The Hokies had much going against them in this one, but the defense played as tough as Clemson’s. The key being that final series for Clemson with the clock running out. We know the Hokies’ bugaboos continue to plague them; dealing with running QBs, offensive line issues, and third quarter fades. This time though, Virginia Tech managed -4 stop after stop, and rallied up on offense to drive down the field and score in the air.

The Program called this the play of the game, and it was…

It was an Old Fashioned “Caveman Football” Effort

The Hokies once again defied the rules of probability and lost the coin toss. It’s getting to be something that isn’t really even worth it. The offense went much of nowhere, and the defense returned the favor for the Tigers. The score was knotted at 0-0 for three-quarters of the 1st period until Dabo decided to gamble on his side of the 50. Clemson went for it on 4th and short. Tech’s defense had the range and the TFL to force the turnover on downs, but Tech’s offense really didn’t do a whole lot with the ball, either. That problem getting the ball across the goal line when in the red zone was an issue for both teams for this contest.

John Love was gold for the game, and his first field goal (37 yards) was also the first and last score of the first quarter. With the ice broken, Clemson found some success and drove the ball down into the Hokies’ danger zone. The Tech defense managed a -4 stop as Clemson’s very capable place kicker split the uprights from 34 yards out.

The Hokies tried a little “trickeration” on 4th down and they faked a punt, but the pattern was too far short of the sticks and Tech turned the ball over on downs inside their territory. The Hokie defense stepped up again, and not only stopped the Tigers, but managed to knock them out of field goal range. The ensuing Tech drive, presumably off the momentum of the stop, went all the way into the endzone for a nifty Ethan Grunkemeyer to Luke Reynolds touchdown.

Suddenly, close to the end of the half, the Hokies found themselves needing a stop and ahead 10-3. That doesn’t sound great but given the tone and tempo of this game a touchdown lead was a serious hurtle to overcome for the Clemson offense.

After a convincing stop, and a Clemson punt the Hokies let the clock run out on the 3 or so seconds remaining before the half. Both teams went into their respective team rooms to go over what they thought worked and didn’t. Hokie Nation worried because as we have seen all season, Tech has a “no good very bad thing” going with the third quarter.

The Third Quarter Fade

If it wasn’t something that you could just set a timer to, it’s certainly something that some betting house is going to offer odds on whether or not Virginia Tech manages not to do it. The 3rd quarter heartburn was in serious need of some powerful antacids for this one. The first drive for Clemson, out of the break, set the Hokies back on their heels. Clemson’s surprisingly good freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds managed to push pull prod, run, and pass in modest chunks to get the Tigers into field goal range before the Hokie defense finally caught and stopped them. The Tiger 49-yard field goal didn’t put them ahead, but it did make the score a more manageable 10-6.

The Hokies, however, went 3 and out while going negative 9 yards on their next series. The OC either didn’t make major adjustments to his game plan, or he figured that the Tigers weren’t going to rush with overwhelming force. They did, and the slow developing plays that were called were just not up to defeating the very capable Clemson defensive line. Grunkemeyer was ultimately sacked 6 times in the game. Tech returned many of those favors on their QB, but neither offensive line was dominating the LOS.

Eventually Clemson drove the ball down the field as the Hokie defense sort of lost focus when the Tigers used the QB power to first get Tait Reynolds to move the ball 11 yards, and then repeat the same basic play to score after doing a very credible job getting passes off to his receivers. Reynolds scored the Tigers’ only touchdown from 16 yards out. That put Clemson ahead by 3 points, 10-3, but it also woke up the Virginia Tech defense.

Tech’s offense was still in a no-go zone, and the defense had to pull off a bend but don’t break for a -4 with 3:48 left in the 3rd. The Hokies managed to return the favor on the ensuing kickoff, it was another -4 for Tech, but on the drive, they had managed to get the ball out faster, and Grunkemeyer’s 27-yard strike to Que’Sean Brown might have proven something to Coaches Howle and Franklin. Quick passing plays were working under the zone and in the seams. That fact might have saved the Hokies as the game drew to a close.

The Game Came Down to the 4th

A 16-13 game is not in the bag, unless the final whistle goes off. The problem was that Virginia Tech needed a touchdown to win, and a field goal to tie. There was a little birdie that told me Coach Franklin, known as a bit of a gambler, wasn’t too interested in a tie and a trudge into overtime with the rules favoring no one since both offenses were struggling in the red zone.

Between the Love field goal at 12:00 on the 4th quarter clock, and the end of the game, the Hokies had to keep the Tigers from scoring anything. A field goal would make it difficult, and a touchdown would pretty much end the game. The Hokie defense managed a stop after 5 plays. Things started off pretty well with the Tigers eating up 18 quick yards, only to have the defensive line get enough pressure on Tait Reynolds that their 3rd and long attempt failed with a 3-yard loss. Que’Sean Brown put up a nice 15-yard return on the Clemson punt, but the Hokies had a holding penalty and two incomplete passes that made a nice 10-yarder to Q. Brown a big nothing. The Totten punt put the Tigers all the way back to their 7 yard line which forced the Tigers to try to run it out and they failed to get a 1st down.

4:48

The Hokies got the ball back with just short of 7 minutes on the clock. There were two issues there. First, the team needed that TD to win, but burn enough time off the clock, and get it close enough that in an emergency John Love’s foot could tie it up without giving Clemson any chances.

Tech’s final drive was interesting because Howle seemed to completely abandon the idea of a 4-minute offense, and went straight to what looked like a classic 2-minute drill. They were successful enough that Clemson’s secondary began to get nervous and make mistakes. Both sides were probably pretty keyed up, because Tech made a few buffaloes too. They started off with a false start which put them five yards behind the sticks. Grunk had to scramble for 2 yards (it might have been a designed run, but at that point Tech wasn’t running so it’s safe to guess it was a scramble).

Then Grunkemeyer began to get some success. A quick shovel pass tunnel screen to Reynolds got 8, Grunk hit Fatrat Brown who got beyond the sticks and pulled off a pro sideline catch for the 1st down. That loosened up the defense a bit for Jeffery Overton to grab five yards and take a little time off the clock. Then Grunkemeyer hit Tyseer Denmark for first down. Then the strangest penalty play of the game came with a really ticky tack offensive holding call that was enforced, but Clemson’s over-pumped secondary player shoved Grunkemeyer when Grunk was clearly out of bounds, which drew a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down. The net for Tech was five yards.

Penalties doomed Clemson. A really obvious PI was called that gave the Hokies another 1st down and put the ball on the Clemson 29. They did it again, on 2nd down and 10 and that foul put the ball on Clemson’s 14 with a brand-new set of downs. Tech would have trouble with calls at the line and get called for a false start on Grunkemeyer. Grunk got most of the penalty yards back on the next play, with his legs, and then got Q. involved again to get a solid 10-yard play down to the Tiger 5-yard line. It wasn’t a 1st down though.

Nail biting time… The Hokies tried a pass in the corner of the endzone to Ja’Ricous Hairston, but it just didn’t work on the timing and placement. That was a 3rd and 1 play. Okay, now someone get Coach Franklin a Riverboat Gambler hat… The game was on the line; John Love would have tied it up with no problems from the snap at the 5. Grunk and the line set up to be a tush push QB sneak. But Benji Gosnell went in motion, drawing coverage and confusing the zone coverage in the secondary. Grunkemeyer backpedaled and flipped a flat-footed soft toss to a wide-open Luke Reynolds who had taken advantage of the busted coverage.

Total time and effort for the drive? 4:48 minutes on 11 plays covering 69 yards. What was left on the clock was 1:41 when Clemson set up on the 25-yard line.

1:22

The big joke circulating on the chats was along the lines of “Brrrring!!! Brent, this is Bud… BLITZ!!!!” Though it’s not a joke… In prior efforts at the end of the game, Brent Pry has put Prevent Defenses on the field to try to slow down the offense and burn off clock, and it’s rarely worked (and it rarely does). We saw some of it to start the first few plays of the final series. Clemson chopped off 32 yards to their 48. At that point, commenters were about to throw in the towel. There was 1:22 left on the clock, and the entire defensive posture changed on a dime. Jaquez White came knifing in from his cornerback position and sacked Tait Reynolds for 7 yards. Reynolds would get the yardage back but not the down with a completed pass on the next play. On 3rd down and 9 yards to go, heavy pressure and solid coverage cause an incomplete pass and set up a 4th and 9. Folks this was nail biting time. It was the game. And we saw, above, Mylachi Williams pull off big inside big rush, supported by another Jaquez White blitz that pinched in Tait Reynolds and dropped him in the backfield to force a turnover on downs. That ended the game.

All Tech had to do, was kneel it out for two plays.

Things!!!!

Thing #1: The Virginia Tech Hokies have defeated Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers for the first time since the Beamer Era. The win puts Tech at 6-2, with a 3-2 ACC record. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, but this team has proven to itself, and its opponents that it is for real, and a serious threat every time it takes the field. No more doubts, now.

Thing #2: The Virginia Tech Hokies are now bowl eligible. This team finally has a chance to cross the .500 mark for a season, and it no longer has to sweat down to the final game to see if there will be a post season. My guess is that any opponents are likely to face an intact team for a bowl, too.

Thing #3: The Hoos lost again. That’s always a good reason to celebrate.

It’s a Bye Week Coming

Sometimes Byes can be good, and sometimes they can let the rust creep in. Let’s see how Coach Franklin and staff deal with this 2-week break. There will be some time to get some players rested up and back on available status. November 6th, the Hokies show up in Dallas, Texas to play SMU. The Mustangs aren’t as daunting as they looked at the beginning of the season, but Tech has its work cut out for it.

It’s also the final four games, and the last 3rd of the season. The Final Risk Chart is due out. Remember the floor was 7-5 or 8-4 (if the Hokies beat Pitt or Clemson). Well, they finished the 2nd 3rd 2-2 and beat Clemson. We’ll see how it goes from here. Both SMU and Miami were just put on notice.

GO HOKIES!!!