Hokies Show Some Mettle Against BC, But Sluggish Offensive Start Dooms Team

After yet another demoralizing last second loss in Lane Stadium, it would seem the Hokies could really stand to get back on the field and forget about what happened against Boston College on Saturday.

Instead, they get to think about this loss for the next two weeks.

"Any time you lose a game you want to get back to practice as soon as you can just to get the bad taste out of your mouth," said quarterback Michael Brewer. "You want a chance to play another game, win another game and turn it around. But we're going to have to sit on this one for a couple weeks."

The Hokies will get a few days off before resuming preparations later this week to head to North Carolina for a matchup with Duke, and while some players nursing injuries might appreciate the bye, others want to erase the memories of this loss as soon as possible.

"From like a managing standpoint, it's probably good that this bye week's here with all the knicks and knacks we have, but for me, I'd like to play," said receiver Willie Byrn. "After the Miami game we had a few games off too, and you kind of want to get going, but that's the way the schedule goes."

They'll have plenty to analyze after watching the tape against the Eagles.

A Sporadically Hibernating Offense

The Hokies could not have started much faster on offense against Boston College.

Fans were groaning after a penalty had the team work from its own five yard line, but that didn't seem to matter to Brewer and company as they responded with a 95-yard touchdown drive that took just over three minutes.

"We had a good scripted first drive," said offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler. "We were overloaded in the box and we kicked some non-verbals out and completed balls we need more of that."

Between a big third down pass to Sam Rogers in the flat, a 15-yard gain from recently returned receiver Josh Stanford and a 44-yard catch and run from Byrn, the Hokies looked like the offense people thought they'd see coming into the year.

Then things took a turn for the worse. On the team's next nine drives of the first three quarters, the offense combined to total just 85 yards and a measly three points.

"We just had a slow start again," said center David Wang. "A slow start after a fast touchdown."

While the team's early offensive production wasn't as disastrous as its outings against Pitt or Miami, it still played quite the role in the frustrating loss.

The Hokies started three different drives inside BC territory in that time (two drives started on the Eagles' 46 and Tech's final drive of the first half started on the Eagles' 23) yet they came away empty each time.

But what exactly led to the offense's painfully slow 45 minutes?

A lack of a running game was likely a huge factor. The Hokies managed 69 yards on the ground, with 30 of those coming on the team's fake punt on fourth down from whip linebacker Derek Di Nardo.

"They are a very difficult defense to run the football against," Loeffler said. "There is a reason they are the number eight defense in the country."

That ineptitude had ripple effects throughout the offense, as neither the run game nor the screen game ever provided the kind of results the team needed to stretch the field vertically very often.

"I think we opened it up a little bit, but we certainly didn't run and do the quick touch passing on the perimeter as well as we'd like to and that's something we've got to work on," Byrn said.

But, proving how interconnected all these issues are, the offensive line didn't exactly provide Brewer with a lot of time to throw the ball or for the receivers to get open.

"It's tough when they're loading the box and bringing so much heat and everything and the receivers and tight ends don't have as much time to even get through the routes, so it's tough for Brewer," Byrn said. "He's not 6'6", he's not like Logan was last year, so it just adds a whole other sense of urgency for the offense."

Part of that comes from right tackle Jonathan McLaughlin going out early in the second quarter with an ankle injury, forcing recently converted DT Wade Hansen into the starting lineup.

"Wade played his heart out, but it's tough to lose Jon, he's a great player, but we trust Wade and when he came in he played well," said guard Wyatt Teller.

Hansen may have played hard, but the team undoubtedly missed McLaughlin. The line was already struggling before he went out, but then that loss created a snowball effect that led to the unit allowing three sacks and four additional QB hits.

Yet the main factor Frank Beamer and the rest of the staff pointed to when explaining the offense's struggles was its field position woes.

"We had too many start out on the one yard line," Beamer said. "That's an unusual deal, that's a tough place to start."

BC punter Alex Howell and the Eagles' punt team certainly deserves some credit for pinning the Hokies deep, but the offense isn't blameless for its complete lack of production when it needed to flip field position the most.

The unit could only manage drives of negative three yards, two yards, nine yards and two yards on drives when the Hokies were stuck deep in their own territory.

Yes, the offensive playbook shrinks in the shadow of the goalposts, but the fact that the team couldn't get even a first down in these types of situations went a long way toward contributing to yet another sluggish start.

Key Defensive Breakdowns

Coming into this game, the Hokies knew Tyler Murphy would be a big part of the Eagles' rushing attack.

"We knew they were going to run the quarterback and that's the frustrating part of it," said defensive coordinator Bud Foster.

Even with that advance knowledge, they let Murphy run for 122 yards, including the back-breaking 57-yard score at the end of the fourth quarter.

But those numbers are a little bit deceiving. Take away that game-sealing score and a 39-yard scamper by Murphy in the third quarter, and his numbers look downright ordinary: 18 carries and a net of 26 yards.

"We came in knowing he was going to run and we knew we'd have to adapt and I feel like we did a good job except for a few plays and he capitalized on those plays," said linebacker Andrew Motuapuaka.

That's not to make excuses for Foster's bunch, but it gets a little more understandable considering how banged up the unit is.

"In Coach Foster's defense, everybody's got to fill the gap," said linebacker Deon Clarke. "If you don't fill the gap, you'll see it open quick."

Motuapuaka owned up to his responsibility on that 57-yard breakdown, but it truly was one of his rare mistakes on an otherwise solid day. He lived in the Eagles' backfield, compiling 14 total tackles and half a tackle for loss.

"All week I was practicing being loud, being a leader out there, trying to make sure the whole defense was lined up right and it helped today," Motuapuaka said. "I was more comfortable out there, so I could just go and play."

The defense certainly wasn't perfect, and while the breakdowns on seemingly routine gap fits are infuriating, the unit seemingly gave chance after chance to the offense. Plays like the Hokies' stop on fourth and one late in the second quarter or the team's effort to hold the Eagles to just a field goal when they started on Tech's 10-yard line show the unit has plenty to be proud of.

"When we stopped them to a field goal, I told the kids that was a big time stop and we're going to come back and win this game," Foster said. "We ended up going up but we didn't hold up our end of the deal."

A quick glance over the box score might make it seem like this loss was solely on the shoulders of the defense, but the answer is certainly is more nuanced.

What Now?

With the losses at home mounting, and depression setting in, it's going to be a challenge for this team to remain composed.

Yet the coaches believe they have what it takes to answer the call and preserve the team's vaunted bowl streak.

"We challenged their toughness all week long," Loeffler said. "We challenged their toughness and they never gave in."

Byrn agrees that there is some modicum of pride to be found in the way the offense responded after such a lackluster pair of games.

"We knew they were a top 10 defense and it was pretty much a test to see what we're made of," Byrn said. "We didn't execute the whole time, but we fought the whole time."

But for seniors like Byrn, the moral victory is ultimately a hollow one. If this squad wants to avoid being the first Tech team to miss a bowl game in over two decades, it's going to take something more.

"Where it starts is this Tuesday. We've got a bye week, we're 4-5, naturally some younger guys will think they've got more seasons ahead, we're not going for an ACC championship or really in the running, so maybe you just kind of take the Tuesday off during the bye week," Byrn said. "So we're going to see what this team wants to do on Tuesday. That's what it's all about. That's where it starts."

For Teller, it's a matter of putting himself in the shoes of a senior like Byrn.

"I'm just trying to play for the seniors," Teller said. "That's one thing I came in and talked to Dave and Caleb (Farris) about because I would start and they're like 'just do your job,' and I'm like 'I'm going to play for you guys when my shot comes,' and that's what I've always focused on."

These losses take an emotional toll on even the toughest players, and Teller takes notice.

"It's always tough when you lose and you look over at David and he's tearing up, it's tough to see that," Teller said. "It makes me tear up, he's a tough guy and I'm a tough guy, but it's tough. Losses suck."

Teller doesn't necessarily mean that he and his burly compatriots are busy sobbing on the sidelines, but it's clear that this losing is affecting the team.

"He's definitely emotional, I wouldn't say he's crying or anything like that, but football is an emotional sport," Teller said. "He only has three more, or four more or five more guaranteed, so it's tough."

But if these Hokies truly want to deliver for the seniors, while also setting a foundation for how the young players compete in 2015 and beyond, then they'll have to fight even harder against the Blue Devils.

"Our backs are against the wall and we're going to find out a little about our character and about ourselves," Foster said. "The baton's been passed to these guys and they've got to uphold their end of it."