Coming into Saturday's 34-24 win over Georgia Tech, Hokies fans had been making a lengthy to-do list and checking it twice, hoping to isolate the issues that sunk their chances against Pitt and Cal.
Problem number one? Penalties.
Against the Panthers and Golden Bears, Virginia Tech committed a combined 15 penalties for 170 yards. Against Georgia Tech on Saturday, the Hokies committed just four for 40 yards.
Problem number two? An inability to force turnovers.
For the first time in program history, Virginia Tech went four consecutive games without a takeaway, an inconceivable streak for a program once dubbed "DBU." But Brent Pry's group picked off a wayward pass from Alberto Mendoza and forced four fumbles, one of which resulted in a turnover.
Problem number three? Missed field goals.
Coming into Saturday, John Love was on the wrong end of an 0-for-3 streak against Pitt and Cal, the longest of his career. The team captain specialist who had been Ol' Reliable for his entire career suddenly looked mortal. Against Georgia Tech, though, he got right, putting both of his field goal attempts through the uprights and was perfect on extra point tries.
For those keeping score, that's three to-do list items crossed off. Saturday was just what the Hokies needed, a well-rounded win that halted a momentum-sucking two-game skid. In many ways, it was their best performance of the season, good enough to make fans believe in their chances coming down the home stretch of the regular season.
But for as many things the Hokies got right, an equal number of concerns linger, somewhat clouding the result.
Even the players themselves seemed uncertain how to view the win. When asked if they thought this was the Hokies' best game of the season so far, Aycen Stevens and Que'Sean Brown both were puzzled.
"I don't really know how to answer that question," Stevens said. "I think it's for sure a step in the right direction...but we've got to build off this to get ready for Clemson next week."
Their hesitation makes sense. The box score itself is one big contradiction, filled with plenty of pros and cons to analyze.
First, the good.
Virginia Tech rushed for 159 yards, the most since they gained 233 yards against Boston College in Week 4. Que'Sean Brown's 251 all-purpose yards are the eighth most in a single game since at least 1987. Ethan Grunkemeyer was again very efficient, going 15-for-22 through the air for 250 yards and three touchdowns.
Now, the bad.
For the third time this season, the Hokies' secondary allowed 300+ passing yards, surrendering 335 to Alberto Mendoza, who completed all but two passes in the second half.
Another con is the fact that Ethan Grunkemeyer was sacked a season-high five times, including three times in the first two drives of the third quarter. Both of these issues allowed Georgia Tech to nearly erase Virginia Tech's 21-point halftime lead in the first three minutes of the second half.
So, despite fixing some of the issues that have been so common over the last two weeks, this 10-point win leaves fans in a weird place, glad to be back in the win column but concerned about the equally glaring problems that remain.
For one, the pass defense is a full-blown liability. Except for Quentin Reddish's first-half interception, Mendoza picked apart the Hokies secondary, finding open receivers seemingly at will and completing 76.3 of his passes, including 14 straight in the second half. Only a handful of catches that were even contested.
"We've got to get some things cleaned up," Franklin said after the game. "I think Mendoza is super accurate. They got the ball out quickly, but there's no doubt we've got to make sure that we're doing a great job of adjusting to motions and shifts and forcing the quarterback to hold onto the ball a little longer."
Those aren't exactly the words of a coach who's pinpointed the problems his secondary is having each week, but he'll need to do just that and soon.
Many fans believe that Brent Pry's play-calling or scheme is to blame, and maybe they're right. But something clearly isn't clicking with the players, who have proven time and again unable to cover well in man coverage or maintain a cohesive zone scheme. If you're Pry, what do you call, then? This question will become even more important the further into the schedule the Hokies get, as explosive passing attacks loom, like those of Miami and SMU. Even Clemson has weapons that could exploit the Hokies' porous back-end coverage.
The secondary's issues persist week in and week out despite having all of its players healthy, unlike the offensive line.
After giving up eight sacks in the last two games, Matt Moore's group is searching for answers. That's easier said than done, though, when the majority of your starters are injured. Johnny Garrett hasn't played a single snap this season, and Justin Terry is out long-term after suffering a lower-body injury against Maryland. Montavious Cunningham is out after leaving the game against Cal early. Brody Meadows appeared ready to return from his malady, but he never saw the field on Saturday. Meanwhile, backup tackle Logan Howland has never really been healthy since transferring from Oklahoma, hindered by shoulder issues.
To fill in the gaps, Moore has relied on inexperienced guys across the board, including true freshman Benjamin Eziuka and redshirt freshman Michael Troutman, both of whom played significant snaps against Georgia Tech.
So what's the solution here? It's tough to say, and I won't pretend to know the answer. But this offense will only go as far as the offensive line can take it, a football truism that has been proven over and over again.
All in all, Hokies fans should enjoy this win because they needed it badly. It stopped the bleeding and will surely do wonders for the team's confidence heading down the stretch.
Hokie Nation shouldn't throw out their to-do lists just yet, though. There's still a few items to check off.
