Following Virginia Tech's 30-23 loss to Wake Forest on Saturday at Lane Stadium, it felt like a huge missed opportunity for the Hokies. Winners of two straight going into the game, they were a favorite to win a third straight, but mistakes were costly.
They were good on offense, not great, but they did enough to win the game, putting up 23 points. Yes, it was frustrating with a first-and-goal inside the Demon Deacons' 5-yard line in the third quarter following an interception, but after three failed runs and a personal foul penalty, they had to settle for a John Love field goal. It was a missed opportunity to tie the game with a touchdown.
When the dust settled from the loss and the Hokies began looking ahead to a trip to Georgia Tech this upcoming weekend, there was one big worry coming out of the game.
One big big Virginia Tech football worry after Wake Forest loss
In the first three weeks of the season under Brent Pry, Virginia Tech was a team that lost games with self-inflicted mistakes and undisciplined play at times. After cleaning it up against Wofford and North Carolina State, the same mistakes made a return against Wake Forest.
This was a very winnable game for the Hokies, but two second-quarter mistakes played a huge part in the loss. Virginia Tech's defense did a good job in the quarter of forcing the Demon Deacons into fourth downs, but on both third-and-longs, there were two personal foul penalties that extended drives that led to Wake Forest's touchdowns.
Those 14 points ended up being the difference, along with the Hokies' inability to score a touchdown in the third quarter following Isaiah Brown-Murray's interception. Virginia Tech has a difficult schedule remaining this season, and if they continue to make mistakes that are self-inflicted, then it's going to be a long second half of the year beginning against the Yellow Jackets on Saturday.