Another week, another frustrating loss for the Virginia Tech football team. For the fifth time this season, the Hokies found themselves on the wrong end of the scoreboard, this time in a lackluster effort against the Clemson Tigers, 24-14 on Saturday afternoon at Lane Stadium.
The loss dropped Virginia Tech to 5-5 and is in real danger of missing out on a bowl game, which would be stunning considering all the hype they had entering the season. They have a bye week next week weekend before heading to Duke on Nov. 23 then hosting Virginia on Nov. 30. Here are five sad observations from the Hokies latest setback.
1. Adjustments were few and far between
Adjustments in-game have been an issue for Brent Pry and his staff this season. It was another loss where he was questioned after the game about them and another answer of “I think it’s something we have to look at.” That answer is getting old with the fans, to say the least.
Against Clemson, Kyron Drones, and Bhayshul Tuten returned to the lineup, it was clear early on that neither was healthy enough to be on the field and make a difference. That's ok, but when everyone else other than the coaches with the headsets notices it, it's a problem. Finally, in the fourth quarter, Pry went to UCLA transfer Collin Schlee, but he was not 100% either after last week's game at Syracuse. At this point, why not give Pop Watson a look? It can't be any worse than watching two injured signal callers.
2. Wide receivers had a rough day
It was a rough day for the wide receivers. Yes, there were some throws from both Drones and Schlee that were not on target, but when they were on target, there were too many drops. Some of the drops were receivers who were wide-open. That's not ideal.
Drones missed a wide-open Ayden Greene in the second quarter and he might have taken the ball to the house if it was completed, but he had a fourth-quarter drop when he was wide-open. Stephen Gosnell, the one receiver who has been money this season, suffered an injury in the first half and did not return for the second half. The injuries are piling up everywhere.
3. Hokies defense was not bad
Somehow, some way, the Virginia Tech defense didn't allow a point in the first half. It felt like they were on the field for most of the half, but kept the Tigers off the scoreboard in large part due to a red zone interception and a blocked field goal that led to a Quentin Reddish touchdown.
HE'S A FRESHMAN 🫨#ThisIsHome | 📺 on @espn | @qreddish_ pic.twitter.com/byfcaKNIzK
— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) November 9, 2024
In the second half, Clemson started to make plays and quarterback Cade Klubnik made a tremendous play on their second touchdown in the third quarter when he picked up a bad snap, rolled out, avoided a sack, and found a wide-open receiver inside the 5-yard line and he did the rest. That's the type of stuff that only happens to Virginia Tech this season. Seriously, it is. It summed up the game and the second half. The defense was not the reason for this loss.
4. Sideline body language was not good
There were a lot of shots by the ESPN broadcast of the Hokies sideline in the second half, mainly the fourth quarter, and the body language was not great. Heads were down, towels were overheads, and a lot of blank looks on the faces of the players. The same could be said for Pry who looked like he was looking for answers that were not there.
5. Virginia Tech fans deserve better
This was the year that Virginia Tech fans were waiting for. Massive hopes entering the season, especially with the new 12-team College Football Playoff, but the season has turned into a disaster. There is no other way to put it. Hokies fans showed out again today as they have all season long and they sat through another frustrating effort from their team.
Can you blame the fans for leaving early? I couldn't. There needs to be soul-searching during the bye week from both the coaches to the players. It is not out of the realm of possibility that Virginia Tech loses their last two games to finish 5-7 and that would be a fitting end to the season. This was not the season a lot of envisioned after what has happened over the last 12 months from retainment to transfer portal additions. It's stunning.