On the 20 1st down plays before VT took the lead 23-21 and was running out the clock, Montgomery called pass play 12 times and gained a total of 8 yards on those 12 plays or .67 ypp. He called a run play 8 times and got a total of 135 yards. Even if you take out the 85 yard run as if it didn't happen, they were still averaging 7+ ypp. More importantly they got a first down on 5 of those 8 running plays. Of the 12 first down pass plays, VT best result was a 5 yards gain and the offense lost yardage or gained 0 yards on 7 of the 12 pass plays. Even if you include the 1st down plays for the entire game, the rush plays generated 2 or more yards on 11 of 12 plays. VT only threw one pass on first down after the final FG - and it was...another incompletion. I don't advocate for calling run plays on every 1st, but a 60-40 1st down pass/run mix into the 4th quarter of a close game when you're averaging almost a 1st down per run and <1 yrd per pass attempt is terrible play calling IMO. The first goal of every defensive coordinator is to take away the run. If the opposing defense can't execute this goal, the offensive coordinator shouldn't be doing it for them. ** Edited by marcbvtgm at 9/28/2025, 9:14:11 PM

Belichick 🤣