The Hokies fell behind early and never really recovered and then the third quarter blues bit down hard as SMU scored 21 unanswered and turned a two-possession game into an impossibility.
Things Started Out Pretty Well
The fan expectations for this game were mostly in the hope range. Many folks thinking that it was going to be a loss were just hoping for a good showing. There weren’t too many people thinking that this was going to be a blowout. Tech managed two respectable touchdown drives that relied on mixing up various passes
and runs. Even though SMU got a fast start scoring a touchdown on their first possession, Tech managed to hold them to a field goal on their second.
Both of Tech’s touchdowns came in the 2nd quarter, but the shrunken lead was short lived. SMU continued to cut the struggling Tech secondary to ribbons and put 13 more points on the board in the quarter, and the teams went into halftime only separated by a score and a half. The game hadn’t gotten out of hand, and Tech was going to start the 3rd quarter with the first possession.
Then the Wheels Totally Fell Off
We all have serious issues with the Hokie defensive secondary. They rarely seem to ever cover intermediate passes, preferring to stay in a loose zone defense that allows most good quarterbacks the opportunity to cut them to ribbons. SMU did just that. The Mustangs scored on every offensive possession. They registered Zero punts for the game as the clock burned away as the middle of the 4th quarter loomed.
The offense went three and out on the first series, when they needed to score. Howle called ineffective slow running plays, and the final pass play was rushed and the reception well short of the sticks. SMU took the punt. Set up their offense to pass first and run second.
The Hokies collective back was broken as James Franklin gambled deep in the red zone on 4th and 1, but Howle dialed up an ineffective slow developing run to Marcellous Hawkins off the left side of the ‘A’/‘B’ boundary. Hawkins was keyed and trapped in the backfield. Tech turned it over on downs, and then SMU marched down the field to score another touchdown.
Saving Some Face
The Hokies, after receiving the ball with just over 7 minutes left after SMU scored their 44th point, managed a short time passing drive with two big strikes from Ethan Grunkemeyer to Ayden Greene. SMU was called for PI down on the 2-yard line which gave Jeffery Overton, Jr. the opportunity to blast in from short distance. Grunkemeyer added the 2-point conversion. Suddenly the Hokies looked alive at 22-44 with some time on the clock.
The subsequent SMU possession was interrupted by a rare Hokie interception. Brennan Johnson and got the ball to the SMU 38. Tech would go to their 2-minute drill with a pass first offense and drive the ball into the endzone on a 3-yard TD pass to Que’Sean Brown. The two-point conversion pass was incomplete.
SMU would split the defensive secondary again with a pass under the zone, and no one stopped the YACs. SMU put up another TD to make the score 51-28. SMU returned the favor to Grunkemeyer with a pick, that ended Tech’s bid to at least put up 30+ points.
The remaining 2:20 of the game proceeded pretty much like most of the rest of it. Regardless of the Final Outcome, there will be a bunch to analyze, and the Hokies need to just get this unfortunate road trip to a dangerous opponent’s home turf behind it. Tech did manage to force the Mustangs to punt after the 2:00 warning/timeout. The drive went nowhere and the clock ran out.
Quick Observations
- The Hokies had no effective defensive secondary to speak of. They could not cover in anything else but a “prevent” sort of loose zone that they have been using for most of the season. It’s not working, and the coaching staff will need to address the problem both in this season to finish in good order, and in personnel moves for next season.
- The team still has no answers for the third quarter on either side of the ball. Both the offense and defense were totally ineffective during that period. The play calling was tepid and even timid starting off the first drive, and didn’t get back to aggressive until the middle of the 4th quarter when it was too late to be effective.
- There was no help for the secondary by the defensive line/linebackers. Pry would not blitz, and too often lined up with an empty “A” gap line. When it was necessary he also didn’t manage to get a bear front in place enough to put fast pressure on the quarterback. Tech only registered one sack for the game.
- The Offensive Line just wasn’t up to the task if the OC was going to insist on slow developing plays and inside runs.
- The bright spots for the Hokies continue to be the offensive skill positions. Jeffrey Overton, Jr. was explosive when he got the blocking and a bull when he was in traffic. Ethan Grunkemeyer only made one major mistake and that really was so late in the game with Tech so far behind that it didn’t matter. Ayden Greene, Que’Sean Brown, and Luke Reynolds are still stars.
Now to Come Home and Get Ready for Stanford
Tech only had an outside chance of defeating SMU, and given the total meltdown of the defense, it’s pretty plain that the estimates were pretty far off. Stanford is a winnable game, and 28 points will probably be more than enough to put them away for a 7th win of the season. Right now, though, they’ll have to endure the embarrassing loss in Dallas.
Follow up articles will be forthcoming.
