Having been a fan of the team for so long, I’ve always thought that in some ways, following Virginia Tech football is like raising a child. If you’ve raised one, you know what I mean, as they can give you your highest highs and your lowest lows, sometimes in the span of only a few hours.
That’s what it seemed like last night. The Hokies looked good in their 37-17 win over state rival Virginia, as Pop Watson proved he’s the real deal. For three hours Watson gave the Hokies everything they needed to win, throwing for 254 yards while spreading the ball to six different receivers. He hit the short ones, but also threw it downfield seeing Jaylin Lane wide open on a deep crossing pattern for a 66-yard touchdown.
He seemed like a cool, composed quarterback in control.
But only moments after the game ended, it hit you: Why weren’t they playing this guy earlier when for half the season it seems like the two players who did see action – Kyron Drones and Colin Schlee – were hurt?
Watson seemed to be at ease from the very beginning, seeing the field for passing opportunities, and ran when necessary, gaining 65 yards (a net 48 when you factor in 17 yards of losses). That seemed to be a contrast to Drones, who this season tended to look confused at times and would take off and run or chose a short checkdown target when pressured. Pop seemed more like a playmaking point guard in basketball, as while Drones and Watson can both run, it seemed Pop preferred to set up other players first, only running when he had too.
Also impressive was how well he played with so little time playing in real games. He was thrown into the lurch against Duke last week and performed admirably in that loss. With just one week practicing with the No. 1s, you could see a difference in how polished he looked last night.
He even gave the Hokies something I haven’t seen this season: When the defense did its eventual slide, Pop gave you a little confidence the offense would answer and keep you in the game. In the third quarter when Tony Muskett drove Virginia to a touchdown and two-point conversion to cut the lead to only two scores, Watson answered by completing three straight passes totaling 66 yards to put the Hokies in field goal range.
John Love would kick that field goal from 28 yards out and it was back to a three-score game. Happened so quick most fans didn’t have time to think “here we go again.”
Bhayshul Tuten would seal the win with a 58-yard run for his second touchdown of the game, leaving the Hokies bowl eligible at 6-6. It’s a far cry from the expectations of dark horse national playoff contender in August, but it at least keeps the season going and gives Watson and all the young players an extra month of practice.
Now comes the hard part: The win is really only a temporary reprieve from all the problems facing the team in the month of November, and by year’s end they may be even worse.
I say this because for all the things you can criticize about the coaching staff this season, at the top of my list would be the hesitance to make tough decisions. In all of my years of watching football, it’s always been about the quarterback. If you have a good one that inspires confidence, the odds are far higher you’re probably going to have a winning season if you find a way to use him to his potential.
Brent Pry’s decision making on this matter has been similar to who gets the low-priced Black Friday deal of the century: It’s whoever gets there first. Grant Wells wasn’t the guy last year and the team’s turning point was when Drones stepped in as a starter. That change, however, was caused by injury, not coach’s decision.
This year it’s the same thing. Somebody should have seen that Drones wasn’t growing as a QB like he was last year and that Watson might have given them a better chance to win earlier in the year. Heck, Drones and Schlee were hurt in the game against Syracuse and they put Watson in for one play until Schlee could limp back onto the field.
The truth is Watson is only getting his chance now because the other two couldn’t play due to injury against Duke or Virginia. Not because a coach thought he was a better option.
You could do mental gymnastics as to “what if” Watson was left in for more than one play against Syracuse, since that was the beginning of a three-game losing streak Watson ended with the win last night over Virginia. But you can’t change the past.
More impactful to the program, it would seem, will be who starts the bowl game. Which probably will open a huge can of worms.
Drones has allegedly been highly compensated this season via NIL and has another year of eligibility. Start somebody else and he may go into the transfer portal and play his final season somewhere else.
Watson has shown in a very short period of time that he’s the quarterback of the future. Add in another four weeks of practice with the No. 1s and he should really look good. But return him to practicing with the reserves and start Drones, and Watson may go to the transfer portal and find someone who wants him as a starter now. Particularly when he showed what he was capable of last night against UVA.
The worst of the worst case scenarios: You handle the situation so poorly you lose both.
So last night it was a welcome break for three hours from the angst about the long-term direction of the program and what’s going to happen. Plus I really enjoy my annual tradition of texting my friends who went to UVA and needling them.
It was also nice to feel happy after a Virginia Tech football game after a month of losses.
But there are tough decisions to now be made about quarterbacks, upgrading certain assistant coaches, who gets paid what NIL moneys, and a boatload of other matters to be dealt with in the next month.
The three-hour vacation was nice.
But reality -and some tough decisions – still await.
