Written by Brian Pohl
Blacksburg, VA- After a promising start, the Virginia Tech Hokies were unable to continue their high level of play in 38-14 loss to the Miami Hurricanes.
It’s been a disappointing season for the Hokies, who lose their fourth straight game at the hands of the Hurricanes and are now in severe danger of missing their first bowl game in 26 years.
Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente on the loss, “Congratulations to Miami. It’s a tough night. I am proud of the competitiveness our kids showed, the way they prepared for the game, really in all three phases.” He continued, “Our guys laid it on the line and competed. I wish we’d found a way to get this one done, but we didn’t.”
Things looked promising out of the gate for the Hokies, who took the first possession down the field for the score to take an early 7-0 lead over the Hurricanes, but the young Hokies team couldn’t keep up at that level of play, losing their hold of the lead right before the half and were unable to recover.
For the offense, an inability to get in any real rhythm and find consistency doomed them once they fell behind. Quarterback Ryan Willis, who has done a pretty good job overall since taking over injured starting quarterback Josh Jackson earlier in the season, completed 18 of his 36 passes for 216-yards and a touchdown. He also had two interceptions, one that proved very costly in the first quarter that set up an easy touchdown for the Canes, and another once the game was out of reach in the fourth quarter. The redshirt junior had moments that showed his potential, but much like the rest of the team struggled with keeping up the level of play for all four quarters.
On defense, the Hokies looked to have one of their better efforts of the year but were worn down as the game went on and gave up a lot of big plays in the second half. Miami finished with 339-yards for the game, with much of it coming in the third quarter. This is a young defense that had to replace nine of their starters from last year, and it’s not surprising to see a squad that has to learn to play all four quarters if they are going to take their next step to improve.
If there was anything positive for Virginia Tech to take away in the loss, it was the breakout performances by two true freshman Hokies in receiver Tre Turner and linebacker Dax Hollifield.
Tre Turner, a 6’2” wide receiver from Greensboro, NC, reeled in three catches for 58-yards, showing potential of a deep threat as he averaged 19-yards per catch on the day. Turner also added his first career rushing touchdown, taking an end-around play 20-yards for the score after a great burst of speed to get through a wave of defenders.
Dax Hollifield, another North Carolina product, has been garnering more and more playing time, earning the start today and showing why defensive coordinator Bud Foster is so excited about his potential. Hollifield recorded three solo tackles, including two for losses and a big sack, and could be seen flying around the field and trying to step up as a young leader. The Hokies and their fans are disappointed in the results of the 2018 season, but young players like Turner and Hollifield producing can give hope that good things are still to come in Blacksburg.
The loss moves the Hokies to 4-6 on the year, and if they have any hope of continuing their long bowl streak, they need to win next week against in-state rival UVA, as well as finding a team for a make-up game on December 6th to try and get to six wins. First things first, however, Virginia Tech will need to quickly regroup, and get up to try and extend their win streak over UVA, which stands currently at 14 wins in a row.
Virginia Tech and Virginia will kick off next Friday at 3:30 p.m. from Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, VA.
(Image Credit: Greg Atkins)
