Bitter: Louisville Loss A Reality Check For Hokies Team That's Not Ready For Primetime

Andy Bitter | Senior Staff Writer

November 04, 2023

Brent Pry and the Hokies are back to reality after their loss at No. 13 Louisville. (Ivan Morozov)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The dream, however far-fetched, is definitively over for the Hokies. And perhaps it’s for the better.

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56 Comments

knapnhokie November 5, 2023 at 11:39 PM

im a big Whit supporter for olympic sports and BBall success but if we cant get our football program out of 5 win land maybe its time for a change at AD sad to say
1. nkhooch November 6, 2023 at 1:41 AM
  
  Good grief. Ridiculous. And you forgot to say it's time to change the president since he hired Whit.
  1. Arch72Hokie November 7, 2023 at 9:37 AM
    
    Touche! IFB lost 24 games ioverhis first 6 years. When you're dealing a football team, it takes a while to assmble a roster. The Syracuse game was arguably the best game of th ePry era to date if not the best game we've seen in years even if it was vs. a bad team. Five wins is well-within the realm of possibilties if not 6 or even 7. knapnhokie discounts pplayer pride.
    1. Arch72Hokie November 7, 2023 at 9:37 AM
      
      That's, "FB."
spudman November 5, 2023 at 5:36 PM

Andy, you are correct, Tech is not ready for Primetime, hopefully in a year or two.
lazarus1 November 5, 2023 at 2:34 PM

we'll probably go 1-2 in the final three games.
bbowser November 5, 2023 at 12:14 PM

OK, here’s a good thing from yesterday… Yes the OL play stunk. They couldn’t keep the DL from making Drones run for his life; and holes for Tuten were the size of marbles….but Tuten still had 57 yds and averaged 5.2 YPC. That kid’s a beast. If he had the OL Herbert had he’d be over a 1000 yds already.
1. lineman 72 November 5, 2023 at 4:53 PM
  
  Imposters. Embarrassed. Soft. Playing for SECOND PLACE in the ACC. HA HA HAHAHA HAHA. IF you can’t get motivated to play unless 50,000 fans are yelling for you, then you need to leave. To get beat play after play after play after play is a pathetic effort and a poor excuse for a supposed football player. These guys embarrassed themselves and every person associated with VT Humiliating performance. No pride. Just Plain Pathetic.
  1. phoenixhokie November 5, 2023 at 10:15 PM
    
    So they have ‘no pride’ if the guy lined up against them is bigger, stronger and faster? That’s an unfair label for both VT kids and the superior Cardinals players. Is what it is. Leave the hyperbole rant against 19 and 20 year olds to yourself.
    1. lineman 72 November 6, 2023 at 1:00 PM
      
      Pride, passion is NOT measured by size but by the heart and determination—pride. VT’s offensive line had a size advantage over Louisville as did Louisville’s offensive line over VT. Look at the game roster listings. The team did NOT play inspired football. No excuses
HokieLF1 November 5, 2023 at 11:12 AM

Honestly this is what I expected, though not what I hoped. I was surprised that the entire TSL staff saw this as a close game. As Dennis Green said, “they are who we thought they were,” which is a team that is slowly improving but which has a long way to go to be competitive week to week.
hokie_world November 5, 2023 at 11:00 AM

Tech is better, But not back (neither is da U). Winning at home and dominating bottom feeders in the ACC. Need to win 2 of 3. Looked better against F$U than L'ville. Moving up from bottom feeder to mid-level in ACC. I feel 2 of 3 is doable and get bowl bid and more practice time. My expectations this year was between 5-7 and 7-5. I hope more for the latter than the former. But when we were at 1-4 I was wondering if 3-8 was possible. Keep the belief and let's home for a 3-0 run. GO HOKIES!!!
1. Arch72Hokie November 7, 2023 at 9:40 AM
  
  Every year it's the same story w/"da U." They haven't been, "back" since 2002. .
moneal November 5, 2023 at 8:54 AM

We keep saying BC and NCST are no good. Yet they are already bowl eligible. That means they are better than us. I see BC as another “must win”. If for no other reason than to win on the road
1. Cheesehokie November 5, 2023 at 10:06 AM
  
  Regarding BC, any team that wins five in a row is doing something right. If the Hokies view the Eagles as a W, they will get dismantled. We frequently struggle in Chestnut Hill. BC has their usual huge, dominant offensive line. It could be another long day in the trenches for our porous D, setting up a tooth and nail dogfight in the final two games to reach bowl eligibility.
  1. spudman November 6, 2023 at 6:45 PM
    
    don't forget about their mobile quarterback
MKD November 5, 2023 at 8:16 AM

I wouldn't be surprised if we won all three of our last games, or lost all 3 of our last games. Most likely scenario is we win two, become bowl eligible, get some extra practice time (preparing for the bowl game) and win such game to finish with a 7 win season. Perhaps a little more momentum in the off season which helps us acquire some quality talent from the portal.
1. Hokeedokee November 5, 2023 at 9:31 AM
  
  3-0? laughable.
VTaimhigh November 5, 2023 at 8:13 AM

Humbling. I think our 3 ACC wins showed potential. This loss showed reality. Long way to go, and a short time to get there. Gotta reset my expectations after this beatdown.
middletennhokie November 5, 2023 at 7:57 AM

It's enough to give a person commentary whiplash, from heroes one week to goats the next. A 6-6 season would be a major improvement and has always been the yardstick. Hoping the team can put it together for the last 3 games, none of which are guaranteed wins, including UVa.
Techman77 November 5, 2023 at 2:46 AM

Well, it looks like the hokie faithful are losing hope fast. I watched Louisville pound Duke last week, and it looked just like this game, except Duke didn't score. I wouldn't get too down about this game- having watched LU and FSU a couple of times, I'd bet dollars to donuts that the Cardinals take the Seminoles in the ACCCCG. As for VA Tech, the road to a bowl game is starting to look more daunting. Boston College has seven wins, now, and NC State just beat Miami. The game at Virginia doesn't look like it's going to be a cakewalk, either. If we get to a bowl game, it'll definitely be another turned corner.
1. proudhokie2001 November 5, 2023 at 7:51 AM
  
  Fsu at full strength is quite a bit better than Louisville. They are banged up but will be healthier next week. Should be a great title game. Both teams can execute and make explosive plays.
DADEC52 November 5, 2023 at 1:45 AM

And how long has the Louisville staff been in place?
1. Mapmaker November 5, 2023 at 8:42 AM
  
  Ouch.
2. Cheesehokie November 5, 2023 at 10:09 AM
  
  Not long at Louisville, but the key staff have worked together for years at other spots. And Brohm has way more experience than Brent Pry as the head whistle.
VAHokie89 November 5, 2023 at 1:01 AM

How come they are not practicing or playing with an edge? Coach? The faces and mentality of the OL today looked meak and mopey from afar. No edge. No pride? What I would love for someone to ask Pry is what does he think when a RB and an OL who got beat that led to a sack on Drones...when neither one moves to help Drones up? What does he think about teammates who just look at their fallen teammate and walk away?
1. B Hokie November 5, 2023 at 8:38 AM
  
  The OL got man-handled by UL front four. VT o-linemen are slow-footed and just don’t seem to have an identity. I saw mental mistakes, lack of effort and often both on the same play. Ex VT o-line player Brian Hudson (UL center) played better than any of VTs o-linemen. Looking forward to seeing grades for o-line including TEs for this game. Bet there won’t be any over 50.
  1. Mapmaker November 5, 2023 at 8:43 AM
    
    They were just standing around after every TFL. \ Please---Block---Somebody.
HokieAvalanche November 5, 2023 at 12:44 AM

I have very little confidence in a lot of the current players getting any better! Best pray Pry can recruit better players. I don't think he can though. Who's going to be our next HC in 2025 or 2026?
DCL November 4, 2023 at 11:27 PM

“Can’t get off blocks “ is an understatement . Our LB play overall is FBS level. Totally overwhelmed as was OL all day
1. NativeBurger November 4, 2023 at 11:46 PM
  
  Wrong. Our LB play is high school level.
  1. Rockfish40 November 5, 2023 at 8:31 AM
    
    Stroman and Peoples bail out our LBs a ton. When one of those guys are out then our defense is trash. Payne needs to start btw. He makes plays when he is in.
    1. Mapmaker November 5, 2023 at 8:44 AM
      
      +1
2. vtgriff09 November 5, 2023 at 7:20 AM
  
  It isn't as much about getting off blocks, it is filling gaps properly. Assignment football is the struggle...9 games into a season, where it has been the same issue all yr long, yet our staff has no response for it. Scheming and getting guys into position is coachable. We lined up 7 guys 5-7 yds off the LOS all game. We played right into their blocking scheme and made life easy. Stack the line, confuse the blockers, and attack. You could see this coming from a mile away. All these fans thinking after night wins at home vs awful teams meant we turned a corner. Fool's gold was obvious to see. For some strange reason, Wake and Cuse came out throwing the ball non stop (Wake in. a 0-0 gm through 1 qtr had 2 running plays). We played a team w/ a staff that wasn't dumb and planned to run all day. They asked HC at half, "Did you decide to run this much because your star wr Thrash is out today?", he laughed and said, "No...this was the plan all week."
TomTurkey November 4, 2023 at 10:40 PM

Pry stated the D doesn't run to the ball as the play develops, i.e., Foster swarm.
1. vtgriff09 November 5, 2023 at 7:22 AM
  
  He is the coach. Fix it. 2 yrs in and you can't even get the D to run to the ball? Seems like misplaced blame..that is ALL coaching. You don't hustle and swarm, you sit. What are we gonna do? Lose by 40 instead of 35?
Hokie Witch November 4, 2023 at 10:37 PM

They only hurt when you get your hopes up and mine were up. I fell victim to the hype. Ouch.
1. Hokiestud November 4, 2023 at 11:29 PM
  
  I honestly didn’t expect us to win this one, but I thought we’d be reasonably competitive, which we weren’t.
  1. Will Stewart November 5, 2023 at 12:32 AM
    
    Yup.
  2. hokie_eikoh November 5, 2023 at 6:51 AM
    
    +1
  3. LG Hokie November 5, 2023 at 8:21 AM
    
    I felt the same as Hokiestud before the game. Did not expect this poor a showing. Hope we can regroup for the final 3. We can still win 6 or 7.
  4. 133222Hokie November 5, 2023 at 12:24 PM
    
    This was my biggest disappointment. We are so removed from being competitive vs winning programs it is scary. Doubtful VT can go into Chestnut Hill this Saturday & win!!
Billyburg Hokie November 4, 2023 at 9:42 PM

The D is SLOWWW! The Hokies are in trouble anytime a fast opponent runner gets in the clear. They will be headed for a TD and there is no one on the Hokie D that can catch them. Louisville has extra speed on both sides of the ball, and as Al Davis said once, “ Speed Kills!”. The Hokies need to recruit players for the defense that are fast and quick.
133895Hokie November 4, 2023 at 9:40 PM

Lost the toss, got behind early...a bad trend. We were behind the 8 ball the whole game. Offensive line prevented us from ever getting back in the game. Louisville was the better team today. We need to re-group and win the last 2-3 winnable games which will give us a successful season. No need to hand our heads.
chico November 4, 2023 at 9:12 PM

Game never in doubt after first offensive series by VT. An offensive and defensive beating. Still if we get to 6-6 will be progress.
23434 November 4, 2023 at 9:11 PM

VT is not facing Mickey Mouse in any of its next three games despite what the scribes are telling us. A long and difficult road awaits.
1. Long-Lost Hokie November 4, 2023 at 9:22 PM
  
  Uphill battle, for sure. Not out of the realm of possibility that the pendulum swings to post-Marshall level frustration and doubt. We're certainly back to post FSU doubt.
ToledoHokie November 4, 2023 at 9:07 PM

I don’t even think we are good enough to give avg or middle of the road teams problems on the road, especially a team that we struggle with on the road even when we have a good team. I think we could beat BC at home, but not on the road. If we get 2 more wins they will have to come in the last 2 games.
Long-Lost Hokie November 4, 2023 at 9:01 PM

Maybe the key to analyzing the season is whether the Purdue and Marshall losses turn out to be anamolies or not. We can beat bad teams -- but can we be relied on to beat such teams, or is it simply a non-binding prerequisite to simply have a chance to win? For a while there, it seemed like it was trending toward the former. Now, we won't know until we face this stretch of not-good teams. Noting, of course, that two of them are or are likely to be bowl-eligible when we face them. And BC is the highest ranked rushing team we've faced all season. With this performance, it seems less likely that any of these three remaining games will be easy wins. They're most likely to be competive games. And winning two of them will be a very admirable achievement, given the state of things right now -- and given the fact that we're something like 1-6 in one-score games under Brent Pry.
DW Hokie November 4, 2023 at 9:01 PM

A 6-6 record with a win over the Hoos is where I thought this team might finish. If it does, that’s significant improvement year to year. Anything less (especially losing to UVA), would be a real belly drop at this point. Win out for a 7-5 regular season and take BIG momentum into 2024, whatever may happen in the bowl. Lots of opportunity remains!
No_Limit_Hokie November 4, 2023 at 8:58 PM

Andy, I will avoid any humor here, relating to your surname. But it did leave an unpleasant taste in our mouths, this game. My preseason prediction of 7-6 is still possible.
1. Hokeedokee November 5, 2023 at 9:37 AM
  
  7-6??? LMAO
fosterD1 November 4, 2023 at 8:50 PM

Pry admitted, for what I believe was the first time this season, that his defense couldn’t get off blocks. That’s been a huge problem all season…not just today.
1. gaholder81 November 4, 2023 at 10:50 PM
  
  This game is just not one of those games you can take a lot from. I agree with what Andy was sort of alluding too. Take your medicine and move on. #13 team on the road that is well prepared. We just aren't there yet and that's ok because we have showed progress this season. I'm not going to let this one loss define how I feel about our progress. The final three games of the year will do that for me. And hopefully we go to a bowl which would be a huge step forward after last season.
  1. mrbutler52 November 5, 2023 at 1:34 AM
    
    I agree. Let’s see how they finish.
  2. SanibelHokie November 5, 2023 at 7:46 AM
    
    Amen to that gaholder. So many others should have been kamikaze pilots.

Bitter: Louisville Loss A Reality Check For Hokies Team That's Not Ready For Primetime

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