2025 VT Football Notebook: Offense and Special Teams Sputter Against the Cards'

With just under 6 minutes left in the third quarter, Hokies’ QB Kyron Drones dropped back to throw, eyeing his 6’4 target Donavon Greene. Greene had put a great move on the stumbling corner, then took off, creating yards of separation to set up a potentially huge play for the offense on third down. When Drones fired the throw down the sideline towards Greene, the Hokies held a slim 16-14 lead thanks to an exceptional first half. In the first 30 minutes, the defense locked in after allowing a two-play touchdown drive on the Cardinals’ first possession. The offense looked like it had found an identity, staying ahead of the sticks with the run game, then mixing in screens and short passes with tempo to keep the defense on its heels. Even Stu Holt’s special teams group, which has had several issues over the last few seasons, made an impact play. Philip Montgomery said that Holt had noticed a weakness in Louisville’s punt protection. That weakness allowed PJ Prioleau to blaze into the backfield and block the punt into the endzone for a safety. In short, almost everything went right for the Hokies in the first half, as they jogged to the locker room up 16-7.

Everyone in Lane Stadium knew that Jeff Brohm and the #16 Cardinals would punch back. Louisville is a veteran team, with its entire starting defense having at least Junior-level experience. They were not just going to roll over and let the Hokies coast to an upset victory. After punting on their first drive, the Cards forced a three-and-out, then mounted a six-play touchdown drive. 

Now, we return to where this article began: that pivotal play in the third quarter. Greene was wide open; Drones just had to hit him. The throw was not perfect, forcing Greene to stretch his long arms out to reel it in, but Greene short-armed it, and the pass hit the turf. The air was sucked out of the Worsham Warriors as Nick Veltsistas trotted on to punt. 

Veltsistas punted it straight to Louisville’s dangerous return man, Caullin Lacy, who ran it all the way back to the five-yard line, setting up an easy score for the Cardinals. At that moment, in the span of just a few plays and 23 seconds of clock, the game had completely turned. Sam Siefkes’ defense continued to play hard, bending but not breaking. Until, with just 2:16 to play, they just ran out of gas. The entire defensive line had its hands on its hips, a universal sign of a group that was just exhausted. It was no surprise when, on the next play, Keyjuan Brown ran through a semi-truck-sized hole and sprinted all the way to the endzone. This loss was never on the defense; they were the only thing that kept the Hokies in the game. The offense looked lifeless, and the special teams kept committing penalties and allowing big returns from Lacy.

Montgomery said the offense was never able to capture the momentum in the second half. It looked like Louisville figured out the Hokies’ option offense during the halftime break. After playing a lot of two-high safety in the first half, Louisville added an extra man to the box to stop the run and dared the Hokies to beat them through the air. Unfortunately, Montgomery could not find any answers on the call sheet.  Kyron Drones was missing open receivers by yards, ending the day with just 11 completions for 76 yards. Drones put up that underwhelming stat line even with great protection in front of him. Matt Moore’s unit has been able to build some cohesion over the last month, and it showed on Saturday. The big boys up front did not allow a sack.

The solid play of the O-line and the grittiness of the defense are the positives to take from this game that felt like a missed opportunity. If the Hokies were able to pull the upset on Saturday, bowl contention would be on the table, even with a tough final three games ahead. Philip Montgomery would have started to receive some serious consideration to get the “interim” removed from his title. This win also would have been another radical twist in what was already a crazy day in the ACC, with both Miami and Georgia Tech losing to unranked conference foes. The Hokies couldn’t close the deal and deliver a signature win. Now, they have their second bye week to regroup, get healthy, and gear up for the home stretch of this season.

Monty says the Hokies need to refocus on fundamentals. Hopefully, they can clean up the special teams mistakes and work on having answers when their run game stops clicking. After the week off, the Hokies travel to warmer weather to take on FSU. Then they will have more opportunities to play spoiler against ranked Miami and UVA squads. A win over either of those teams, and a new coach expected to be named soon, could deliver a great dose of hope to Hokie fans everywhere. Until then, enjoy the week off, and we’ll see you down in Tallahassee on November 15.