The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Self-inflicted mistakes, penalties, poor clock management, and a fourth quarter where they allowed big plays turned what could have been a major upset for the Virginia Tech football team against 13th-ranked South Carolina on Sunday afternoon into a Gamecocks' runaway in the fourth quarter for a 24-11 victory in Atlanta inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Virginia Tech mistakes prove to be costly in season-opening loss to South Carolina
Trailing 10-8 entering the fourth quarter, it felt like the Gamecocks left the door open for the Hokies to take control of the game after their impressive game-opening touchdown drive, but as has been the case in previous seasons, mistakes, many self-inflicted, haunted Virginia Tech again.
Settling for field goals instead of finding the end zone was not going to be enough to win the game against South Carolina, but to add insult to injury, they were beaten at "Beamer Ball" by Shane Beamer. Punting earlier in the fourth quarter, the Hokies pinned the Gamecocks at their own 26-yard line, but an illegal formation penalty gave Beamer the option to re-punt the ball, and that's what he did. He was rewarded as Vicari Swain fielded the punt at the South Carolina 20-yard line, and he returned for a touchdown to essentially seal the game with a 17-8 lead.
However, had the Hokies taken advantage of what South Carolina did in leaving the door open, then it might have been a different story entering the fourth. At the end of the first half, questionable clock management at the end of the half, with a pair of timeouts, felt like it wasn't handled properly. In the third quarter, after making a nice catch into South Carolina territory, Donavon Greene was hit with a personal foul penalty after Drones was sacked, forcing and 2nd-and-32, moving the ball back to the Hokies' 40-yard line.
Virginia Tech's offense left some plays on the field. Some drops and passes not put in the right spot that would have been big plays were not made, and making a couple of them, things might have been different. It's one thing to lose, it's another thing to lose when you commit too many self-inflicted mistakes.
Now, it's a quick turnaround for the Hokies, hosting Vanderbilt on Saturday night at Lane Stadium, but before then, there is a lot to clean up, beginning with playing more disciplined football. It's too bad because the defense played more than well enough to win the game.