For about 30 minutes on Saturday afternoon, it looked like the Virginia Tech Hokies were about to win their second game in a row and move to 3-2 in ACC play. Unfortunately, a lopsided third quarter changed everything, and the No. 16 Louisville Cardinals (7-1, 4-1) came from behind to defeat the Hokies 28-16 (3-6, 2-3).
Louisville started hot, as running back Isaac Brown ran for 10 yards on the Cardinals’ first play from scrimmage. The very next play, Brown takes it 52 yards to the house for an early
7-0 lead. The Hokies are forced to punt again on their second possession. On Louisville’s next possession, VT defensive back Isaiah Cash intercepted Miller Moss to give the Hokies excellent field position. Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones would cap off a 9-play, 37-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run to tie things up.
Tech’s defense forced another stop, which was followed by some BeamerBall, as P.J. Prioleau blocked a punt in the end zone, which was a safety for the Hokies, making it 9-7.
The Hokies finished the first half strong, and the offense had one more response when Drones found Cameron Seldon for a touchdown, giving Virginia Tech a 16-7 halftime lead.
Things changed in the third quarter, though. After the two teams exchange punts to begin the third quarter, the Cardinals take advantage of good field position, when Moss finds Caullin Lacy for a 24-yard touchdown to make it 16-14.
On the next possession, Tech, facing a third-and-long, should have gone back up by nine points, but a deep pass from Drones to Donovan Greene did not connect. Look how close.
On the next play, Lacy returned a punt to the 5-yard line, and the Cardinals punched it in.
Ballgame.
Louisville would score again late in the fourth quarter, but the game was over when Drones and Greene failed to connect.
It was another ugly offensive performance by the Hokies, overshadowing a strong defensive effort. This was a winnable game against a ranked foe at home. While Virginia Tech ran for 164 yards, Drones completed just 11 of 24 passes for 76 yards with one touchdown. The Hokies’ passing game struggled to complete short passes for much of the game, making the failed connection between Drones and Greene even more frustrating.
Tech is off next week, and will travel to Tallahassee to face Florida State in two weeks.
