Story of the Statlines: VT vs Miami

Virginia Tech was on the verge of snapping a three-game losing streak two days ago in Lane Stadium. The Hokies started the game slowly, going down 20-0 at the start of the fourth quarter, but had a brief surge of points to come close to a victory. Most of the Miami offense was through the air, and the Hokies struggled in both facets of their offense.

I know I just said that the Hokies' offense struggled, but that doesn't mean we can't find some positives in it. Malachi Thomas, Da'Wain Lofton, Dae'Quan Wright, Nick Gallo, and Kaleb Smith all had over 25 yards receiving with multiple receptions. The last couple of games for the Hokies offense have revolved around Kaleb Smith and Keshawn King in the passing game, but this game was different. Our game against Miami showed Grant Wells dishing the ball out to multiple receivers who made some great plays on the ball. Of course, the Hokies still had many drops, some more crucial than others, but this is a step in the right direction to help Grant Wells under center.

Grant Wells is a pretty speedy runner, as we've seen throughout the season, but he's never totaled more than 9 carries this season. In the game against Miami, he totaled 16 carries, most of which were scrambles due to a failing pocket around him. Although the offensive line was pretty shaky, our offense continued to do designed quarterback runs with Grant Wells, most of which were for no gain. When your pass-first quarterback has 16 carries, it's not a very good recipe for winning.

After going scoreless for the first three quarters, the Hokies' offense showed some life late in their game against Miami. They were moving the ball successfully and capitalizing on Miami penalties that put them in position to have a chance in this game. Unfortunately, it was a little too late, as Miami sealed the game late on a crucial third down conversion. Once again, another loss for the Virginia Tech Hokies, but the fight they showed late in this game did not go unnoticed.