Hokies Remain Inconsistent In Home Loss
You can get a pretty solid snapshot of Hokie Nation’s spirits if you simply scroll social media this week, however, I wanted to recap week four through a musical lens. Let’s do a painful yet digestible review for each quarter of the Rutgers game and unpack some of our feelings.
Quarter 1 - “Trouble” by Taylor Swift
“’Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now”
Considering we faced this team a season ago, VT knew Rutgers was a sound and tough football team. After quickly trading three and outs, it was a stale and sloppy quarter throughout. This would be the fourth game in a row with a special teams blunder – this time a fumble by Jaylin Lane on a kick return. The Scarlet Knights would go on to capitalize with a score to take the early lead. There have been 20 points scored on the Hokies based on special teams mistakes so far this season.
The quarter would eventually feature yet another Rutgers score and a musty start by the home team.
Quarter 2 - “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World
“Just try your best
Try everything you can
And don’t you worry what they tell themselves
When you’re away”
Following the lackluster opening 15, we seemed to develop a little more of a tempo. As we say tediously often, Tuten getting the ball is a GREAT idea! Despite the inconsistency of our offense, our star RB provides us weekly highlights and strong performances.
The defense had some clutch stops and Rutgers would miss a field goal to give us a lucky break. Right before the viral safety (that even Dan Orlovsky could mock), a forced fumble by Lawson and Delane near the end zone would foster some hope.
Once the safety seen-round-the-world occurred we were all looking forward to halftime. Could we make appropriate adjustments and reignite some fire in Lane Stadium? It was a rollercoaster of a quarter and time to regroup.
Quarter 3 – “Ugly”
“Ugly – in here!
Huh-in here! Huh-in here!”
The title “Ugly” says everything you should know. Our opponents marched down the field and scored way too easily on us - not the second half start we needed. Besides APR with back-to-back sacks down the stretch, it was another messy fifteen minutes. Drones had a fumble on the Rutgers 22, yet we caught a break with another missed field goal by Rutgers' kicker Jai Patel.
Quarter 4 – “In The End” by Linkin Park
“I tried so hard and got so far
But in the end, it doesn’t even matter”
It was too little, too late for Virginia Tech. Had we played all afternoon like we did in the fourth then we surely could have taken the win. Tuten was on one (when is he not?), the Gosnell brothers each accounted for clutch conversion grabs in the end zone, and we even saw a guy not named Jaylin Lane emerge through the air: Ayden Greene.
The Hokies were able to tie the game while simultaneously causing heart tremors to fans both near and far, however, those of us who have been around long enough have seen this movie plenty of times. A Drones tipped ball turnover would seal the deal for Schiano’s squad from Jersey and VT now sits at 2-2.
Final thoughts
Broken record time: it was another lethargic start for VT football despite a hyped crowd post-Sandman entrance. Rutgers, despite their own miscues, was the more physical team. Their game plan was simple, effective, and they were extremely prepared. Coach Brent Pry and his guys travel to South Beach for a shaky ACC matchup as they will face the hot Miami Hurricanes-currently ranked 7th in the nation.
