Virginia Tech vs Miami: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly From the Hokies Loss to the Hurricanes
It was a heartbreaking night for the Hokies down in Miami. Virginia Tech played its best game of the season and it looked like it was going to be enough to beat the No. 7 team in the country, but a controversial call at the end of the game took the win away from Virginia Tech and they dropped to 2-3 and 0-1 in the ACC. There were some things to like about this game if you are Brent Pry, but even without the call at the end, the Hokies made some mistakes as well.
Let's break it all down.
The Good
- The running game was very good for the Hokies, especially Bhayshul Tuten, who carried the ball 19 times for 146 yards. Kyron Drones contributed 56 yards on nine carries and Jaylin Lane had one carry for 20 yards. Overall, Virginia Tech rushed for over 200 yards and averaged more than six yards per carry. This can be the identity of the football team and this is how things were supposed to look from the get-go.
- This was the most comfortable that Drones looked. He was effective making decisions and hurt Miami with his legs. He finished the game 19-33 for 189 yards and two touchdowns.
- The pass rush continually harassed Cam Ward and disrupted the Miami offense. They finished with three sacks and this was another part of the team that looked strong throughout the game.
- The defense forced three turnovers, including two red zone interceptions. Ward has been one of the best quarterbacks in the country, but the Hokies defense forced him into a ton of mistakes that nearly cost Miami the game.
- John Love nailing two 50+ yard field goals. He kept Virginia Tech in the game and would be getting more attention if they had won the game. Great night for the Hokies kicker.
- The offense was 9-14 on third down.
- Virginia Tech scored 14 points off three Miami turnovers. It could have been more (we will get to that), but they did take advantage of some of their opportunities.
The Bad
- The time management and in-game decisions from Brent Pry were not the best. The decision to go for a fake field goal instead of just kicking the field goal or putting the offense on the field potentially cost Virginia Tech points. They could have attempted a long field goal to win the game at the end and the way that Love was kicking the ball, they could have won. Maybe they don't convert if they just keep the offense on the field, but the way the Hokies were running the ball and how good Drones is on short-yardage situations, it would have been more optimal. Hindsight is 20/20, but the decision to kick the fake field goal is one to be scrutinized. The time management from Pry at the end of the game was questionable as well. Virginia Tech had some things go against them in the end, but some of these decisions were costly.
- While the defense created some opportunities, they also did not play particularly well. They allowed Miami to rack up 508 yards of offense, including 343 yards passing from Ward. Miami averaged 7.3 yards per play, 9.0 yards per attempt, and 14.3 yards per completion.
- Miami went 10-15 on third down
The Ugly
- A loss is ugly, even if it is controversial.
- This has nothing to do with Virginia Tech, but the officiating was ugly and it was not just the final call. Virginia Tech had a touchdown called back due to a holding call in the third quarter and it did not appear to be the correct call on the field.
This morning, the ACC gave reason for the call being overturned:
- “During the review process of the last play of the Virginia Tech at Miami game, it was determined that the loose ball was touched by a Miami player while he was out of bounds which makes it an incomplete pass and immediately ends the play.”
Our own RJ Schafer broke down the decision to overturn the call at the end of the game:
"Virginia Tech's last drive began with less than two minutes on the clock, and the Hokies trailed by four, so a touchdown was needed. The drive was methodical, starting off with a seven yard pass to Da'Quan Felton, a six yard pass to Stephen Gosnell, and a four yard pass to Da'Quan Felton.
At this time though, a significant amount of time ran down the clock. The Hokies would be left at their own 42 yard-line with less than 40 seconds to go.
It seemed like all hope was gone, but Kyron Drones helped lead his team down the field again. He gained twenty-nine yards over the next thirty three seconds, which left Virginia Tech with one shot at the end-zone--a hail mary situation.
Kyron Drones dropped back, had a clean pocket, and on the left side of the end-zone, Da'Quan Felton, Jaylin Lane, and Bhayshul Tuten were all in one area.
Drones sent it, hoping that one of them would catch it.
One of them did, supposedly.
It first seemed like Virginia Tech had lost the game, as Miami pulled away with the ball and stormed the field. The game wasn't over yet, the officials still were debating calls and called the play on the field as a touchdown.
With the call on the field being a touchdown, any video review would have to show undeniable evidence that Felton did not catch the ball to overturn or reverse the call.
That never happened, is it possible he didn't catch the ball? Yes. Was there indisputable and undeniable video evidence? No. I'm not one to blame referees for games, especially because teams can definitely get opportunities to put themselves ahead, but in a game like this, that was Virginia Tech's chance.
There was not enough evidence to say he didn't catch the ball, and that's why the replay process was so long, because likely there was a debate between how they felt about the call and if there was actually evidence to overturn the call.
Virginia Tech should've won this game."
Jackson Caudell has been covering Georgia Tech Athletics For On SI since March 2022 and the Atlanta Hawks for On SI since October 2023. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell