2025 VT Football Notebook: Hokies Deliver Another 'Enter Sandman' Moment
I've been going to Virginia Tech games since 2002 when I was three months old. I have witnessed some of the highest highs of the program, and the lowest lows. Many of those lows have come over the past few seasons. The heartbreaking disappointment at Vanderbilt to open last season after having such high expectations. The horrific call to lose the Miami game. The drubbing at the hands of ODU just over a month ago. With so much heartbreak, some may think about giving up and walking away from this team; But on Friday night, the Hokies showed all of us why we love college football, and why we love this team. They delivered a double overtime thriller that will immediately cement its place in Lane Stadium lore.
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🎙️Post game presser underway. A clearly emotional Philip Montgomery had to flip his hat around before delivering this opening statement.
A very emotional Philip Montgomery took the stand in the wee hours of Friday, and as the clock ticked into Saturday morning, he tried to make sense of everything we all just saw. This game had a million different ups and downs. The Hokies started the game looking like a team that had two weeks to prepare. The defense pressured Cal's QB early, making the freshman signal caller show his inexperience. The offense blazed down the field in under two minutes for their first opening drive touchdown of the season. The crowd, which was once again fantastic for a 2-5 team, was jacked up on the 25th anniversary of Enter Sandman. Then the game settled into the madness that would follow. Cal would score 20 unanswered points to take a 10 point lead at the half. Many Tech fans understandably ran for the exits, with visions of past blowouts dancing in their heads. The Hokies would rewrite their story though, tying the game in the third, fueled by a contingent of fans in the student section that went shirtless for the whole second half.
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Hokies student section with an homage to Oklahoma State, going topless. Certainly firing up this crowd and charging the 10 point comeback. This shirtless crowd has only grown in this second half.
The Hokies were also sparked by an exceptional rushing performance in the second half. Marcellous Hawkins turned in his best game as a Hokie, rushing for 167 yards and averaging eight yards per attempt. The rushing performance of the night though belongs to Kyron Drones. Drones has drawn more criticism then almost anyone on the team over the past two seasons, and while his night was not perfect, he showed an exceptional amount of grit. Drones ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns. After the game, Montgomery said that the decision was made at halftime to run Kyron more. He said that he thought the offense needed another element. Even when he broke a few runs in the third, Drones said that Cal did not make any adjustments to stop him, so they just kept on rolling.
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QB1 on the reaction of the team following the emotional win
Drones made the plays when the Hokies needed him to, even if it wasn't pretty. In the second overtime, Drones placed a third-and-seven slant route to Tayke Heath far behind him. Heath, who has struggled with drops this season, extended his arms back, and snagged that ball out of the clean mountain air.
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Heath talking about how he felt on the TD grab that ended up sealing the win.
That play resembled the whole night for the Hokies. It was not a clean win, and it was never going to be. There were penalties, a terrible Drones INT, and even a shocking John Love doink off the upright to take the lead late in the game. Couple that with some extremely questionable officiating that sent everyone who laid eyes on the game into anger, and it was a perfect storm for a typical Tech letdown.
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Montgomery on tonight’s officiating that’s drawing national attention
In the end, none of it mattered. The Hokies overcame every obstacle thrown in their way, including the self-inflicted ones, to deliver an incredible moment. This team, that has had to overcome so much adversity, with a quarterback who has faced endless criticism, found a way to win.
Virginia Tech has been on the wrong side of these close games so much recently, and now Montgomery is 2-0 in them. It speaks to the belief he has instilled in the locker room. This team has absolutely no quit. Football players are often told to have a "next play mentality." To move on after every play, good and bad. The Hokies had to show incredible mental toughness to keep playing. There were so many deflating moments in this game. The sketchy Ben Bell roughing the passer, the John Love missed kick. It would have been understandable for any of those moments to take all the winds out of the Hokies' sails, but they didn't. They kept playing, kept fighting, and kept believing.
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Kelvin Gilliam reaction right after the win.
When Philip Montgomery took over as interim Head Coach back in September, he said the Hokies had the opportunity to "rewrite their story." While the Hokies may not make a bowl, or win another game, they have certainly rewrote their story. This is a team that never gave up, when they certainly could have. This is a team with heart, grit, and a genuine love for this program and each other. During the game, former iconic moments associated with Enter Sandman played on the jumbotron. The "These people are losing their minds" Miami game from 2011, the 6 OT thriller to top the Tarheels in 2019. What the Hokies accomplished Friday night, with a shirtless student section and plenty of Metallica fueling them, should earn this team a place alongside those iconic moments.
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THE FINAL PLAY AND THE METALLICA FUELED CELEBRATION FROM THE SHIRTLESS SECTION.
We should all enjoy this moment. Don't worry about the next month of games, beating UVA, or the coaching search for a few minutes. We should all take notes from Coach Montgomery, who ended his post game presser by saying "You all enjoy your night, because I'm sure going to."
