Calling Virginia Tech’s 2024 football season disappointing after nine games might actually be an understatement. With a 5-4 record, despite preseason hype fueled by a strong returning roster and new talent from the transfer portal, the Hokies find themselves in an unexpected spot heading into their matchup with Clemson.
The frustration for Hokies fans isn’t just about being 5-4 (although that’s part of it); it’s about *how* they ended up there. In each of their four losses, they held a lead in the final two minutes—except for Week 3 against Rutgers, where the game was tied. In every instance, their opponents managed to clinch the game with scores in the last moments or in overtime. With the season in danger of slipping away, here are three troubling factors that have contributed to Virginia Tech’s struggles through the first nine weeks.
Poor clock management
This season has highlighted clock management struggles for Brent Pry and his coaching staff, reaching a breaking point for fans during Saturday’s game at Syracuse. With the game tied and 29 seconds left on the clock, Virginia Tech got the ball at their 25-yard line with three timeouts remaining. They had an opportunity to drive about 35 yards to get into range for kicker John Love, known for his strong leg that could have won the game.
Yet, instead of pushing downfield, Pry opted to run out the clock and head into overtime. Inside the dome, weather wasn’t a factor, and with three timeouts, there was ample time to make a move. Additionally, poor clock management cost them another chance for three points at the end of the first half. Unfortunately, questionable clock decisions have plagued the Hokies throughout the season, not just on Saturday.
Fourth quarter meltdowns
If games ended at the 58-minute mark, Virginia Tech would stand at 8-0-1 this season. Instead, all four losses have come within the last two minutes or in overtime. It began in Week 1 against Vanderbilt, continued in Week 4 versus Rutgers, and hasn’t let up since.
In the following week against Miami, the Hokies held a double-digit lead in the second half, only to see the Hurricanes score the go-ahead touchdown with less than two minutes left. Virginia Tech’s final drive was marred by poor clock management, and a potential Hail Mary touchdown was overturned, sealing another loss that should have been avoidable. Then, in the latest setback against Syracuse, the Hokies were up by seven with just 30 seconds remaining but couldn’t secure the win.
Pry’s track record in close games, with a 1-11 record in one-score contests over his two-plus seasons, is becoming hard to ignore.
Inexcusable mistakes and decision making
Virginia Tech’s season has indeed been plagued by costly mistakes and missed opportunities, with one recurring, inexcusable issue: multiple players wearing the same jersey number on the field. This error cost them against Vanderbilt, where a delay of game penalty should have taken the Commodores out of field goal range, but a flag on the Hokies for having two players wearing number 0 allowed Vanderbilt to reattempt and make the field goal. A similar situation arose in the Miami game on a John Love field goal attempt, though the officials missed it. After the Vanderbilt loss, Coach Pry acknowledged this oversight, yet it happened again.
The decision-making challenges don’t stop there. Against Miami, leading 27-17 late in the third quarter, Kaleb Spencer intercepted a pass, giving Virginia Tech great field position. Instead of taking a nearly assured three points, Pry called a risky fake field goal, which Miami quickly shut down. In the end, those three points could have made all the difference, as they would have put the Hokies in a position to win with just one more field goal on their final drive.
With each narrow loss, it’s clear Virginia Tech has faced a cascade of mishaps—from poor clock management to questionable decisions and avoidable penalties—that have kept them from closing out winnable games. The pattern of small but costly errors reveals a troubling trend of inconsistency in game management, which has Hokie fans rightfully frustrated in a season that could have looked very different.
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