Dukes Mayo Bowl: Hokies fall in the last game of the season, the Good, Bad and Ugly
For the Hokies, Saturday night was a continued culmination of what fans have seen for months prior. A series of mistakes on either side of the ball, that eventually snowballed into a late-game collapse that added another loss to the wrong side of the record.
The Good, gametime experience:
While a number of Hokies who featured in the Hokies 24-10 loss will not be with the team next season, Saturday gave an opportunity to players like Chanz Wiggins, Keylan "Brodie" Adams, Tyler Mason, and possibly most importantly, quarterback William "Pop" Watson, to feature in extra bowl prep practices, and more gametimes experience against a stout Minnesota defense.
The Bad, game management:
With 7:03 to go in the game Dante Lovett left the Gophers reeling after a redzone interception when the Hokies were down 24-10. The problem is five plays, and over two and a half minutes of possession later, Tech had turned the ball right over, for Minnesota to ice game with an over four minute drive.
Of course it still is a far cry to have expected a Hokie touchdown, stop, and another touchdown, considering this was a Tech offensive line that had compiled nine first downs all game.
Yet, that redzone drive mentioned above was a very accurate portrayal the Hokies' season, five plays for a total of one yard, from a drive that started at the Gopher 19.
The Ugly, time of possession: Minnesota head coach PJ Fleck is an experienced head coach. After all his 6-0 bowl record in the Big Ten speaks for itself, but Minnesota's ability to notch high volume drives was on full display.
Fleck’s squad handled the rock for a whopping 35 minutes, with just one quarter spent without the majority of the ball (that being the only quarter the Hokies won.)
Minnesota tacked six posessions with over four minutes of the ball. Virginia Tech? One.
There is blame to be shared on both sides of the ball, and with a squad that is at best patched together, a lot of mistakes can be excused. However, it must be enunciated that this is not the only time this season the Hokies have faced this quandary.
Additional Links:
Virginia Tech vs Miami: Live Updates, Scores, Stats, and Highlights From Saturday’s Game
