Virginia Tech Falls to 5-5 Amid Offensive Struggles

Virginia Tech’s offense sputtered and stalled amid multiple key injuries, falling to Clemson despite a 7-0 lead at the half.

Battling a Clemson team that is more vulnerable on the ground, a healthy Hokies team would have been primed for a successful afternoon at Lane Stadium against a ranked team. With RB Malachi Thomas out, RB Bhayshul Tuten severely limited, and QB Kyron Drones seemingly fighting through a leg injury, Tech was in trouble from the get-go. 

The handicapped offense quite frankly had nothing to offer in the first 30 minutes, just 96 yards of total offense, 35 in the 1st, and 61 in the 2nd. Clemson dominated possession, piecing together several long drives that accounted for nearly 19 minutes of the half, but all came up empty (at least for the Tigers) due to a stellar defensive outing for VT. 

Jaylen Jones intercepted another pass to kill the Tigers’ opening drive, his second of the season. VT grabbed a quick 1st down from Benji Gosnell, then punted. Cole Nelson dropped Cade Klubnik in the backfield on 4th and 2, then Drones lost a fumble. 

Finally, Tech was able to muster up some offense (in a way) through the special teams unit. In classic Beamerball fashion, Keyshawn Burgos tipped up a 46-yard field goal attempt into the hands of true freshman Quentin Reddish, who took it 77 yards to the house, his first touchdown since 8th grade.

Leading 7-0 at the half against a ranked opponent, the Hokies surely felt good about the current situation even with offensive woes. The defense continued its “bend, don’t break” approach, coming up with big plays in big moments to keep the game in check. 

Eventually, with enough bending, even the mightiest break. That’s exactly what happened in the third quarter. Clemson drove down on back-to-back possessions for a 14-point swing in a matter of seven minutes. Once again the Hokies were caught flat-footed in the 3rd quarter, an issue that Brent Pry addressed in the post-game press conference. 

The Hokies swapped to backup QB Collin Schlee down 21-7 to start the 4th, coming off an impressive performance at Syracuse. Schlee got his first and only start of the season against the Orange, completing 16 of 24 pass attempts as the starter in Syracuse, with 206 yards and 1 touchdown. Schlee also rushed for 54 yards and a score, helping fill the gap for Drones and Tuten, who both missed the game due to injury.

Schlee’s first possession in control ended with a turnover on downs on 4th and 3 near midfield. Schlee hustled up the right sideline and dove to the line, the ball originally marked as a first down. An automatic review quickly overturned the call, as the knee was down with the ball about a foot shy of the line.

Schlee had a few empty drives, including a pick that quickly led to a Clemson field goal,  but finally connected with Ayden Greene on 4th and 6 in the red zone to cut Clemson’s lead to 10. With less than 2 minutes left, Clemson handed to Phil Mafah for a pair of 1sts and kneeled to kill the clock. 

The Hokies, now sitting at 5-5 overall and 3-3 in the ACC have yet to defeat a ranked opponent since #10 UNC back in the 2021 season opener (UNC finished that season 6-7 and unranked). Virginia Tech will battle for bowl eligibility against Duke and UVA. Safe to say, this is not where Tech fans expected to be 10 games into the season.