To quote Charles Dickens, it was the best of times and it was the worst of times for Virginia Tech football in their 45-29 defeat to the Pittsburgh Panthers.
The loss marks Tech’s third in a row this season and to Pittsburgh historically as the Hokies last win over the Panthers came in 28-0 shutout fashion back in 2019. Although Tech has had some some disastrously low lows in 2022, they set some new ones statistically Saturday afternoon. But on the other hand, the Hokies showed a bit more fight in them then they have in other contests this season.
From the good to the bad, let’s unpack the offensive and defensive takeaways from yet another Virginia Tech defeat on the gridiron.
Offense
The Playmakers Out Wide Made Some Key Plays
For much of the season, the Virginia Tech offense has struggled to create big plays through the air. That theme changed tunes in spurts against Pittsburgh as Tech activated its wideouts for several big plays.
The first couple were made by Kaleb Smith for 37 & 30 yards respectively on scoring drives for the Hokies. Smith finished the night with nine receptions for a career-high 152 receiving yards and two big chunk plays for Tech.
The other dynamic catch was made by Da’Wain Lofton. The sophomore got behind the Pitt secondary for a 43-yard touchdown catch on a bomb of a pass from Grant Wells. It’s certainly an encouraging sign that Tech connected on more deep passing plays than usual.
Malachi Thomas was the Expected Spark Plug
All year, Hokies fans have been clamoring for the return of a healthy Malachi Thomas. As a freshman, Thomas carried the ball 93 times for 440 rushing yards when he got run as the full-time tailback halfway through the 2021 season. Thomas showed why he’s Tech’s most electric player on the field on Saturday with a 5-yard touchdown run on his first carry. Following the carry for a score, Thomas received 14 more carries and gained 79 additional yards on the ground to bring his total to 84 yards on a solid 5.6 yards per carry.
If there’s any good to come out of this game, it’s the refreshing news that Thomas is back and loose for the Hokies.
Unforced Errors Still Haunt This Side of the Ball
There was a point where the Hokies snagged momentum from the Panthers hands and looked to be in position to even take a late game lead. However, the root of the team’s following errors came from their typical offensive ineptitude.
The first mistake came on a poorly executed two point conversion. The decision to go for it was an aggressive one by Pry and the coaching staff and the right one. Shuffle passes don’t always work but they are a proven play more times than not. However, senior offensive lineman Silas Dzansi missed a critical block that could’ve sprung the conversion.
Following that failed two point conversion and another Pitt punt on their ensuing drive, Tech got the ball back. But the chance for a scoring drive to take the lead was vanquished when Smith coughed up the football for Pitt to recover and snatch the momentum back from the Hokies. Those two mistakes proved to be crucial in the most important part of the game where Tech still had a fighting chance to win.
Defense
Plenty of Sizzle with 11 Tackles for Loss
Virginia Tech certainly made their fair share of splash plays on the defensive end. The Hokies recorded a season-high 11 tackles for loss in the game. Within those 11 TFL’s, two and a half were made by senior defensive lineman Jaylen Griffin who finished with six total tackles.
Second in the TFL’s category was Josh Fuga with one and a half. His impact was certainly felt as Fuga applied constant pressure that got home enough times to make his presence in the backfield felt.
One tackle for loss was made by four Hokies including Nasir Peoples, Dax Hollifield, Cole Nelson, and Jayden McDonald, who registered Tech’s lone sack of the game.
Six Hokies ended up with half tackle for losses in Da’Vion Ames, Keshon Artis, Wilfried Pene, Norell Pollard, Mansoor Delane, and Mario Kendricks who all brought Tech’s total to 11. Keonta Jenkins also nabbed himself an interception off a tipped ball. VT’s defense may have delivered some sizzle but they lacked the more important part.
No Steak Leads to a Historically Bad Performance
Israel Abanikanda went absolutely nuts against Virginia Tech’s run defense. The junior rushed for an astounding 320 yards on the ground and scored six touchdowns. Abanikanda’s 320 yards against the Hokies was enough to break Pitt’s all-time single game rushing record previously set by Tony Dorsett. He also tied the ACC record for rushing touchdowns scored in a game.
All this against a Tech defense which was once lauded as the ACC’s best statistically after week three. The Hokies allowed open running lanes and couldn’t shed their blocks to stop Abanikanda and Pitt’s offense. In the two previous games, it was Tech faltering against high level quarterback play but after a performance like this in the trenches, it’s proof that Virginia Tech’s defense is lost in all facets of the game.
Special Teams
Beamer Ball Gave and Hath Taken Away for the Hokies
This year’s version of Virginia Tech football has made a habit of inconsistent special teams play. That trend was flipped on its side today for a moment as thanks to a bobbled snap by Pitt punter Sam Vander Haar, Nyke Johnson recovered the ball in the end zone for a game changing touchdown. Finally, Virginia Tech ended up with a massive special teams play to make the legendary Frank Beamer proud.
However, that of course cursed the most consistent part of the Hokies special teams unit, Will Ross who missed his first field goal of the season.
The give and take nature of this game came back to haunt Virginia Tech, who improved in some areas but were worse in others. At 2-4 and 1-1 in ACC play now, Tech will search for answers back in Lane Stadium next week against an equally lost Miami Hurricanes squad.
