Entering as a big-time underdog against 13th-ranked Miami on Saturday afternoon at Lane Stadium, the Virginia Tech football team had a lot to play for. It was the final home game for the Hokies' seniors, as well as underclassmen having the opportunity to impress newly-hired coach James Franklin.
In what was expected to be a blowout, the game was a little closer than the 34-17 final score indicates, and the Hokies put up a fight despite being overmatched. Here is the report card from Virginia Tech's final home game of the 2025 season.
Virginia Tech report card from loss to Miami
Offense: C-
There were some big plays made against a good Hurricanes defense, six plays of over 20-plus yards. They racked up 395 yards of total offense, 201 through the air and 194 on the ground. The problem was, however, five Miami sacks. Kyron Drones was under pressure all afternoon.
Jeffrey Overton, Jr. was impressive, rushing for 69 yards and a touchdown, and Marcellous Hawkins rushed for 72, but the sacks were tough to overcome. Pop Watson came on late in the game when Drones was injured and threw a nice deep ball to Ayden Greene and finished off the drive with a touchdown run.
Defense: C+
It was a rough first half for Virginia Tech's defense as it could not stop Miami. Sure, they held them to two touchdowns and two field goals, but they couldn't force a punt. The second half was better as they allowed only two touchdowns, including one in the final minute.
Things could have been worse for the Hokies' defense against an offense led by Carson Beck with a ton of weapons. Even on the last touchdown of the day, it was well defended. For a unit missing a ton of key players, it was an effort that you can make the case that it went better than expected.
Special Teams: A
Talk about some execution. The Hokies recovered an onside kick late in the game, down 10 points, which was stunning. John Love made his one field goal attempt into the wind, but the highlight was certainly recovering the onside kick.
Coaching: B-
Give Philip Montgomery credit for being aggressive all afternoon. Also, give him credit for keeping his cool, somewhat, after the abysmal officiating in the third quarter. Once again, he had his team ready to go for 60 minutes.
Overall: C+
The fact that Virginia Tech covered is somewhat surprising. Miami is in the mix for the College Football Playoff berth, but it feels like they are a long shot at best. They really didn't score many style points and certainly not as many as Notre Dame, who they are upset about being higher than them, who hung 49 points on Syracuse in the first half.
Despite being 3-8, there is a lot on the line next weekend for Virginia when the Hokies come to town. Can the Cavaliers finally beat the Hokies?