.

Virginia Tech's offensive line was not good, again

Last season the offensive line was an issue for the Hokies. Well, one game into 2024, it's a concern again. Penalties, missed blocking assignments and just not looking as good as they should is not what Brent Pry and his staff were looking for out of unit that should be better.

If they continue to play like this, it could be a long season for quarterback Kyron Drones and running back Bhayshul Tuten, no matter what the numbers tell you from Saturday as they will go up against much better defenses than they faced in Nashville.

Vanderbilt won the turnover battle

Winning the turnover battle is a must for Virginia Tech and on Saturday, one mistake turned out to be the difference and the Commodores took full advantage. A first-quarter interception by Drones led to a Vanderbilt touchdown and a 10-0 lead.

Commodores' quarterback Diego Pavia put the ball on the ground several times and a tipped pass in the second quarter was nearly picked off in plus territory for the Hokies, but they couldn't make a play. One takeaway by Virginia Tech changes the outcome in their favor.

Overall it was a frustrating game for the Hokies as they can't do anything right now but turn the page and look toward Marshall.