Cheers and Jeers: Virginia Tech vs. Wofford

White Effect games always seem to go this way. They're early in the season and against some middling opponent of no interest to anyone. Tech usually bangs their heads against the wall at least a bit. They then end up winning by a comfortable margin while everyone slowly melts in the heat or dies of boredom. The Hokies scuffled at times against Wofford but the game was well in hand for much of the afternoon in keeping with this tradition. They had super cool helmets and it was a generally positive afternoon. 

In a reversal from recent columns, this one is all positive. There are still plenty of flaws with this team and it remains unclear how many wins remain. Still, this was the ideal result and may even build a little confidence moving ahead. If nothing else, practice finally started on time this week and the gameday operation had at least a thin veneer of competence. Low bars to be sure but at least they were cleared this week. 

Perhaps the best thing I noticed during the game was Gabe Williams on the field. He played some against ODU as well but I missed it then. He's had a long road back from injury compounded by losing his Dad in the process. He's a talented guy who hopefully can contribute going forward, but just having him out there at all is remarkable after leaving Worsham Field in an ambulance. 

Games like this are made for stat padding and logging live reps for guys who don't get too many. Kyron Drones finally looked like he's supposed to. It's a wonder what having receivers actually open does for a QB. He looked more decisive and made some nice throws. Again, we'll see if that carries over at all to the games that matter coming up. 

The receivers made some nice plays with better routes than we've seen in many cases. I'm hesitant to draw any big conclusions given the competition, but again this is about all you can hope for. I really hope they quit giving P.J. Prioleau carries and get him more involved in the passing game. He's got plenty of speed he just happens to be the size of a doorstop.  

Tucker Holloway, Ayden Greene, and Devin Alves also made some nice catches and plays during the outing. Marcellous Hawkins continues to prove he's the lead back and made a couple of nice receptions. He should probably be the focus of the offense at this point. 

Virginia Tech finally won a game and at the very least, Tech fans got to enjoy a day of college football without that haunting feeling of posting an L. I always struggle to enjoy the rest of the games when my team opens the day poorly. Can we stay on track? That remains to be seen but on this day at least everyone in Hokie nation was able to rest easy. 

There's still some talent on this roster. We'll see if people start to bail out into the transfer portal this week as many fear but at least for the moment there are good players on this team. I said a couple of weeks ago that I'm planning on just enjoying each game for what it is without worrying about, 'what it means'. We know a new coach is coming, we know the money spigot will soon be opened up, and we can assume with some evidence that numerous other structural changes are coming likely in the form of a shiny new Athletic Director and support staff.

Get upset or bummed if you want. I'll be trying to enjoy things as they come and for what they are. As the Hokies sit at 1-3 on the final weekend of summer, it's easy to distract oneself with pumpkin-infused nonsense and general fall vibes. It would be nice if Hokie football could rejoin the ranks of autumnal royalty. That will take time though and for now, I'll enjoy supporting Philip Montgomery's band of footballers, whatever form they might take in the weeks to come.