Perhaps it was the quality of the ESPN+ broadcast, with video that looked like it was shot on an IPhone 12 and audio you usually have to go to a fast food place and talk into a clown’s face at the drive-through to experience.
But there was something about Virginia Tech’s 37-17 win over Old Dominion in Norfolk last night that has nagged at me. They did play a good game, as any 20-point win should always be appreciated.
But I’m not sure the kind of effort I saw Saturday night would stand up against a better team later in the season. Old Dominion came into the game with its starting QB injured, went with a redshirt freshman to start the game, then when he got injured, had to use a third string true freshman behind center. The Monarchs were playing with one hand tied behind their back on offense.
Virginia Tech certainly took advantage of that, and for a change, started quickly on offense. The Hokies took the opening kickoff, employed a nice mix of run and pass and went 76 yards in 7 plays, using up less than 3 minutes as Kyron Drones found Jaylin Lane running down the middle all by himself for a 25-yard touchdown pass.
Who are these guys? I thought. They look good.
After forcing ODU to punt, the Hokies did it again, going 80 yards in 7 plays. A rumblin’ bumblin’ run by Lane down the sidelines after catching a short pass from Drones opened the drive, going 46 yards and earning another 15 yards for an ODU personal foul penalty. Six plays later Drones ran up the middle for the TD that made it 14-0.
Maybe these guys have fixed some of their problems, I thought.
But no sooner than I thought that, they regressed from “maybe” back to “maybe not.”
Despite knowing how one dimensional ODU’s offense was due to their quarterback situation, the defense inexplicably let ODU quarterback Quinn Henicle take a quarterback keeper around right end and once he broke the line of scrimmage, there was nobody there. He ran on a straight line for 65 yards without encountering a linebacker or safety directly to the end zone to make it 14-7.
After the Hokies drove down the field only to see John Love’s FG attempt partially blocked, the VT defense had another lapse. Bryce Duke, a former Hokie and standout at Tuscarora High School here in Loudoun County, rolled around right end and went 48 yards into field goal range. ODU would convert for another 3 points and it was 14-10.
In the blink of an eye, Virginia Tech’s defense gave ODU back its momentum and talk on social media went from “we’re going to put 50 on them” to “if we lose this game we need to fire everybody.” It wasn’t a matter of ODU coming up with greatly designed offensive plays. The Hokies just let two guys run straight down the field and it cost them 10 points.
Statistically, Virginia Tech did well on offense, but at times they went back to their maddening habit of forgetting what was working and running the same 3 or 4 plays. They relied on Drones too much to run, and while Lane had a big night with 7 catches for 106 yards, Drones didn’t get the other receivers involved with much other than an occasional dink and dunk pattern.
Ali Jennings, who played at ODU and many expected to have a big game, only caught 2 balls for 26 yards. Da’Quan Felton, who played across town at Norfolk State, caught 3 balls for only 20 yards. Everyone else caught one ball. After being very decisive in the first two drives, Drones dropped back to a pattern of seemingly hesitating in deciding his targets, ending up with either checkdowns or long overthrows. Several times he had receivers open but was at times late with the ball, one time resulting in an interception in the end zone.
The running game had its moments as Bhayshul Tuten finished with 115 yards on 21 carries. But early in the game he was running into a brick wall and had to leave the game after injuring his knee. It wasn’t until he returned in the second half – wearing a rather large knee brace – that the Hokies wore down ODU’s defensive line, allowing creases for Tuten to run through as he scored the final two VT touchdowns of the night.
Virginia Tech made some good defensive adjustments in the second half, realizing ODU didn’t have a QB who was going to throw a lot of passes. They went with a scheme that completely stopped the ODU running game, and then as Henicle tried to make something happen, he was pressured into sack and turnovers.
But that’s where I have questions. What happens when the Hokies play a team – like Rutgers next – who has a starting QB and not using someone farther down the depth chart? Or a tougher defense that’s not exhausted from being on the field all night and does stuff the running game, forcing Drones to do more with the likes of Felton and Jennings than just short passes?
Five times the offense got in scoring range. Once they turned it over on downs at the ODU 27, once they got it to the 26 and had a 33-yard FG blocked, and three times they were inside the 30 and settled for field goals. Score touchdowns in those 5 trips instead of three field goals and it’s a rout for the ages.
So it’s hard to say how I feel about the game. It’s a win. It ended a losing streak in Norfolk which should never have existed when you’re playing a program that only started playing football in 2009 and you’re a program that won its 4th ACC championship in 7 years around that time. Nobody should complain about winning by 20.
But are the Hokies getting better? Last year, wins would be celebrated, but at the end of the year you’d look back and see they’d beaten a bunch of 3-9 teams. To take the next step back to the days of those ACC Championships, they have to beat good teams and be consistent from opening kickoff to final play.
Last night the Hokies let a team they were in control of get off the mat and make it close for a half. They squandered a bucket full of offensive opportunities. They got lackadaisical in their play calling, just as they have in the first two games.
They showed flashes of brilliance. They won. But did they show enough to say this team is getting better?
That, I don’t know.
