5 Thoughts The Day After Virginia Tech's Win At Maryland

29 Comments

1. 

   HokieGuru September 21, 2026 at 4:39 PM

   Gonna splash some cold water on the excitement. We are exactly where we thought we would be when predicting a 6-6 or 7-5 season. Are we better? Absolutely. But we still have not played anyone worth bragging about. Not until we beat BC AND Pitt should we be raising our expectations.
2. 

   MAHist87 September 21, 2026 at 4:24 PM

   We all looked at the schedule this season and those easy, perhaps too easy, early 2 games. But, the weekly ramp-up may be exactly what the doctor ordered. Each week the competition gets a little better (okay, MD vs BC, but in general). It's not hard to imagine a 9-2 or even 10-1 season. Pitt will be a great barometer. It's sort of fun to get ahead of ourselves!
   1. 

      MAHist87 September 21, 2026 at 4:26 PM

      Oops--history major, 10-2 or 11-1.
3. 

   DelMarHokie September 21, 2026 at 3:34 PM

   Andy, I can't recall (and I'm old) if I have ever seen a VT QB operate that efficiently. Any thoughts ?
   1. 

      Andy Bitter September 21, 2026 at 3:40 PM

      Certainly not since I've been here. Hendon Hooker had some very efficient games, but they were usually like 10-for-10 efforts where VT was overly protective with everything he did.
4. 

   DelMarHokie September 21, 2026 at 3:33 PM

   Andy, I can't recall (and I'm old) if I have ever seen a VT QB operate that efficiently. Any thoughts ?
5. 

   Reddog88 September 21, 2026 at 12:44 PM

   Offense was really good. Grunkmeyer just needs to develop a long ball to stretch the defense and keep safeties out of the backfield. Defense needs to be better. We struggle in coverage and I hate zone coverage. We have never been good at it. Would like to see more sacks. I still enjoyed the win and with some tweaking, we can still win some acc games against better competition
6. 

   joepugh2 September 21, 2026 at 10:00 AM

   I am curious to see if this team will finish games stronger when the game is in doubt. Large early leads have allowed the team coast in the first two and just grind out this last one.
7. 

   Novahokie`99 September 21, 2026 at 7:25 AM

   Per your comments on the two pointers by Locksley you’re absolutely dead on. The first one is defensible - if not statistically the correct play. The second one was just a killer. From a Game Theory perspective you just can’t let the game become a 2 possession game. As you said it allows VT to play completely differently. Information is always better to have but you got that information after the failed first attempt. It was game over as soon as they missed the second.
8. 

   HokieJB September 21, 2026 at 12:55 AM

   No turnovers by either team! No fumbles, no interceptions. Unusual I think.
9. 

   bruceacook September 20, 2026 at 10:43 PM

   I never comment. I’ve just gotta say how good it is to feel so positive about the Hokies and their progress, not to mention their chances for a major turnaround as we move into the season! Great article! Keep em coming!
10. 

    HokieTC September 20, 2026 at 5:36 PM

    Good Points - But Andy, I think you are way out in front of your skis. We could easily lose to BC with the pass D that we have. Plus, we dominate when Grunk and Luke have their show going, but what about when someone puts a squeeze on this nice football duo? Miami, Loserville, SMU, - not sure we beat any of them. Less than toss up - UVa, Clemson, Wake, Duke. Toss up Pitt - I know we don't play all of those teams - point is - with our D, we can lose to lots of teams. 359 yards passing from a scatter arm QB - worrisome. Let's not even talk about the top SEC and Big Ten teams - puts us pretty low on the AP.
    1. 

       Andy Bitter September 20, 2026 at 7:14 PM

       All I said is that they can do better than the 7-5 I predicted for them.
       1. 

          U2Hokie September 20, 2026 at 8:05 PM

          No need to defend AB - you must recall we all suffer from BHS since about 2014 on...its hard to get over and hard to control...
    2. 

       kempsville_hokie September 20, 2026 at 9:33 PM

       We don't play Louisville. And if they cover Reynolds, great, that leaves all the recievers plus HSG and Benji. Franklin isnt going to let them relax with all the sloppiness and penalties. This BC team struggled as over 30 point favorites to Maine who went 6-6 I believe in the CAA. We have struggled in Chesnut Hill for sure but that was under questionalble coaching and teams with less talent then this one. That is ignoring the running game we have and a BC pass defense that let Maine's sophmore QB throw for 201 yards and 2 touchdowns. I wouldn't be quick to be so negative.
    3. 

       SeikohUno September 21, 2026 at 7:54 AM

       Well I'd ask the same thing to Maryland because allowing a QB to go 31-39 isn't good either. The point is at least now we have a QB capable of throwing 30+ times and completing a high percentage of them. Just because you know Luke Reynolds is a baller doesn't automatically mean you will shut him down. I'd rather be 3-0 sitting on. Monday drinking my coffee than say 1-2 drinking beer on. Monday morning drowning my sorrows! Just relax sit back and enjoy it for at least a week. We also may find Maryland is better this year than people expected. Go Hokies! Win #4
    4. 

       JC in FC September 21, 2026 at 8:44 AM

       Washington a scatter armed QB? Career 60% passer with 3,500 yd, 20 TDS vs 9 INTs against primary Big Ten competition. Yes, he missed a few throws but he made several incredible throws. He is very good, many teams will be trying to pull him away from MD at the end of this season.
11. 

    86hokie89 September 20, 2026 at 4:58 PM

    Andy I noticed the tailbacks especially Hawkins might be telegraphing a run vs pass. I noticed in the second half if Hawkins mouthpiece was out then it was a pass and in, a run. Can someone please confirm if they picked up on the same thing. This is an easy tell in a poker game of pass vs run for the defense. Coaches need to be alerted if true.
    1. 

       HokieTC September 20, 2026 at 5:28 PM

       Very Interesting - when I rewatch, I'll take a look.
    2. 

       U2Hokie September 20, 2026 at 8:05 PM

       Wow - awesome pick-up!
    3. 

       Hokiesstickitin September 20, 2026 at 9:58 PM

       Nice. If true that's just the little things that matter category. Now that is our there I'm sure that will change lol
12. 

    phtbddh September 20, 2026 at 4:36 PM

    Grunk and Luke had some 🐢 soup on Saturday!
13. 

    MotorCityHokie80 September 20, 2026 at 3:59 PM

    The VT offense is night and day compared to last year. It is now creative, explosive and efficient.
    1. 

       JC in FC September 21, 2026 at 8:49 AM

       Howle called a great game. I was at the game and the accuracy of Grunkemeyer was amazing. Lots of short throws but the touch and leading the receiver is something we have not seen in quite a while. Throwing a swing pass to a back and not forcing the receiver to turn his shoulder around which kills momentum is an art form.
14. 

    Hokie Nutz September 20, 2026 at 3:17 PM

    Andy - two important questions: What's the over/under on bowls of chowder you'll consume in the press box next Saturday? This should be a bonus buy/sell with the line set at 3. You can't bet this one. 😏 When will we get to hear your Game Ovah impression on the podcast this week?
    1. 

       Andy Bitter September 20, 2026 at 3:52 PM

       1. The limit does not exist. 2. Probably within the first five minutes.
15. 

    Austin Gobbler September 20, 2026 at 2:44 PM

    Nice points, Andy. You omitted the two Terps' kickoff gaffes that went out of bounds at almost the exact spots, gifting the Hokies two starting spots at their 35 yardline! I thought those were two of many positive breaks for VT last night.
16. 

    4Hokies4U September 20, 2026 at 2:30 PM

    One of my favorite columns during the season! Ty Howle was one of the real steals during the off season. When he was hired I watched some YouTube videos of his players describing him as a coach, better than advertised. One theme in the videos, no one works harder at preparation than Ty Howle!
17. 

    walewis23 September 20, 2026 at 2:22 PM

    💪🏼❗ #LGH