We knew that the Virginia Tech football team was up against it in their season-opener on Sunday afternoon in Atlanta against South Carolina. With all the hype going into the game, the fact that the Hokies only lost by 13 points, 24-11, is somewhat of a surprise.
With all the turnover on the roster and coaching staff entering the new season, Virginia Tech was an unknown, while the Gamecocks entered the game with a ton of preseason hype, rightfully so, behind stud quarterback LaNorris Sellers. In the end, South Carolina left the door open a few times throughout the game, but the Hokies refused to take advantage. Ultimately, a dominating fourth quarter allowed the 13th-ranked Gamecocks to pull away. Now, after the dust has settled, it's time for our first Virginia Tech football report card for the 2025 campaign.
Virginia Tech football report after South Carolina loss
Oh man, talk about missing some golden opportunities in the game. Yes, quarterback Kyron Drones didn't have his best game, completing 15 of 35 passes, but there were some big misses and some big drops by the wide receivers. Running the ball was an issue for the Hokies as South Carolina's speed on defense forced them to try and run the ball up the middle instead of getting out on the edge. The new-look offensive line is still a work in progress, while Ayden Greene and Donavon Greene made some big catches. Certainly, there's a lot to work on, including Drones throwing the ball.
It looked like it was going to be a long afternoon after the Gamecocks marched 75 yards on seven plays without much resistance on the game's opening drive, but first-year defensive coordinator Sam Siefkes quickly gathered his unit, and they played much better until late in the game. They sacked Sellers four times, had a safety, mixed up their coverages, and had South Carolina guessing sometimes and frustrated. There is no rest for the weary as they get Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt on Saturday night, and we all remember what happened last year, right?
I mean, yikes. It's one thing to lose, but it's another thing to shoot yourself in the foot and allow the game-winning touchdown on a punt return, Beamer Ball, against Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks. It was the turning point in the game, an illegal formation penalty on a punt that was out of bounds at the South Carolina 26, but Beamer made the Hokies re-kick, and Vicari Swain took it 80 yards for a game-changing touchdown. Tackling needs to be better, and lining up correctly would have solved a lot of the problems on the deciding play of the game if done correctly.
Siefkes and Philip Montgomery keep this from being a lower grade than what it is. Both new coordinators showed that those positions will be improved from last year, but still, an issue is clock management for Pry. The drive at the end of the first half that led to a field goal felt like there was no urgency to get a touchdown instead. He defended his decisions after the game, but kicking field goals instead of scoring touchdowns was not going to be enough to beat a team like South Carolina.
Yes, losing isn't a great feeling; however, you can't say that there some positives that came out of the game and you feel better about the season going forward than you did going into the game, right? There was some good to take from the game, and there is no doubt that the Hokies are going to win some games this year, but eliminating mistakes, self-inflicted wounds, and clock management issues will go a long way toward having this be a year where Virginia Tech surprises. Make some plays on offense, and the outcome might have been different.