In what appeared to be a lost season, interim head coach Philip Montgomery has breathed life back into the Virginia Tech football program since dismissing Brent Pry. However, on Saturday in Week 10, with the Hokies hosting No. 16 Louisville at Lane Stadium, his offense looked lifeless in the second half.
Virginia Tech managed just 99 total yards after the intermission as the Cardinals erased a 16-7 halftime deficit with 21 unanswered points. The Hokies punted on five straight drives before finally finding some traction in the fourth quarter, leading to a fourth-down stop that foiled the upset bid and may haunt Virginia Tech fans this week.
Down 21-16 with 5:57 left in the fourth quarter and facing a fourth-and-3 from the Louisville 38-yard line, Montgomery left the offense on the field and left the ball in the hands of his quarterback, Kyron Drones. Drones was stopped for a one-yard gain, giving the ball back to the Cardinals, who needed just seven plays to march 63 yards for the game-sealing touchdown.
In his postgame press conference, Montgomery didn’t question the decision to go for it, but he did seem to want to have the play-call back, telling reporters, “Maybe I should have called a better play.”
Montgomery on the fourth-down play that got stopped with about six minutes left: "You can put that on me. Maybe I should have called a better play." #Hokies
— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) November 1, 2025
Virginia Tech offense stalled in second half as Louisville pulled away
More than just the critical fourth-down call, the Hokies’ offense fell apart. Despite not allowing a sack, Drones finished with just 76 passing yards on 11-for-24 with one touchdown. Virginia Tech was outgained 371-240, with only 99 of those 240 yards coming in the second half.
As for his team’s stagnation after a strong first half, Montgomery said, “We never captured the momentum again after halftime.”
Virginia Tech now sits at 3-6 and 2-3 in ACC play with last week’s double overtime victory over Cal on Friday night. The Hokies will now have to win out in matchups against Florida State, Miami, and Virginia to reach bowl eligibility.
Montgomery likely won’t be in the running for the head coaching gig full-time, especially with rumors about James Franklin potentially landing in Blacksburg, but he has emerged as an intriguing candidate for a lower-level head coaching gig with Virginia Tech’s resurgence with him at the helm. His accountability for Saturday’s loss is exactly what an athletic director with a head coaching vacancy would want to hear.