Slept On It: Having Had Their Fill of Heinz (Field), Hokies Given a Bad Case of the Runs at Pitt

During the good old days of Virginia Tech football (i.e. 2016, 2017), I used to joke with my wife about how much easier it was to write this column when the Hokies were a 7-win team. There was more to react to, more to vent about. A lot of that venting stemmed from critical missed tackles at inopportune moments, with the occasional reference to the confusing running back rotation or shortcomings at quarterback.

The 2018 season has been an entirely different story. My left eye now twitches when I read, hear or think about how "young and inexperienced" Tech's defense is. The missed tackles and poor execution happen with regularity and lead to record setting performances. I can't bring myself to write about them over and over again. This season of losing has become progressively harder to reflect on on a weekly basis because, frankly, what else is there to say?

I could talk about how, following their most recent loss to Pitt, the Hokies have now given up the most rushing yards and the most total yards under Bud Foster in two of the last three games. Or how that rushing yards record I just mentioned — which Georgia Tech initially broke October 25th with a 465 yard performance — was bested by Pitt despite the Panthers running the ball 42 less times. Or that the 13.9 yards per play surrendered to Pitt was the most ever recorded in a matchup between two FBS teams since 2005. Or that the Hokies ran 86 plays (most of which occurred in Pitt territory) and only managed 432 yards of offense (5 ypp) and 22 points despite facing the #82 defense in the country.

Most yards per play in a game (vs. FBS), 2005-18:1. 2018 Pitt vs. VT (13.9)2. 2016 UNM vs. Wyo (13.5)3. 2011 GT vs. Kansas (13.5)4. 2010 NIU vs. EMU (13.2)5. 2017 Memphis vs. ECU (13.0) https://t.co/BCUk8Axr3b— Bill Connelly (@SBN_BillC) November 11, 2018

If you thought the loss two weeks ago was bad, Saturday's group of players was like, "Hold my beer." But no one wants to read another 1,000+ words on how embarrassing the loss to Pitt was. We're just beating a dead horse.

This doesn't look like vintage Virginia Tech. There's no fire, no will, no focus. French's film review was nauseating, confirming what I feared most: This team is currently lost at sea, there's a hurricane on the horizon (pun intended), and help isn't coming.

Earlier in the season, the losses felt like the result of one side of the football failing to carry their weight. Recently, it's been more of a team effort. The last two weeks have felt like all of the Hokies' warts have been laid bare for all the nation to see. And boy is it ugly. The defense has been appalling, especially against the run. The offense flashes the occasional moment of brilliance amidst long periods of mediocrity. If one unit plays well, the other falters. And on and on it goes.

In some ways, I can excuse the poor performances from the defense. As starters continue to go down with injuries, their replacements are forced into trial-by-fire despite little, if any, veteran support. It's an almost impossible situation, one any defensive staff — yes, even the almighty Bud Foster — would struggle to mold into an effective unit. The offense, however, receives little sympathy from me. I simply cannot wrap my head around how pedestrian they've become despite a veteran offensive line, capable weapons and a hard-nosed — albeit hard-headed — signal caller.

The personnel packages and play calling were abysmal Saturday afternoon, leading me to wonder if Brad Cornelsen had ceded play calling duties to the dude selling perogies in the Heinz Field concourse. I often try not to armchair quarterback the play calling, principally because I find it unfair to pass judgement without the requisite context. I have no clue in the moment whether a given play was primarily aimed at setting up something bigger later in the game or if it was just a bad play. But the sheer stubbornness Hokies fans were forced to witness on Saturday afternoon was infuriating.

After multiple fourth down conversions by Ryan Willis on (what became) the Hokies second scoring drive, the Tech staff inexplicably placed Willis on the sideline for multiple first and second downs in favor of true-freshman Quincy Patterson. After some predictable, slow-developing inside running plays, WIllis was then trotted back onto the field and forced to convert on third and fourth downs despite being consistently behind the sticks. Yes, the drive ended in a touchdown, but it was in spite of the staff's game of musical chairs. Willis seemed to have finally found his groove, so why temporarily place him on ice and put a cold QP4 in a difficult position when the defense is 99% certain of a run call?

Another aspect of the gameplan that irritated me was the hard headed commitment to the run despite the sizeable second half deficit. Down 3 scores in the second half, the offense continued to try and run the ball up the middle on first and second down with little success. It wasn't like the defense needed a breather — they were only on the field for 4 plays at a time before Qadree Ollison or Darrin Hall busted a long touchdown run.

For example, on the Hokies four second half drives, they averaged 12.5 plays and 68 yards per drive, possessing the ball for 20:54 and coming away with a mere 14 points. The ball control is commendable, but it was completely unnecessary against an offense repeatedly busting big run after big run. And to put that time of possession in perspective, it was only 4 minutes shy of Pitt's total for the entire game. There was no sense of urgency, and it was palpable from my couch in Rhode Island. Tech ultimately ran the ball 48 times, compared to 38 passing attempts (56% of their plays) despite trailing all afternoon.

These are just two examples that jumped out to me. Look deeper below the surface and there were certainly more moments worth questioning. This obstinate approach only made the voices criticizing the staff's perceived inability to make in-game adjustments grow louder.

Get over the fact that you had a package of plays planned for Patterson to run or were committed to a balanced gameplan. It's like walking into a wake and asking why the mood was so dour. Read a room, guys.

I've given up trying to predict what fans can expect out of the last 2 (or 3) games this season. I've resigned myself to the realization that, for the remainder of the year, the Hokies are that middle-of-the-pack opponent that could put it all together and surprise a better team. Think 2017 Georgia Tech in their win over the Hokies, their lone victory in the season's final five games.

The good news is that Tech will close the regular season with two rivals, neither of whom are world beaters. Miami looks shockingly average, while the Hoos are...well, the Hoos...and anything can happen in a rivalry game. Regardless of age, experience or talent level, the hope is that it won't take much for this staff to get their players ready for back-to-back games against their biggest rivals. If the Hokies play flat once again, it's going to make an already long off-season feel like an eternity.