Cheers and Jeers: Virginia Tech vs. Vanderbilt

Nothing quite deflates the sails like an upset loss to start the season. We should have known. Commodores are boat people after all. The Hokies went out and performed in the way that's largely become the calling card of the current Hokie era. A slow start once again led to a furious comeback and a heartbreaking loss at the end. We've seen it time and time again and this particular vintage led to a loss as a two-touchdown road favorite.

As always there were good things mixed in with the bad. Here's a look back at a 34-27 overtime loss in Nashville.  

Add Diego Pavia to the ever-growing list of opposing quarterbacks to run wild on the Hokies. The New Mexico State transfer passed for 190 yards and two scores while rushing for 104 yards and another touchdown. He was a lot of fun to watch and an absolute problem for the Tech defense. 

Vanderbilt's plan was to control the clock, to shorten the game and it worked to perfection early. The Hokies were limited to just a handful of possessions while the Commodores raced out to a 17-0 lead in the first half. 

Pavia is going to be a real problem for SEC teams this year and gives Vanderbilt a real chance to sneak a few more wins that no one expected this season. He's definitely the kind of guy you're happy not to have to face again.   

You don't always have to be lucky to win, but you can't catch too many bad bounces. The Hokies had a couple of strange plays that went against them, one of which was self-inflicted. The bizarre sequence that saw the Hokies whistled for having two guys wearing number zero on a field goal attempt led to three critical points for Vanderbilt — shout out by the way to Vandy kicker Brock Taylor who hit a couple of big kicks despite missing at the end of regulation. 

Then there's the opening interception, deflected and picked off by a defensive lineman before Kyron Drones was able to bring him down. That happens to everybody at some point but it was a pretty miserable tone-setter earlier. 

Another big break the Commodores' way was when Mansoor Delane couldn't quite reel in a leaping interception. The momentum was already swinging Tech's way and a big turnover might have swung things for good. It just wasn't the Hokies' day when it came to the funny stuff. 

There were some curious play-calling choices made late by the Hokies. There were some screen passes in the final minutes that seemed to take the foot of the pedal after Tech had created tons of offensive fireworks downfield in the second half. 

And as far as timing goes, the defense picked a terrible time to put out a real dud. Vanderbilt had 181 yards on the ground and averaged 12 yards per passing play. The inability to get a stop with a late lead really hurts, and it just seemed like the unit it still coming together with some crucial new players at key spots. 

Stephen Gosnell (3 catches, 72 yards) and Benji Gosnell (4 catches, 61 yards) once again teamed up to lead a spirited if uneven effort from Tech's receivers. While there were a couple of big drops sprinkled throughout the afternoon, there were a lot of big plays from Tech's pass catchers. Kyron Drones passed for 322 yards with two touchdowns, one to Ali Jennings and another to Bhayshul Tuten. 

Jennings is off to a truly wild start to his Tech career. In his two games seperated by an entire season, he now has seven catches for 163 yards and three touchdowns. He also made something out of nothing on a risky but fruitful punt return. Jennings' big-play ability is going to be a huge addition if he can just stay healthy. 

Overall, this group lived up to the hype after a slow start. There's plenty to build on here and it will be a fun group to watch grow this season. 

Following a nice drive that ended with a field goal to finish the first half, Tech kept the momentum rolling with an early touchdown. The Hokies scored 24 points in the second half and actually ended up out-gaining Vanderbilt and finished with one more first down. 

It was en excellent response and very nearly the start to a memorable comeback. If nothing else, it's one of many encouraging signs on the offensive side of the football. The defense has a lot to answer for but the offense largely appears as advertised. 

While uniform discourse infuriates some fans, there are plenty of football weirdos like myself who enjoy the many different looks of college football. Tech looked sharp in the debut of the revamped road uniforms. All white with maroon helmets is a classic look with the modern flair of the new designs. The helmets themselves look much cleaner  and more "classic VT" without the stripes.

While the rollout of these was a little goofy, the execution of them remains on point.   

Like quite a few Hokie losses over the years this was probably a great college football game to randomly watch if you aren't a Tech fan. 

As it stands for loyal readers of this site, it was an all too common letdown after what appeared to be a an otherwise lovely Hokie takeover of the general scene down there. Hopefully, people are able to keep the faith a little bit after this particular round of bitter disappointment. 

If anyone should know a bad opening loss (or two) does nothing to prevent a special season, it's Virginia Tech fans. Several of Tech's best seasons have started with high profile flops on the national stage, only to see the team really and put together a great year. 

Plus, in this brave new age of college football bought and paid for by our corporate partners, the Hokies are left with a clear path remaining to the Playoff via winning the conference title. It doesn't appear the the ACC is all that daunting, so who knows. Lots of football left to be played.

I'm not sure any of that will happen, but it's entirely possible. We'll learn a lot about Brent Pry and his staff based on their ability to rally in the shadow of failed expectations heading into week two.