The lack of forced turnovers has been a really big issue for years now. They won't come unless Pry does more than just talk about needing more of them.
Philthyvt
Andy you must be new here, we only talk about going 1-0. There will be none of that 6-1 crazy talk.
Tanman
Look at the holder. From this angle he is well left of the upright. The ball heads towards the upright from the outside in. It eventually hooks back left, but impossible to tell where it does so from this video..
The ball could indeed look slightly left of the upright but go between the goalposts before it hooked left. To me, it at least touches the line above the left goalpost as it goes over.
I don't consider this definitive evidence that it missed, but it was certainly very very close.
RustyHokie94
You do not take a video of a golf swing from any angle other than directly in front or directly behind. Any video taken from the right is going to distort the direction the ball was kicked.
HokieRob
A fast decision by a referee doesn’t equal a correct decision.
StayPositiveVT
We weren't going to go undefeated. As CC is always saying, this team is built for 2027 and 2028. If we'd won, I wonder if the players would have felt the same need to clean up the problems that plagued us in this game. Having lost, I hope they learned that you can't expect to win games when you make that many more mistakes than your opponent. I have two teenagers at home; when they screw up but everything turns out okay, lessons don't get learned quite as quickly.
Reddog88
Hopefully the silver lining is they will clean up the sloppy football. Winning would have been great but no consequences is not a good nessage.
GoneFishin Hokie
Absolutely correct. I love baseball, but some stadiums push the CF camera so far off to the right that there is no way to tell if a pitch is a ball or a strike.
Techman77
Somebody once told me "experience is something you get right when you needed it". I think the Hokies got some experience last night and will be better off for it. I'm excited to see how the rest of the season plays out!
UtProsim4Life
Tech won the campus, the tailgate, the pre-game, the entrance, and the first 5 minutes. Pitt won the rest of the game 35-19.
HokieInAR
They won the first 5 minutes? VT had the lead at halftime, and the yardage was 318 to 140. The domination was even stronger if you take out the last 90 seconds of the first half, because VT was ahead by 10 points and the yardage was 312 to 118. There were a few slips in the first 28:30, but VT had dominated the entire game to that point, so saying they only won the first 5 minutes is an odd take.
HokieInAR
To be completely accurate, VT won the first 28:30, and the last 11 minutes. The problem was that the 20 minutes in the middle (the last 1:15 of the 2Q through the first 4 minutes of the 4Q) was devastating. Pitt out scored VT 21-0 in that 20-minute stretch. That’s where we lost the game, despite dominating the other 40 minutes, 33-14.
HokieJB
What he said.
Hokie Nutz
Thanks Andy for the top notch reporting again. You never want the refs to control the game, so taking some of the questionable calls off the table, Tech did some things to shoot themselves in the foot:
1. After they scored 14 in less than 5 minutes, they got conservative in the play calling. The vertical passing game was there, but the play calling changed to be "balanced", but it was evident their front seven was going to stop the run.
2. With 0:31 left in the half and all three timeouts, why not try pushing the ball down the field? Even at 6 seconds a play, you don't run the risk of Pitt scoring again and you have a shot of walking away with at least 3 points.
George Baylor
Mr. Hokie N, your #1 is 100% correct. We should have kept the "Hammer Down" that's when we lost.
Brue77
The fact that we had 4 TO and stopped Pitt multiple times on a short field .. backup qb or not. And still should have won the game. Shows how close we are. Clean up the penalties, limit our turnovers, and create a few on defense. Felt like we didn’t try to run enough middle of the game. Let’s win the next 2 and go into Clemson 6-1. Season isn’t over on that one loss. Pitt won’t run the table in the Acc either. We would have killed for this the last 5 years. Pitt is very Senior heavy. We still should have won. Disappointed in the result, but the signs are there. Imagine what this team will look like in year 2 and 3! Meanwhile PSU got pummeled by NW and UVA is Down 17 to FSU in year 5!!
hokie_world
Should never have gone to a FG to win the game. VT made mistakes, the pick against FatRat (damn I like that name) was a bad call, stupid penalties, VT was capable of winning dominantly just didn't happen. Be a goldfish, forget about the stupid **** that happened and just kick ass the rest of the way out.
LetsGetem
The interception that was not an interception at the end of the half should not have been thrown behind the sticks and behind the receiver over the middle on our end of the field.
Zentmyer19
Unlike the past - keep the faith . Nice to have an offense and we need some more defensive talent ,
But it is fun to care again as some else said
wfmarle
Not sure why they didn’t just run the ball going into the half to be happy with a 10 point lead. Maybe Pitt would have used TO’s to get the ball back but we gave it to the with an incompletion and interception. D was playing well at that point so running clock and then a punt would have been a much better plan.
NC Hoke
You have a big play offense with 1:46 and 3 timeouts left. Makes sense to keep playing your normal offense and try to go score in that situation.
nkhooch
+1
El Hokie
If we had refrained from doing multiple stupid things, all of which were within our control, we would have won whether or not the kick was good, whether it was a catch or not. We gave away another game thru bonehead plays.
CaryHokie
Danny Coale made that catch!
FatRat hit the ground with both arms around the ball. Offense gets the catch, period.
With all of the botched calls, makes you wonder if there was a vested interest in Pitt winning the game. With that said, we made enough mistakes not to win over a good team.
TomA
The "simultaneous possession" 'pick' was an atrocious call!!! The reviewers had basically made up their collective mind which way they were going with the call before applying the rules and really studying the play — at worst, it was simultaneous possession; when the defender hits the ground on his back, the play is over, and the tie goes to the receiver. End of story!!!
Tidewater Hillbilly
That's the perfect word for it, TomA ... Atrocious!
bonedoc
Love the palindrome reference. The angle of the kick you referenced favors a "wide right" outcome. Your formula for success is 100% accurate, teams that: force turnovers, limit penalties, protect the ball, and don't give up big plays win games. It's not that difficult of a formula, but it requires discipline. Do it!
jtjablon
It’s nice to feel disappointment again. What I really mean by that is it’s nice to care about the team’s result again. For too long - we have been numb to the outcome. When the Hokies got down 11 in the 4th, I had the belief that they would come back. I loved the final drive by the offense, methodical & and under control for the most part. Of course we got lucky - there was almost that 5th turnover. But Grunk is that guy - he showed it against Indiana & Clemson last year. This feels like the competent QB play we used to have. And sure the defense isn’t where we’d like it to be yet. It’ll probably take another cycle to continue to build the talent/depth. But I came away feeling disappointed and yet excited, it’s nice to care again!
FIN Hokie 97
Great article! I’m just proud of the fact that this team didn’t cave. They fought until literally the last second. My heart is broken for the team in the sense that we lost and that just stinks. But 4 turnovers…it’s almost impossible to over come those.
But even with the 4TO, our team fought and fought. I am so proud of them for giving it their all. And it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a team fight until the curtain falls. We will win some (BC) and we will lose some (Pitt).
We knew/know we are rebuilding. But seeing the passion…I was able to sleep last night knowing that this is just a different team than previous years.
HokieSamKY
Many different opinions on this FG. But interesting take from Josh Pate.
file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/0e/14/FCEF91F3-CE56-46D9-8840-9F3D2F297953/Screenshot%202026-10-03%20at%2011.08.59%E2%80%AFAM.png
Also agree that was a bad game changing call on the supposed interception.
HokieYankee
There were 2 early opportunities for interceptions. We just missed. Secondary gotta take advantage of those. Still fun to see this offense move the ball with confidence even when they aren’t ON. Go Hokies!
phtbddh
The experience from Pitt ultimately beat a more talented VT team.
Hokie Hiker
It's been a long time since I've been this disappointed in a loss. I'd become more or less numb to losses in recent years. I'm emotionally invested in this team again, because I see the promise of what they can do. I'm saying this as someone who has been a fan(atic) since my freshman year 37 years ago.
I still think this program rebuild is ahead of schedule, just maybe not as far ahead as I was daring to hope. We're going to win a lot of games this year, and have a chance to be REALLY good next year. It's good to be deeply disappointed in losses again.
On the kick: It looked like a miss to me in the moment, and I would have been pleasantly surprised if the ref's arms had gone up.
On the supposedly contested pass: That's just BAD OFFICIATING. If there's any sliver of doubt in the moment, the ref should give possession to the offense and sort things out on instant replay. The ref did something that they're presumably trained not to do.
T23E3
I still feel good about this team. A foot away from 5-0 in year 1 with a schedule that suddenly doesn't look so daunting.
Bizjet_Engineer
Great article. Agree with your assessment and still looking forward to what this team can do. Been a while since I was excited this soon about next weekend’s game. Last night’s loss was unfortunate but we got some playmakers!
Tidewater2Texas
The TIMING of the penalties was bad all night. That said, we play a cleaner game with a turnover margin closer to neutral and feels like this team has enough playmakers on both sides of the ball to challenge anyone in the ACC.
JDods123
About that "simultaneous catch," sorry to go into Tristan's lane, but the lawyer in me couldn't help but go down an NCAA rules rabbit hole and I came across this:
Approved Ruling 7-3-6
I. Two opposing players receive a legal forward pass while both are OFF THE GROUND, and both players return to the ground inbounds at the same time.
RULING: Simultaneous catch; the ball is awarded to the passing team
(Rule 2-4-4)
II. Two opposing players receive a ball while both are off the ground, and one
player returns to the ground inbounds before the other.
RULING: No simultaneous catch. The legal forward pass is completed or intercepted by
the player who first returned to the ground (Rule 2-4-4)"
From https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/championships/sports/football/rules/PRMFB_RulesBook.pdf
I Control-F'ed the weird "act common to the game" phrase in the Rule Book and came across this:
Catch, Interception, Recovery
ARTICLE 3
a. To catch a ball means that a player:
1. Secures firm control with the hand(s) or arm(s) of a live ball in flight
before the ball touches the ground, and
2. touches the ground inbound with any part of the body, and then
3. Maintains control of the ball LONG ENOUGH to enable that player to
perform an act common to the game, i.e., long enough to pitch or hand
the ball, advance it, avoid or ward off an opponent, etc
It's not a great camera angle, but it looks to me like Fatrat had at least one foot on the ground when he - fleetingly - had firm control of the ball. It seems a close call whether that control was long enough to "perform an act common to the game." Could he have successfully pitched, handed off, or advanced it in the time before the defender put his hands on the ball? I doubt it. He demonstrably didn't have time to "avoid or ward off" the opponent.
ASSUMING he didn't have control "long enough," where does that leave us? Under the first rule I quoted, it's not a simultaneous catch because both players aren't off the ground at the time. For the same reason, its neither a reception nor interception under that rule.
Incomplete pass? That doesn't seem right. There were four hands on the ball when they went down and it never hit the ground. Outside of the disputed reception context, if a defender rips the ball out of the hand of another and then goes down, it would be something akin to a fumble recovered by the defender ... which is kind of how the refs seemed to treat it. They waited to see who came up with it to make the call.
I really want to blame the refs on that one, but after thinking through the fine print, I'm afraid they may have made the right call.
Gobbler`s Roost Hokie
He was tackled while still having possession of the ball. The play is dead once he was down with possession. Horrible call, among many.
JDods123
Looked to me like he was on his feet when he had possession, and by the time he was down, it's not at all obvious who had possession.
Gobbler`s Roost Hokie
So, in your professional opinion, should there be a turnover to the defense every time a ball carrier gets tackled while the defender is also grabbing the ball?
tallahasseehokie
How about a 20 year nfl official who was referee in 3 Superbowl games. He called it a catch in air with dual possession on ground offense possession.
The ACC is notorious for weak officiating.
JDods123
And I'd be eager and happy to hear him explain why I'm wrong. Hopefully, Tristan will.
bonedoc
Too much lawyering. It was a simultaneous catch, the ball goes to the offense. Terrible call by the refs.
JDods123
I didn't make the rules. I'm just trying to look at them objectively. If the rules are too detailed, they should be replaced with something simple, but you'd still have to define simultaneous catch some way or another. You can't play a game governed by "you just know it when you see it."
1alanmcc
This is what is wrong with attorneys. First, you never have to ask if they are one, they'll tell you. Second, they never lack confidence in interpreting a rule they've read before and have no experience with. (I say this in good humor.)
TomTurkey
Thanks, Andy. Not bad for a writer who hates his subject per one TSL poster. Five excellent points and spot on perspective. Keep em coming. Appreciate you viewpoint and chemistry in the podcasts.
sarg003
A chance next week to show progress. Go beat California make a statement
schubee
Fat Rat caught that ball … and never gave it up.
(And I think they could have seen that on replay, too.)
middletennhokie
Both ESPN announcers criticized the INT call right before half. So much for the ACCs cutting edge review process, not impressed.
In the end though too many penalties and turnovers to win.
bonedoc
ACC review process=garbage in, garbage out.
HokieBrian
The horrible call beats the Miami or UM because it was called incorrectly on the field. It really doesn’t matter if we get the call they overturn like the other two. The ACC officials and review center suck. They spiked the ball after an interception and late hit out of bounds but we called for phantom offensive PI while 85 is mugged. Two 15 yard penalties enforced on one play, I still have not seen the foul but it can’t be worse than ripping a helmet totally off. I still hate N- douche.
Gobbler`s Roost Hokie
Parallax. Stop showing angles from far off to the side to show the kick wasn't close.
HokieBrian
The horrible beats the Miami or UM because it was called incorrectly on the field. It really doesn’t matter if we get the call they overturn like the other two. The ACC officials and review center suck. They spiked the ball after an interception and late hit out of bounds but we called for phantom offensive PI while 85 is mugged. Two 15 yard penalties enforced on one play, I still have not seen the foul but it can’t be worse than ripping a helmet totally off. I still hate N- douche.
dllawson
Good article. This team “feels” different and I hope it’s coaching. Our teams have had duds in big games, but I can’t remember one quite like this.
Most TSL staff picked Pitt, but - VT statistically dominated the game, played very poorly during the middle of the game, and still came back with a great opportunity to win the game.
This certainly beats what we’ve endured over the last decade.
Ibclay69
Spot on. It's a good day to be a Hokie!
turn2296
People need to stop referencing off-center angles from the right that will make the ball look further left. It skews the viewing angle, and was way closer than that
56 Comments