After winning two straight games following the dismissal of head coach Brent Pry, the Virginia Tech football team was looking for a third straight win when it hosted Wake Forest. It wasn't meant to be.
Thanks to several self-inflicted mistakes and the inability to score touchdowns and having to settle for field goals, the Hokeis suffered a 30-23 loss to fall to 2-4. Here are three head-scratching takeaways from a frustrating loss to the Demon Deacons.
Undisciplined football is back
Through the first three games of the season, it was rough watching Virginia Tech. They were unprepared, committing unnecessary penalties, and not able to score touchdowns to keep up with Wake Forest.
The two biggest self-inflicted mistakes came in the second quarter. An incomplete pass from Wake QB Robby Ashford created a fourth-and-long and a Demon Deacons punt. Instead, a Ben Bell roughing the passer penalty kept the drive alive, and Wake Forest scored a touchdown.
Later in the quarter, the Demon Deacons were facing a third-and-long, and Ashford was just trying to make the field goal attempt easier for his kicker. When he ran out of bounds and gave himself up, he was hit, and a 15-yard penalty gave Wake new life. Of course, they finished the drive with a touchdown before halftime. Two unnecessary penalties.
Play-calling following a third quarter interception
Virginia Tech picked off Ashford Isaiah Brown-Murray intercepted a pass and returned it 11 yards to the Demon Deacons' 4-yard line. After Marcellous Hawkins picked up three yards on first down, two more running plays picked up zero yards. After getting stuffed on third down, Donavon Greene was hit with an unsportsmanlike penalty, which moved the ball back to the 16-yard line.
Philip Montgomery was prepared to go for it on fourth down, according to Andy Bitter of Tech Sideline, but the penalty changed his plans. That can't happen. I know I'm not breaking any news there, but that just can't happen. Instead of potentially tying the game, you're still chasing points late in the game.
Too many field goals, not enough touchdowns
As the game was unfolding, you could see that field goals were not going to win the game. Trailing 24-14 at halftime, the Hokies were going to need to find the end zone in the second half. They didn't. Instead, they had to settle for three John Love field goals, but also a Love miss.
Play-calling was not bad down the field, but the play-calling and execution left a lot to be desired when they needed to come up big in Wake Forest territory. Give Wake Forest credit as they got after Drones multiple times to disrupt the offense when Virginia Tech was in plus-territory.
Next week, the Hokies head back to Atlanta, this time to face Georgia Tech. Nothing is easy in 2025.