The head coach of the Hokies is still confused by the officiating of the Miami loss.
Virginia Tech head football coach Brent Pry addressed the media during his weekly press conference on Tuesday, expressing confusion over the ACC’s officiating in the final moments of the Hokies’ 38-34 loss to Miami last Friday at Hard Rock Stadium.
Pry, who did not get a clear explanation for why wide receiver DaQuan Felton’s potential game-winning touchdown catch was overturned immediately after the game, said he still hasn’t received clarity on the decision that cost Virginia Tech the victory.
“Regarding the call at the end of Friday night’s game, I received no explanation on the field or in the locker room,” Pry said. “The first thing I heard was what the public heard at 1:30 that night—a statement that was confusing, at best. I was finally contacted Monday morning after I reached out to the head of ACC officials. I asked for an explanation and for the video that showed indisputable evidence to overturn the call. The explanation I got was that there was a loose ball touched by a Miami defender who was out of bounds. The video showed nothing new, nothing we hadn’t already seen. The words they used were ‘interpretation’ and ‘hard to find,’ which don’t align with the idea of indisputable evidence,” Pry added.
He not only questioned the reversal of the call but also the process the ACC used to make the decision in Miami’s favor.
“I watched the same video they did. If it was ruled a catch, I don’t see how you overturn it. There’s no clear evidence. If it was ruled not a catch, I don’t see how you overturn it either. You can’t see enough to tell. That’s my take. I feel for our players and fans, but we’ve moved on.”
Brent Pry on the call at the end of the Miami game#Hokies pic.twitter.com/KUd10aiGJw
— Kolby Crawford (@kolby_crawford) October 1, 2024
The loss was a heartbreaking setback for Virginia Tech, especially in a season where a win was sorely needed after a challenging first month. Once considered a dark horse in the ACC during the preseason, the Hokies were upset in their road opener against Vanderbilt and later suffered defeats at home to Rutgers and on the road to Miami in September.
Virginia Tech now looks ahead to a matchup against Stanford in Palo Alto on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. ET, airing on the ACC Network. The Hokies aim to even their record at 3-3 and secure their first ACC win of the season, improving to 1-1 in conference play.
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