Another Frustrating Loss For Virginia Tech

Chris Coleman

Lead Analyst and Columnist

October 28, 2022 58

During the first half of last night’s Virginia Tech-NC State game, I sat in the same chair at the same end of the bar where I watched the entirety of the 2014 VT-Wake Forest game. The result, over six quarters of football with me sitting in this specific spot, was zero points.

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CC on Sunday 2022 VT-NC State Football

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58 Comments

74hokie October 30, 2022 at 7:37 PM

After watching VT punt return team I thought the NCAA had implemented a rule disallowing any blocks against the opposing gunners. Glad you clarified it for me. Flabbergasted that no one has even touched, that I remember, the gunners in any game.
Austin Hokie October 30, 2022 at 9:44 AM

This column summarized such a long litany of basic mistakes that it is hard not to draw a conclusion of both a talent deficit and lack of discipline. Perhaps complexity of the offensive scheme? I have no idea. Surely Coach Pry is aware of all this. Throw in the cultural “money now for everyone” NIL and the relatively media-sparse locale of VT and one wonders if we have entered a period of both temporary and permanent headwinds. Hard to imagine a large and important state university known for its traditions and pride would not be able to react and fix these… look at basketball. So I remain confident. Hope I am not simply naïve. AH.
VBHokieman October 29, 2022 at 7:45 PM

Time to try another punter. Something is going on for sure and Moore has become more of a liability. Can't have 30 to 33 yard punts with the Offense and Defense we have. Not gonna work.
fcraig October 29, 2022 at 2:41 PM

Wonder why other teams can use true freshman QBs. I thought the NC State guy looked great. Now we have one, a red shirt, with great looking physical stats, riding the bench. Is he just not a good prospect. If he is, he won't hang around.
Cheesehokie October 29, 2022 at 11:47 AM

I understand the adjustments to a new offensive system, but the lack of fundamental discipline kills me. When I played Boys Club football at ages 12-14 back in the 60’s, our 2 coaches instilled LOS and snap count discipline. We rarely had false starts. (Admittedly, we never played in front of 50K screaming hostile fans). But something is drastically amiss regarding our ability to expeditiously signal in a play, get the O set (and stay set!), survey the D, and implement a check-down when needed. This is basic stuff for a P5 college program, and should have been in HS for kids elite enough to play at the next level. Regarding the play calling and general offensive schleptitude, the current staff makes Fu, Corn, and Loeffler look like the Bill Walsh 49ers.
1. ncook October 29, 2022 at 2:17 PM
  
  Agree 110%. The coaching staff is where VT is lacking in talent more than players. Wonder if we could get Stinespring back? How about Fu ?
VT Rockie October 29, 2022 at 11:24 AM

My biggest disappointment this fb season has been our coaching staff. I'm not impressed with any of them at this point. They look "lost in the wilderness" and the head coach is constantly writing down something all the time. Taking notes instead of coaching. In my humble opinion all of them are in over their heads. You can't blame the team for poor coaching and this is evident if you have watched any of the games. I expected Tech had to build a player culture but didn't realize we needed a coaching culture.
1. Cheesehokie October 29, 2022 at 11:48 AM
  
  +1
2. 134465Hokie October 30, 2022 at 12:37 AM
  
  How is it that no one ever mentions all of the other coaches writing notes down. Some of these posters must be blind to the fact that Pry is not the only coach who does this.I have watched at least 15 games this week end, including Thursday game, and I have seen at least 12 of the HC coaches making notes. Get on with another complaint because this one is getting old really fast.
  1. LXNTN_HOKIE October 30, 2022 at 3:12 AM
    
    I agree.
  2. phoenixhokie October 30, 2022 at 1:26 PM
    
    Thank you! It's like these guys watch 1 football game a week -- the VT game -- and that's it.
3. atlhokie1 October 31, 2022 at 9:35 AM
  
  Could understand but they broke out the checkbook for these guys. Not matching up pay for performance at all.
4. Steeltown Hokie October 31, 2022 at 2:48 PM
  
  +1, the team is disjointed and the coaches look like a deer in headlights. Then again take a look at the guy Pry coached with years. PSU would give us Franklin in a heartbeat. Franklin couldn't win a big game with all the resources to save his life.
01_hokie October 29, 2022 at 10:47 AM

Learning how to take the lead precedes knowing how to keep the lead. Baby steps, that’s all the optimism I can find. Agreed with most comments, real concern with coaching but things take time and I am trying to be patient. Winning culture is ancient history and I hope we build it.
1. ridgecreekhokie October 29, 2022 at 8:20 PM
  
  I wish it was as simple as moving bar seats….. unfortunately “wishing” won’t get it done, and I’m not convinced our coaching staff will either
134750Hokie October 29, 2022 at 8:42 AM

As has been pointed out on these posts, better ST play would probably have won the game last night. How about another angle; NC State threw 43 passes - the VT Defense had 2 sacks and 3 QB hurries; In contrast, VT threw 22 passes the State D had 9 QB hurries and 4 sacks; We are not able to get any pressure on the QB because there is no Corey Moore, Bruce Smith, Trey Edmonds, etc; on Defense. You get the picture - no playmakers; No pressure by the D when they knew State had to pass because of the score in the 4th quarter. I am not giving the Offense a pass because for 3 quarters, they were horrible. Regardless, late in the 3rd Qtr. , as bad as it had been, we had a great shot at victory. Pathetic defense along with absolutely no running game resulted in our demise. All the NC State D had to do was bring the heat because of the lack of a running game. And all of the State comeback was done with a true Freshman QB who didn't arrive on campus until August. We have hit rock bottom as we continue to find new ways to lose games. It is a shame for a passionate fan base to watch this debacle. The coaching staff is now in a show me phase; Some change needs to occur sooner than later. It is so hard to want to drive 6 hours to watch this product on the field; Go Hokies!
1. hokieben October 29, 2022 at 1:22 PM
  
  Point taken but Trey Edmonds was a running back.
2. panhandlehokie October 30, 2022 at 10:46 AM
  
  Try driving 10.5 hours just for home games ( for this "hot mess") and yes, Raleigh would have been 10-11 hours but I stayed home! Improvements or not, this is becoming hard to watch whether in person or on TV!
Cappydave October 29, 2022 at 7:37 AM

With all the very basic coaching issues mentioned, would the Hokies still have two wins if they had hired a solid Hogh School coach and some young graduate assistants instead of the ridiculously over paid staff now in place?
1. 134465Hokie October 30, 2022 at 12:41 AM
  
  Why didn't you apply for the job? Just saying !
  1. phoenixhokie October 30, 2022 at 1:32 PM
    
    No doubt and I'm sure Cappydave led the 'Fire Fu' crowd too. I want Pry to turn it around for 1000 reasons but a BIG one for me is proving the knuckleheads wrong who act like we picked up Pry from the Des Moines Youth YMCA League.
Hokie67 October 29, 2022 at 7:28 AM

Didn't NC State change QB's in the first half? The OL is not quick enough to give mediocre backs big enough holes to run through. So - they're trying to get an edge. The NC State DL's were twitching also. Ergo - the OL's were twitching also anticipating getting a jump. Moore is short legging his short kicks. It looks like he's getting spooked because a defender(s) is(are) getting a clear shot at the blocking wall. His boomers are coming from when he gets full extension on his leg. The coolest thing about the game - the black dog racing out to get the kicking tee. Maybe the Corps could teach Growlie to do that!
1. WilmaHokie October 30, 2022 at 9:12 PM
  
  Try not to judge non-professional athletes, but I was not impressed with NC State’s dog retrieving the tees. Consistently overran it and could not field the tee cleanly. Even my pretentious GoldenDoodle has better skills. I showed my Lab the clip and he just curled up in his bed, saying he’s done with college football this year.
hokieben October 29, 2022 at 12:19 AM

I understand on that on Twitter last night there were rumors that Brad Glenn was calling plays in the second half in place of Tyler Bowen... It was frustrating to see the continued attempts to run between the tackles when NC State was loading up their defense for that. Even the TV commentators mentioned it. Not one sweep the entire night.
bamahokie1 October 28, 2022 at 11:53 PM

We suck!! Damn CC!! Your job currently sucks the underside of a bull elephant ?….. This is an unmitigated disaster. Unfortunately, I think it gets worse. Oh well, we had a great run. We are now forever relegated to the “WTF happened to that program??!! Oh yeah, Whit Babcock happened to that program!!!” Bama
LXNTN_HOKIE October 28, 2022 at 11:03 PM

So, it's your fault we lost. If only you would have stayed in that 3rd qtr. chair. Lol.
1. grosehokie October 29, 2022 at 12:55 AM
  
  One word, “diaper”
cdogvt October 28, 2022 at 10:40 PM

Pry is acting like a defensive coordinator commenting on the performance of the offensive staff. He is the head coach and needs to be more directive and drive better results. We are at a low like I haven’t seen in 30 years. Pry isn’t even demonstrating he is a good defensive coordinator. The same players this year compared to themselves last year is worse. We had a limp QB year and a 2nd year defensive coordinator and were clearly better. I don’t have confidence in this staff at all this point. They haven’t shown an ability to improve, drive toughness, or any improvement. Maybe Dax and Kaleb Smith have, but Statistically we are far worse as a team as are most individual players - OL to a person. We are kidding ourselves if we think we are building anything positive here at this point.
1. vtgriff09 October 29, 2022 at 7:33 AM
  
  The voice of reason from using facts (pff grades) and basic observations. Pry still thinks he is a DC..he is the freakin HC and needs to act like it. I have zero tolerance for his weekly callout of the OC Bowen with the media. Honestly, it is unprofessional, and at the very least untasteful and unbecoming of a great or even good leader. YOU are the HC...go fix it and stop coaching the defense 100% of the time. Regression...it is frustrating to watch it. Yes, 2 very veteran players have improved..one because he gets the lion's share of targets at wr now. The regression on ST is from the 21st ranked unit to 60th..and the eye test says it is worse than that. The savoiour is a kicker who kicks through the endzone abd a fg kicker who hasn't missed. Your last statement is it..the only thing we are building is a loser's mentality and an even worse roster moving forward. IMO, yr 1 needs to see a new OC and ST coord. If we show no improvement then, yr 3 is the transition time. I know it is early..but I have seen nothing positive out of this staff but a coach that reaches out to student teams/groups and alumni a little more. Every other facet of the job, which is 99% that matters, has shown zero hope.
  1. Cheesehokie October 29, 2022 at 11:51 AM
    
    +1
  2. 134465Hokie October 30, 2022 at 12:49 AM
    
    So trying to reach out to donors and potential donors does not matter! Huh, maybe I am missing something here. Without donors giving money, there will probably be no football team or for that matter any other P5 sports. I did not go to VT but I will support them to the end. I have since the mid 70's and I see no reason to stop now. Maybe I am crazy but I love VT !!!
tallahasseehokie October 28, 2022 at 10:11 PM

I have to laugh when we fumble not one but two kickoffs near the goal line. And what is the reason that Cole Beck does not return kicks??? Oh, I remember, he drops them! Could not possibly be worse than the crap Stu has put on the field thus far. And no, I am not a Cole Beck fan boy. I would however like to see an almost Olympic quality sprinter get a shot at catching a ball kicked right to him so he can run, which is what God made him for.
1. vtgriff09 October 29, 2022 at 7:36 AM
  
  I mean even Bama figured it out w/ Forrest Gump. Just let Beck catch it and RUUUNN!!
2. ReffinHokie October 29, 2022 at 8:57 PM
  
  +1
pharlap_99 October 28, 2022 at 8:47 PM

I would love for the staff (Pry) to address the lack of fair catches on kickoffs. Does the staff understand that a fair catch inside the 25 gives the offense the ball at the 25? If yes (which they damn well better), why the heck are we running back every kickoff that is short of the endzone? yes, we dropped 2 of the kicks but Black hadn't signaled fair catch on either .. from the 2 yard line. I will review all of our kickoff returns but I currently don't believe we have used the fair catch option this year. This isn't rocket science ... easy way to save lots of hidden yardage. Unless a team has a returner capable of busting one to the house, there is never a good reason to NOT fair catch
1. Atlee Hokie October 28, 2022 at 9:41 PM
  
  Amen. I made a post to this effect last night. If I were the ST coach, I'd demand any ball inside the 15 be fair caught.
  1. pharlap_99 October 28, 2022 at 11:08 PM
    
    IF, as CC said, we had a David Wilson or Kahlil returning kicks then sure, give some a go. Gotta give the NC State kicker credit ... really hard to place those kicks inside the 5. I'm guessing 70-80% of kickoffs get into the end zone.
2. HT84 Hokie October 29, 2022 at 6:13 AM
  
  I agree, and especially when you are leading in the 4th quarter. We didn't need a return to the 50 so we could drive for a TD, we needed to be away from our own goal line so we could run a normal offense, get a couple of first downs and put the game away.
3. vtgriff09 October 29, 2022 at 7:38 AM
  
  Especially sitiational football, which this staff has no clue about management top to bottom. When you have an 11 pt lead late, and then a 5 pt lead later after dropping a kick...do NOT run the risk of being pinned down. It is not like we are the best group (or even the top 120 group) in not committing penalties
4. 134465Hokie October 30, 2022 at 12:51 AM
  
  I agree with you on this!
5. ACChamps2004 October 31, 2022 at 12:25 PM
  
  Yes I have been asking the same question! Why do we seemingly ALWAYS fair catch a punt but NEVER seem to fair catch a kickoff? I don't get it. It seems to me that if a returner elects to return a KO and fails to get to the 25, it should go down as lost yardage statistic.
Hokieville October 28, 2022 at 7:55 PM

One of Beamer’s early winning seasons, there was almost no pre-snap motion. Callers to radio show would ask Beamer & he said when we shift, the defense shifts & we don’t get good blocking angles, so we decided to line-up, get a good read on the defense and run the play. At this point, I wonder if that strategy would work on some plays.
HokieByWater October 28, 2022 at 7:33 PM

I will always support my school because I love being a Hokie, but this coaching staff has been an embarrassment thus far. I don't blame the players because I am fairly certain that a better staff could get better results with this team. I hope that the coaches can turn things around because the alternative is a sucky proposition. Go Hokies!
1. HokiePilot October 28, 2022 at 8:07 PM
  
  Entitled to your opinion, but I disagree to a point. This is not all on the staff. I can just about guarantee the coaches are not teaching them to false start, drop kickoffs, and the like. At some point a player has to take responsibility for the way they play. Please don't misunderstand, I am not absolving the coaches, but there is more to it than poor coaching. Joe Rudolph didn't forget how to coach the O line when he rolled into B'burg I am pretty sure. Also, I have a feeling that Coach Wiles was responsible for some of the issues with the line last night. I remember when he was at VT, those kinds of things happening to the opponents O line.....a lot. We got a dose of our own medicine, and it didn't go down well. This is an epically poor football team right now, even by historically bad football VT...(see 1970's early 80's VT football"
  1. vtgriff09 October 29, 2022 at 7:44 AM
    
    This is not close to an epically bad team. Easy should have been wins, as CC pointed out, over Odu and Ncsu and we are 4-4. This is an epically bad coaching staff. It shows in the regression of virtually every player. Every metric has regressed on this squad..offense, defense, st. It is essentially the same team. Fuente had far less talented teams abd managed .500 with never having this easy of a schedule. Rudolph is probably like these players..not helped at all by a mindless OC.
    1. 134465Hokie October 30, 2022 at 12:59 AM
      
      You wanted to get rid of Fu and we did. I don't thing there is a coach out there that most of you would want. To get a good coach, it is going to take big bucks and with at least 29,000 Hokie Club members, that is not going to get it done. And now with NIL on top of that, we are asked to give more. If we couldn't get the money then to get a high profile coach, how are we going to get one now !!!
      1. phoenixhokie October 30, 2022 at 1:43 PM
        
        +++++++1
133895Hokie October 28, 2022 at 7:00 PM

You covered almost everything that concerns us. There are so many, I feel like I am picking a raffle ticket out of a big pot of tickets, but one thing that comes to my mind is the lack of turnovers - fumble recoveries and interceptions are scarce, and they are great momentum changers that we desperately need.
journiyin October 28, 2022 at 6:54 PM

I think we are ignoring the elephant in the room. The team doesn't know how to deal with success, much less build on it. They are playing like mentally fragile hypochondriacs as opposed to ruthless pit vipers. You have to will yourselves to a win and right now VT doesn't have the willpower to do so as they've acquiesced to defeat before they get off the bus. The glass is half empty.
1. hokiepro October 28, 2022 at 8:14 PM
  
  Bingo
2. 134465Hokie October 30, 2022 at 1:00 AM
  
  Yes, we lack the killer instinct.
GO_HOKIES_GO October 28, 2022 at 6:29 PM

My biggest concern is that next season is likely to be worse since the competition will be better (all the teams VT will play this year are mediocre at best) and there will be a great deal of turnover in the roster. If they only win three games this season, I don’t want to think about next year. I am willing to be patient with the re-build, but the path forward seems very difficult.
mdriver October 28, 2022 at 6:23 PM

Great article Chris but more than a "frustrating loss" to say the least. Really beginning to have doubts about Pry as a head coach. Eight games into the season and still so many nonsensical errors in all phases of the game that should have been eliminated by now with proper coaching, etc. Truly pathetic and still hard to fathom just how far VT football has fallen since our golden days in the early 2000s. Obviously somebody(s) in Bburg have definitely been asleep at the switch.
Newt October 28, 2022 at 6:21 PM

Cadence certainly seems like a logical reason, one that crossed my mind last night as well. However, it's probably more complicated than that. To my untrained eye, the OL as a unit looks timid, unsure, and plodding. Instead of taking action TO the defenders, they seem to be allowing the defenders to engage (avoid) them on their terms. How many times late in the third and fourth quarters last night did our OL allow a free rusher(s) to scuttle Wells' plans? More than is acceptable.
VAHokie89 October 28, 2022 at 5:51 PM

SOme of the false starts occurred so early in a play clock that it was not about the cadence and more so just someone doing something before there was even a possibility of getting deep into the QB cadence. I would love a deep dive into what the offense isn't doing. We have been so used to misdirection under Loeffler and Fuente that its disappearance is obvious. We have been used to jet sweeps, flanker screens that their complete disappearance is weird.
1. mb1619 October 28, 2022 at 6:24 PM
  
  Great article I couldn’t agree more
2. 133553Hokie October 29, 2022 at 8:43 PM
  
  We never had the "jets" that could consistently do a jet sweep!
  1. 134465Hokie October 30, 2022 at 1:02 AM
    
    We have a few now-Cole Beck, Bryce Duke,.... Speed and we are not using it wisely.

Another Frustrating Loss For Virginia Tech

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