Virginia Tech report card from frustrating Duke's Mayo Bowl loss to Minnesota

The undermanned Hokies fell to the Gophers in the Duke's Mayo Bowl in Charlotte on Friday night.

Minnesota v Virginia Tech - Duke's Mayo Bowl
Minnesota v Virginia Tech - Duke's Mayo Bowl | Grant Halverson/GettyImages
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Virginia Tech football defense report card against Minnesota

It was not a bad night for the Hokies' defensive line as they picked up a key sack in the fourth quarter that forced the Gophers to settle for a field goal. They did hang as well as they could against a bigger and tougher offensive line in Minnesota. Keyshawn Burgos and Wilfried Pene each had five tackles and Oklahoma transfer Kelvin Gilliam had four.

Believe it or not, it wasn't a bad night either for the Virginia Tech linebacking group. Caleb Woodson and Jaden Keller are going to be good players and Miami transfer Caleb Spencer has been good this season. This could be an underrated group in 2025.

You knew going into the game that the secondary was going to have a tough night and that's what happened. They had three straight scoring drives that included big plays through the air including a trick play. In the end, some young players got some good experience. They were up against it with all the players that entered the portal.

Schedule

Schedule