Is The Glass Half Full or Half Empty? Virginia Tech vs South Carolina Reactions Vary Widely

Going into the Virginia Tech South Carolina game, I was bearish in my Hokies and their ability to emerge victorious in this one, having not won a game against a team ranked this high since 2014 at Ohio State (yes, Tech beat 10th ranked UNC to open the 2021 season, but that doesn’t count, as the Tar Heels finished 6-6 that year).

Although my pregame score prediction was pretty darned close, my sentiments were not necessarily in the majority.  Many of my peers at the Sons of Saturday felt that the Gamecocks were overrated and that Tech would pull the upset.

Vegas even saw a significant shift in the game line, which opened at SC -10.5 then dropped all the way to -6.5 just before kickoff.  The money was on the Hokies to keep it close.

And they did for most of the contest.  Virginia Tech won the box score.  They played spirited defense and came up with some big catches in the passing game.  But in the end, the Hokies lost the game.  In disappointing fashion.  Again.

So is the glass on this season half full?  Or is it half empty?

I think the better perspective is to see that there is definitely water in the glass, and there are eleven more games to determine if it is enough water for our fans, or if the drink is not enough to quench our collective thirst.

Hopium For Sale

The silver linings in this game are ones that Hokie Nation has not seen in a bit.  In particular, the coaching staff made adjustments and this game remained nip and tuck until two explosive fourth quarter plays by the Gamecocks sealed their victory.

One of my friends even texted me that he was glad that we weren’t out-coached in this one.  Even my wife said this was the best she thinks we’ve looked in years.  Neither of those comments are not wrong.  (Maybe not the best in years, but the best that my wife has seen in person in years - she has been to a few duds in the last three seasons!)

A lot of the issues were in execution, which can be attributed to preparation, which is on the staff.  But kids do make mistakes, and they have to be held accountable too, so not all of the blame is on the coaches.  The coordinators put the team in position to win, and that is not something that could be said often over the past few seasons.

The defensive line was aggressive, and after the first drive, South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers’ Heisman hope was fading fast. (Not to worry, we allowed him to return to the Heisman conversation, much to the chagrin of many of my cronies here at the Sons!)

The wide receivers also showed us something, specifically Donovan and Ayden Greene.  If they can continue to compile yards and make spectacular catches in coverage, there will be hope for some wins (especially if some of those grabs are for touchdowns).

So there were plenty of positives from this very first football game of the 2025 season.  There are things to build on and reason to believe that Tech could make a bowl game this year.  If things go well, the Hokies could even make a run at an eight-win season.

SSDD

But alas, those positives were offset by the negatives.  And once again, the Hokies were in a close game, but they continued to shoot themselves in the foot, and their own mistakes ultimately cost them this game.  It was absolutely a “Same Stuff Different Day” for Hokie Nation, and Hokie Nation left the stadium with the familiar feeling of Charlie Brown after failing to kick the ball.

The penalties on big plays, the interceptions, the dropped passes, the balls thrown too low…the sheer amount of these errors is disheartening to the fanbase, as Tech just cannot come up victorious in close games.  Although this was not a one-score game, it felt that way for three quarters and the Hokies buckled again.

Virginia Tech needs to finish games.  They need their leaders to step up in big moments.  There has been a lot of talk of the quarterback play in this game, and neither QB had a particularly stellar performance, but at the end of the day, Sellers did not make mistakes and Kyron Drones did.

For Virginia Tech to be successful, they absolutely need consistent quarterback play.  Drones had his moments, throwing some very nice deep balls and grading out well when in the pocket.  But when under pressure, he did not play well.  While no football game is ever won or lost because of one player, the missed throws and interceptions certainly hindered Tech’s chances of gaining the upset.

David Cunningham
@therealdcunna

Interesting stat: Drones was 1-of-14 with two interceptions and one sack on passing plays where he took the snap in South Carolina territory.

Tech does not need Drones to win every game for them, but the Hokies do need efficiency.  The good news is that he probably won’t see another defense as big and fast and strong as he did on Sunday.  Also, next week presents a new opportunity with a clean slate, and if Drones can be more efficient and protect the ball, he will put his team in position to win.

Then the rest of the players have to do their part.  It is as simple as that, especially in close games.  Someone needs to step up and make a big play when the game is on the line.  South Carolina did exactly that, and Virginia Tech did not.  And that was the ultimate difference in the fourth quarter of the loss.

If Virginia Tech is going to win a close game soon, someone will have to step up when the lights are shining and make a big play.  Leaders have to lead; cream will have to rise to the top.

On to Next Week

It is encouraging that the team fought and the coaching looked better. There are things to build on.  However, there are no moral victories when Tech keeps coming up short in big spots.

It is only one game, and although it was a disappointment, one game does not a season make.  The Hokies need to bounce back.  How a team reacts to adversity is a telling sign of how the season will go.  Week one brought about some adversity, and now the Hokies need to react with a win.

They need to put this loss behind them and focus on Vanderbilt. Virginia Tech cannot afford to lose this one.  It is the biggest game in the Brent Pry era, and that is not hyperbole. If Tech falls to 0-2, the fanbase will be teetering on the brink, and the future of this program will be as uncertain as ever.  A win, however, and Hokie Nation can breathe a little easier, more enthused about the possibilities moving forward.

Vanderbilt will be a tough matchup.  Because the Commodores beat Virginia Tech last year, they will come into this game with confidence, believing they can win this one too.  And we already know quarterback Diego Pavia has the cajones of an elephant.  He will enter this game with his typical swagger, and as his team’s leader, that attitude will spill over to his teammates.

This is a night game, and the crowd should be fired up.  However, Pavia is the kind of guy who will come onto the field early, do his own dance on the midfield VT logo as “Enter Sandman” plays, then go out and run for 100 yards and two touchdowns.  Tech cannot allow him to do what he did last year - 300 combined yards of offense and three touchdowns.  If that happens again, it will be a long night in Blacksburg.

Vanderbilt beat FCS Charleston Southern 45-3 last week, but it is tough to gauge how good the Commodores really are.  Who knows what to make of that score?  As one of my colleagues pointed out, it’s Charleston, and just half of it.

However, Vandy won by 42 points.  When was the last time Virginia Tech won by 40 points?  The Hokies whipped up on UVa 55-17 a few years back, but we have to go all the way to 2019 for the last 40+ point win when the Hokies beat Georgia Tech 45-0.

My point is that even though Vanderbilt beat up on a patsy, they did it with authority.  If it was easy to win by 42 points, more teams would do it.  Virginia Tech has not had that kind of win in quite a while, and that’s because the Hokies have not been very good.  I cannot just dismiss Vandy’s victory because of their opponent.  

Factor in the short week to prepare for an option attack, and I am worried about this game.

I said last week that in order for the Hokies to pull the upset, they would have to win the turnover battle and the special teams matchup.  They did neither, then they lost on big plays as well. So this week I will add that to the mix.

If Tech wants to beat Vanderbilt, they will have to win the turnover battle, play better on special teams, and have more big plays than the Commodores.  If they do all that while limiting the mistakes (and of course, score touchdowns instead of field goals), the P4 OOC losing streak AND the close game losing streak should end.

Final Thoughts

So was it “same story different day” Sunday? Or first game jitters? Time will tell.

If Virginia Tech can rip off four straight wins, then no one will talk about the opener. But lose to Vandy Saturday and the torches and pitchforks will be out.

There are plenty of reasons to see hope. But there are also plenty of reasons to be concerned that we are in for more of the same.

Bottom line, this team needs to beat Vanderbilt, and nothing else matters right now.

After Thoughts

My new favorite player is Emmett Laws.  I love his story, I love how he played, and I love that he got the safety on Sunday!

Emmett Laws : 3 tackles & a sack in the endzone for a safety pic.twitter.com/n5lh5TkArF

Tech is has now lost fourteen straight games to non-ACC power conference teams.  That will increase to fifteen if the Hokies lose to Vanderbilt.  I cannot describe this in any word other than "embarrassing"; it has to change this weekend!

Virginia Tech has not lost a home opener since 2015 Ohio State

Was it a good weekend for the ACC?  Including week zero games, the league went 12-5 in its games, which were all against non-conference foes.  However, the ACC was 3-4 in power conference games, and only 1-3 vs. the SEC.

Is The U back?  Or is Notre Dame not a playoff team?  Is Florida State deserving of their #14 ranking?  Or is Alabama headed for a 7-5 season?  It is too early to tell, and not much from the first weekend should be taken too seriously.  Remember last year when Florida State was ranked #10 in the preseason?  Yeah, exactly, so let’s play a few more weekends before making our assessments.

And how can we talk about week one of college football without mentioning the final College Gameday broadcast for Lee Corso.  ESPN did an outstanding job with that production, and it will be tough for the Gameday crew to fill the void that will be left by his absence.  I am so glad Corso went out on top, being correct in ALL of his picks last week. It was great to see his final mascot head selection, Brutus the Buckeye, which was also the first head selection of his career.  Goodbye Lee Corso, we will miss you!