In the weeks prior to the 2023 Virginia Tech Pittsburgh matchup, there has been much angst in Hokie Nation. The 1-3 start had a lot of fans contemplating the worst of seasons. However, a few days after this game, I can think of no better response than to quote former Hokie lineman Dwight Vick:
“When we win the sun shines brighter, the food tastes better, my bed feels better. I can watch the other games with pride because we won and I can feel good and I can watch highlights and not be afraid” (quoted from the Boundary Corner podcast, at the 53:10 mark of the “Defining a Program” episode 5 of season 4, March 22, 2023).
The Hokies won the game Saturday night in front of another electric sold-out crowd at Lane Stadium. They beat Pitt 38-21 in one of the program’s best offensive performances since Virginia Tech beat Duke 48-17 in November of 2021.
Coming into the game, I was already mentally preparing this article. If the Hokies lost, I was ready to write about how Virginia Tech needs to become Pitt. The Panthers have owned the Hokies over the past ten years, winning with old school Virginia Tech methods: physical defense, punishing running attacks, and a little swagger.
How ironic, because the Hokies beat the Panthers at their own game this past weekend!
In doing so, it became evident that three things are important for this football team when they play the Panthers – and the rest of the teams on their schedule:
Develop an Identity and Stick to It
Brent Pry has said repeatedly since being hired that the Hokies need to establish the run. They need to be committed to running the ball, which they haven’t exactly done this year or last. For whatever reason, the Hokies have not been giving the rock to their feature back enough this year.
Bhayshul Tuten needs to touch the ball at least 20 times per game. That finally happened Saturday, as Tuten carried 24 times (14 in the first half), gaining 109 yards on the ground (he is the first Tech running back to eclipse that mark since Keshawn King’s 111 yards at Old Dominion in the 2022 season opener). He also caught 4 passes for another 37 yards, giving him 146 yards of offense for the night.
Give Tyler Bowen credit. He called a good game, committing the Hokies to the ground game and putting the ball in his playmakers’ hands in space. Tuten had numerous pitches to the outside to allow him to get to the edge. He has a great knack for making would-be tacklers miss, and that gave him extra yards on so many runs.
Quarterback Kyron Drones and running back Malachi Thomas added to the rushing totals, gaining 41 and 38 yards respectively. However, Drones did that on 21 carries, the second time in three games that he has run it over 20 times, which is a lot for a quarterback. I love Tech’s offense with a dual-threat quarterback, but I would like to see more of those carries go to the running backs, as I am concerned about Drones’ health and longevity if he keeps running so often.
Virginia Tech rushed 59 times for 199 yards on Saturday (which is net yards including the 2 sacks and 12 tackles for loss), and they held Pitt to a mere 38 yards on the ground. Tech had 427 total yards, the most against an FBS school since putting up 464 at Virginia in November of 2021. Bowen should be credited for his play calling, and the players should be credited for their execution. It was a refreshing sight to see!
Be More Physical, Especially on Defense
Virginia Tech was more physical on Saturday night. They dictated the pace of this game. They also converted key third and fourth downs, and their defense prevented Pitt from doing the same.
The Hokies’ defense was charged up, tallying 4 sacks and 6 tackles for loss. Yes, Pitt had a whopping 12 TFLs, but Virginia Tech controlled the clock. Tech had a significant 37:44 to 22:16 time of possession advantage. Drones and company put together several sustained drives, gaining 25 first downs, giving the defense rest, while Pitt just couldn’t move the ball with consistency (only nine first downs on the night).
Virginia Tech ran 79 plays. Yes, read that again. Tech ran SEVENTY-NINE plays! Pitt only ran 46. The Hokies won the total yards battle, 427 to 273. Take out the four big plays (two each) and it was 320 to 137.
We cannot just discount single plays, but it is interesting to note that Pitt only scored on three big plays. Twice they scored long touchdowns on the first play of a drive, and a defensive scoop and score accounted for their last touchdown. So legitimately, Tech could have won this game 38-0 if not for three plays!
Despite the scoreboard, this one felt more like 38-0 than 38-21. Virginia Tech just controlled this game, and they did it with their physicality and athleticism.
Quarterback Play is Extremely Important
Other than the two years that Kenny Pickett was a fifth- and sixth-year senior, Pittsburgh typically has not had dynamic quarterbacks. In winning seven of the last ten matchups that did not involve Pickett, the Panthers usually won the line of scrimmage and ran the ball well. With Pitt’s injuries up front and the lack of a proven runner, quarterback Phil Jurkovec was going to have to step it up.
He did not.
Drones outplayed Jurkovec – who really was not good. Yes, he had two big passing touchdowns, and the first was a beautifully thrown ball, but the second was just a screen play that included numerous missed tackles. Jurkovec was 11 for 22 on the night with 235 yards. On non-touchdown plays, he was only 9 for 20 for 99 yards, including some very poorly thrown incomplete balls. He lost 22 yards on sacks.
(Jurkovec, by the way, is probably happy never to have to play in Blacksburg again! The sixth-year senior has started three games in Lane Stadium, losing all of them by a combined score of 105-45. In those defeats, he threw 3 interceptions, lost 2 fumbles, and was sacked 10 times! I don’t think his fifth and sixth years helped him, as they account for two of those three Lane losses!)
Drones had similar passing numbers to Jurkovec, going 12 of 19 for 228 yards. Subtracting his two long touchdown passes results in 10 for 17 for 121 yards, which is better than Jurkovec’s numbers minus the big plays. More importantly, Drones ran for 41 yards (net of sacks and TFLs). His dual threat ability was a difference maker in the quarterback battle, and in the end, that significantly impacted the outcome of this game.
Drones’ PFF for Saturday was 89.7, the highest for all ACC quarterbacks in week 5. Meanwhile, Jurkovec graded out at a miserable 27.3. Yes, this was a team victory for Virginia Tech, but Drones’ improved his play against Pittsburgh has given Hokie Nation a reason to be hopeful again.
And for what it is worth – my opinion that is – Drones should be the starter for the remainder of the season. He has earned that opportunity and should be rewarded as such.
ACC QBR in Week 5
89.7 Kyron Drones, Virginia Tech
85.0 Cade Klubnick, Clemson64.8 Sam Hartman, Notre Dame
47.1 Thomas Castellanos, BC
46.0 Riley Leonard, Duke39.2 Garrett Shrader, Syracuse
36.5 Jack Plummer, Louisville
35.0 Haynes King, Georgia Tech30.7 Tony Muskett,…
— parker fleming (@statsowar) October 1, 2023
Final Thoughts on the Virginia Tech Pittsburgh Game
Heading into the week of the Virginia Tech Pittsburgh game, a lot of Hokie Nation had soured a little. After three straight less-than-stellar performances against very beatable teams, the Hokies stumbled and could not put together 60 minutes of complementary football.
The big plays yielded on defense and the lack of big plays on offense were troubling, as were the issues with tackling and penalties. Many, myself included, were preparing for the worst, wondering if 1-11 or 2-10 or 3-9 were likely.
But as I wrote last week, this is football, and on any given weekend, anything can happen. The Hokies committed too many penalties and gave up a few big plays against Pitt, but they more than compensated for that with inspired, hard-nosed football and got the win.
Traveling to Tallahassee to take on the fifth-ranked Florida State Seminoles next week is a tall-order, but if the Hokies can put together another 60 minutes of quality football, then they will have some momentum moving into the back half of their schedule. With so many seemingly 50-50 games remaining, there are still plenty of opportunities for this young team to turn things around.
But let’s not fall for that and look too far ahead. Instead, let’s just enjoy this victory for the week. As Dwight Vick said, the sun is shining brighter, our food is tasting better, and our beds are feeling better. We are happy Hokies! And so are the young men who let it all out on Worsham Field, as well as the coaches that prepared them for that victory.
It may wind up being short-lived, but at least there is joy in Mudville, er, Blacksburg for now!
Afterthoughts
Congratulations to Virginia Tech Hall of Fame tight end and broadcaster Mike Burnop who called his 500th consecutive Hokies football game this past weekend!
My guy @MikeBurnopVT will broadcast his 500th consecutive VT football game on Saturday when the Hokies face Pitt!
Every game, home/away/neutral sites for 41 amazing seasons! pic.twitter.com/DV5zP8Z50M
— Bill Roth (@BillRoth2020) September 29, 2023
It was a big recruiting weekend on campus in Blacksburg! Numerous recruits from multiple sports were on hand to see that crowd, to experience “Enter Sandman,” and best yet, to see that victory. Nights like Saturday are great recruiting tools. A shout-out goes to the fans for making that place electric!
The networks are getting it right. Going back to last year, they have learned to let the entrance speak for itself and the broadcasters zip it for the duration of “Enter Sandman.” I timed it and the broadcast went over two and a half minutes without an announcer saying a word. Because of that, viewers got a better experience of the spectacle. Watching at home, I felt it, especially hearing the stadium singing. I got chills.
CHILLS.@HokiesFB | @Metallica pic.twitter.com/xFL1uSCbs0
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) October 1, 2023
I guess #TX2VT is really a thing? Kyron Drones, the Pearland, TX native, was the first ACC quarterback this year to throw for three touchdowns and run for two! He was only the sixth Virginia Tech player to account for five touchdowns in a game since 2000!
#Hokies players with five TDs accounted for in a game since 2000:
– Lee Suggs: 2000, UCF
– Bryan Randall: 2002, Syracuse (SIX); 2003, Cal
– Logan Thomas: 2011, Miami; 2011, Georgia Tech
– Jerod Evans: 2016, BC
– Josh Jackson: 2017, ECU
– Kyron Drones: Tonight, Pitt— David Cunningham (@therealdcunna) October 1, 2023
Despite the rollercoaster ride of September, the Hokies are exactly where I picked them to start the season: 2-3. And I have them losing next week at FSU. Reaching a bowl at this point is no gimme, but it is a reachable goal (which is odd, because three days ago NOBODY was saying that!). And even if they do not get to six wins, it would be nice to see Virginia Tech play better in the second half of the season.
Saturday’s game was a good win, but I am still a little concerned about some of the same issues resurfacing in this game. Pitt had two big pass plays for touchdowns, and Tech committed ten penalties. Fortunately, Virginia Tech played well enough the rest of the way to overcome those mistakes, but the defense has to give up fewer big TD plays and the team has to commit fewer penalties.
Virginia Tech was 8 for 16 on third down and 2 for 2 on fourth down. Conversely, Pitt was 2 of 10 and 0 for 1. That is a winning recipe!
For their efforts, Virginia Tech is rewarded with a 25-point underdog status at Florida State next week! A road victory against a top-five opponent is not something with which the Hokies have a particularly good history (Tech is just 1-32 all time against top five opponents, and that lone victory was a home win over #2 Miami in 2002). As I mentioned above, hopefully Tech will build off the momentum of this week and play good football for 60 minutes. That – and staying healthy – should be the minimum goals for the Hokie faithful.
The game against Florida State this Saturday will be televised nationally at 3:30 pm on ABC, so make your viewing plans now!
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