Post-game wrap: Last-second Cincinnati touchdown pass sinks Hokies at FedEx
Deadline loomed for this long game, so I apologize for the delay with this post. Here’s my game story for Sunday.
Also read Aaron McFarling‘s column on the offense’s early-game woes.
And now for a few more notes and quotes …
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** Just a stomach punch of a loss for the Hokies, one that was eerily similar to the Boise State loss in FedEx a few years ago.
“You always see it on TV or you see it in movies or something like that and you just don’t want to be that team,” Tech wide receiver Marcus Davis said. “The feeling inside of you is unreal, but it happens.”
Quarterbacks coach and play-caller Mike O’Cain summed up the feeling well.
“Not that you ever want to get beat badly like we did at Pittsburgh, but those games, you don’t look back and say, ‘If we had just done this’ or ‘If we had just done this,’ the game would have been different,” he said. “This one, it sticks with you more because there’s maybe one play, where if we do this one play differently, we win.”
** Let’s start on offense, where the Hokies had one of their worst first halves in recent memory.
Virginia Tech managed a meager 72 yards of offense and getting just two first downs. The first of those didn’t come until the 5:17 mark of the second quarter, nearly 25 minutes into the game. The last time the Hokies had two or fewer first downs in the first half of a game was a 1996 loss at Syracuse.
“I don’t really attribute it to one thing,” Davis said. “It is just something we have been struggling with all year.”
The struggles weren’t confined to one facet of the game. Quarterback Logan Thomas was 7-for-13 for only 37 yards, again sailing some of his throws high.
“It’s a mixture of things,” Thomas said. “Sometimes it’s being hit, sometimes it’s letting it go early and not getting my feet completely down.”
The running game produced just 35 yards on 13 carries. The Hokies were 1-for-7 on third downs, punted five times and turned the ball over once on a fumble by receiver Corey Fuller.
“It’s a combination of every position at one point in time not making a play or not doing exactly the right thing,” O’Cain said. “And that’s the way offensive football is. … And when you’re struggling a little bit, everything’s critical. Every play is critical right now.”
Said Thomas: “We have to figure it out soon.”
** The offense came around late, with 173 yards in the fourth quarter. Despite the slow start, the Hokies’ 402 yards were the second most they’ve had this year.
Michael Holmes (60 yards, TD) started to run with a little more purpose. And Thomas hit Fuller for what seemed liked it was going to be the game-winning 56-yard touchdown with less than two minutes left.
“They were in our face all day long,” O’Cain said. “It felt like we had to get some things across the field.”
Thomas finished 17-for-30 for 242 yards.
Part of that was because the Hokies rediscovered Davis in the receiving game, after he had one catch for three yards through two and a half quarters. In the third quarter, he had a 21-yard catch, then hauled in a big one over the top for 50 yards. He had 101 receiving yards on five catches, the fourth 100-yard game of his career and his second this season.
What did Virginia Tech do after that big catch, though? Turned it over. Martin Scales had a touchdown run negated by a holding penalty on fullback Riley Beiro. Thomas threw a pick on the next play when his high pass tipped off Randall Dunn‘s fingers and into a defensive back’s hands, one of the crucial sequences of the game.
** Defensively, it’s hard to ignore the ending, when the Hokies twice gave up late leads with long touchdown plays.
Ralph David Abernathy IV broke loose on a busted coverage on a wheel route, going for 76 yards and a touchdown.
After the Hokies took the lead late, Cincinnati went 85 yards in 1:30 before Damon Julian hauled in a 39-yard game-winning catch with 13 seconds left. He beat Kyle Fuller on the play.
“I just made the biggest mistake I could ever make,” Fuller said. “That’s letting the receiver get behind me. That’s what happens. … I take responsibility.”
** The Hokies put lots of pressure on their cornerbacks, selling out to stuff Cincinnati’s running game. They did well in that regard, holding the Bearcats to 103 yards on the ground.
But Munchie Legaux had a career day, throwing for 376 yards and three touchdowns. His previous career-high was 217 yards.
Saturday’s total was the most by a Virginia Tech opponent since California’s Aaron Rodgers threw for 394 yards in a 52-49 win in the 2003 Insight Bowl.
** Antone Exum’s adjustment from safety cornerback hit some more rough patches.
The junior was beaten frequently by Cincinnati receivers and committed four penalties — two facemasks and two pass interferences — that resulted in 47 yards and three first downs. He also whiffed on a tackle near midfield during Abernathy’s touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.
Despite Exum’s struggles, head coach Frank Beamer still expressed support for him as a cornerback after the game, as did teammates.
“You’ve got to have a short memory as a defensive back,” Fuller said. “We’re in man. They put it on us.”
** Fuller struggled with cramps for some of the second half and was forced out of the game briefly.
Cincinnati took advantage near the end of the third quarter, targeting his replacement, true freshman Donaldven Manning, and again exposing the Hokies’ dire depth situation in the secondary.
Manning missed a tackle on a 30-yard gain by Julian. On the next play, Kenbrell Thompkins beat him for a 29-yard touchdown.
“I thought he was ready, but he’s a freshman and I think they went at him,” Fuller said. “But that doesn’t matter.”
** Although the offense struggled, freshman punter A.J. Hughes enjoyed his finest day as a collegian, averaging 45.9 yards on seven punts. His first effort went 55 yards, flipping field position. His third one went 57 yards for a career long. He also had a 56-yarder.
** Two pretty nice defensive plays that were overlooked by the end. Cincinnati tried a fake field goal late in the first quarter, completing the pass to the backup center. But J.R. Collins and Jack Tyler sniffed it out, pushing him out of bounds at the 3-yard line, two yards short of the first down despite a 16-yard gain. That kept the score 3-0 early.
In the second quarter, defensive tackle Kris Harley made a diving interception on a pass tipped by linebacker Bruce Taylor. He made the catch at the Cincinnati 13-yard line, setting up the Hokies’ first touchdown, a 5-yard run by Thomas on fourth down.
** The Hokies dropped to 0-3 at FedEx Field, having previously lost to Southern California in 2004 and Boise State in 2010. They’ve now lost five straight games in NFL stadiums.
** Neither LG David Wang (ankle) nor LB Tariq Edwards (knee) played.
Michael Via and Matt Arkema started at the guard spots, but by the end, the Hokies had gone to an interior line of Via (LG), Caleb Farris (C) and Brent Benedict (RG).
Tyler and Taylor played the entire game at the inside linebackers spots. Tyler had a team-high 11 tackles, a half a tackle for a loss and two quarterback hurries. Taylor had seven tackles and a tackle for a loss.
** Virginia Tech’s players put on a brave face after. Most spoke about the disappointment of the loss but again were looking ahead at how not to let this derail the rest of the season.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Taylor said. “Especially when you come out and play hard the whole game, except for a few plays. … I told the guys I hate losing. I hate the feeling. I hope they hate is as much as I do. But we’ve just got to come back and have a great week of practice and get back on track.”
Beamer, who was glassy-eyed afterward, summed up the game like this: “I thought we had it a couple times and then didn’t have it. I thought they made some great plays and we helped them a little bit. But that’s the way it is. We have our conference to look forward to and we have to get past this one and move on.”
September 29, 2012 - 10:29 PM
These after game comments by the Hokies are a joke! They are starting to sound like my Dallas Cowboys!
Just what the hell are the supposed to say, Jared?
Idiot.
Hokies are now in last place in the Big Least. This
is going to get ugly ……..
Loser city! Beamer is an old fart who doesn’t have it anymore. RETIRE
The Replay
High hopes for a great season – Early losses which weren’t expected – Beamer’s yearly we need to improve speech – Win enough in midseason to go to the how many tickets can I sell Bowl – out classed an beaten at the bowl once again. Regroup and do it again next year. You begin to win when there are no more excuses.
Between UVA and VT there is ONE out of conference win over a BCS conference school and that one was an outright gift by Penn State.
Perhaps not winning 10 games or even 9, would be the best for this team. But no, Beamer would say changes were not needed even then- “we just need to tweak a few things here or there, we were almost ready to bust it on every other play”.
Yeah, right.
Awfully bad performance. VT does poorly under FB when trailing in the 4th and the GT win doesn’t look like much now.
I would trade an 0-2 start for this, IF this team was improving. Sadly, it isn’t. It is the same old, same old, for the last 5 games.
Virginia Tech is an average team, at best. There is NOTHING special about this team, it is just another team. Several Tech teams recently were just another team getting by on a weak schedule, and often on the ability of one player, usually a quarterback who could run for his life under pressure and gain yards for the team.
The ten win seasons end this year. Many of our opponents have ridiculed the ten win talk for years, and rightfully so, the seasons were not games against the best competition in college football. The ten win seasons would probably be seven or eight wins in the SEC.
The bowl streak will continue because there are lots of bowl games.
The philosophy of the coaches, Beamer in particular, is not what is needed for Tech to be a top line team, and it never will be a top line team with the coaches we have now, it is just not going to happen.
Changes need to be made in the coaching staff, and that is not going to take place.
There needs to be better recruits, and year after year that does not happen, and maybe it will never happen.
As a fan for almost fifty years it is not something that would want to be said, but it is true.
This team is not anything special, and there will be several more losses this season.
Still it will be said again, Let’s go Hokies!!!
slow start is killing us! no blocking up front!Logan still not right,throws are high!
A start would be by saying “we need to make some changes” because we can’t even beat teams from the worst conference in college football! Wait a minute, maybe that’s the ACC now, could it be?
The Hokies offense had a typical first half this game. Thank goodness for the defense. They actually put the offense in great scoring position with the tip by Taylor and pick by Harley. The defense was on the field a lot this game. Especially in the first half. This was another slow start for the offense. A trend that hopefully will get fixed. Aaron’s article was a great read. Very honest. You guys should check it out.
Tech needs a coach who shows some emotion on the sideline. Beamer just stands there the whole game.
Hey guys its clear techs season is in the can this year. Do yall think it will affect the recruiting because they were starting to pick up some really good players? answer please!!!
Thank you for all your articles and the coverage of the Hokies Andy. Everyone let Andy know we appreciate him instead of doing a Hokie bashing for once.
Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden are the ones I think of here. Why? They helped put their college football programs on the map. They became legends just like Beamer but at the end of thier career thier teams became just okay and that’s what the Hokies ate today “just okay.” They can now easily lose to duke, Miami, Florida state, and Clemson. I am not sure if I see them getting any better. I will always love them but why is this happening? Who’s to blame? It’s frustrating and upsetting for Hokie fans. Andy, is it stinespring, Beamer, help us.
A VAST IMPROVEMENT IS NEEDED ON ALL FRONTS AND WITHOUT IT, THE HOKIES WILL HAVE A HARD TIME WINNING ANOTHER GAME. THEY CONTINUE TO MAKE A COUPLE GOOD PLAYS AND FOLLOW THAT UP WITH A COUPLE BAD ONES SUCH AS PENALITIES, BLOWN COVERAGES AND OVERTHROWING OPEN RECEIVERS, MISSING
TACKLES AND JUST OVERALL NOT PLAYING LIKE THE WINNING HOKIE TEAMS OF OLD.
THE TALENT SUPPOSE TO BE THERE SO MAYBE SOME OF THE CRITICS ARE CORRECT IN SAYING SOME OF THE COACHES NEED TO GO.BEAMER NEEDS TO TAKE A HARD LOOK AT THIS AND BE OBJECTIVE IN HIS EVALUATIONS.
D has to stay on field too long. They are worn out by 4th quarter. 3 & out over and over by offense doesn’t give Buds guys much of a break. Beamer is too tolerant of coaches who can’t get it done. Offensive play calls and execution are a joke.
It’s about time for the HOKIE faithful to realize that we are on our way down. There is no killer instinct ever with Beamer as head coach…Why Beamer has too much class to put up 70 points against a inferior team. We might HURT THEIR FEELINGS ….This is why we can’t beat good football teams we should beat. Less than 2 minutes to go…Opponent on own 15 yard line and we can’t stop them? PATHETIC …I used to defend Bud Foster while bashing Beamer and Stinespring but honestly I think we need to clean house. Getting Bowl Eligible this year will be a stretch . I am so sick of Beamer every week …WE ARE A GOOD FOOTBALL TEAM THAT JUST NEEDS TO GET BETTER ..Uh, no….you are a mediocre at best football team that needs a thorough butt chewing , not a cheerleader . Rant over
The Hokies are Jinxed:
Cannot play on NFL Playing Fields!
Cannot Win in FED EX Field for sure!
A Division III Offensive Coordinator!
A Prep School Offensive Line Coach!
And A Head Coach too Loyal to his “Buddies!
Maybe this 6 win 5 loss Season will wake up Weaver and he will insist on some changes! Go Hokies!
Coaching, coaching, coaching!!! When are these coaches going to look in the mirror and start taking some of the blame? It is always some excuse with this program. I’m tired of watching and following a program that has become stale, there is no intensity of sense of urgency from the top down, and are always playing not to lose. Its not about whether Tech won or lost that game yesterday, its about the bigger picture of this program and where its heading. We have good enough players to be excellent. Its our overall coaching (with the exception of a few) who are major liabilities.
May have been a bit hasty in my forecast 6-5 Win Loss 2012 Record – Forgot about thye BCF Game –
They will, lose all 4 on the Road, FSU at home for sure and Duke a toss up and if Sims is the UVA QB probably another loss! GOOD BYE the 10 win seasons and the Bowl Game Record!!!! Next year could be worse – look at the OL back ups!
Guess when we reseat the next time there will be some prime seats vacant!
Go Hokies! To Where I have not idea! 5 wins 7 losses at best!
VT’s slow starts on offense are like the Emperor’s New Clothes. Everybody seems to acknowledge it except the Emperor (Beamer) himself. Aaron McFarling is spot on.
Andy Bitter (once again) had the offense’s slow starts as a key to the game before the game began and Aaron McFarling felt (justifiably) compelled to devote a whole column to it today.
If the offense keeps going three-and-out, you’re tiring out your defense. Once AGAIN, I ask, if people don’t get tired then why doesn’t Usain Bolt run the 400 meters when it’s only 20 seconds longer than the 200 meters event that he dominates while feeling compelled to showboat? Should Usain Bolt suck it up and go the 400 meters? Or maybe it’s because PEOPLE GET TIRED?? Yes, the great Usain Bolt can’t go 20 seconds longer so how can you expect your defense to take the field over and over again after ANOTHER three-and-out from your offense?
What is infuriating is that VT seems content to just coast and sleepwalk on offense if its defense is playing well like when it had a 17-0 win over UVA in 2006 that should have been much worse for the Cavs or a 10-0 lead over #2 BC and Matty Ice in 2007 that eventually turned into a 14-10 loss. If VT had been up three scores in that one, all the Matty Ice miracles and onside kicks in the world wouldn’t have meant a damn.
Yes, the defense blew it big time at the end, but I can’t help thinking that things would have been different if it wasn’t so damn tired.
Wow what a pathetic 1st half offensively SMH!!!! Its almost as if this offensive coaching staff is retarded or somethg same ol run up da gut twice and then the incredibly productive bubble pass WOW how creative! WHY not pass to open up the run stretch the field early and often soo teams cant stack the box. Make them at least respect the threat of a passing game smh! why not run Davis, Fller and Knowles on all streak plays early in the game its not as if they dont have the speed. I mean its not like we are playing against NFL cornerbacks every week!! Beamer refuses to use his talent rarely di we see Asante in the games and hes suppose to be superquick too smh!!! Not to mention using J.C. on wheel routes like we got burned on wit Abernathy for cincy. Its sooo frustrating watching the hokies this year it makes you wanna jump thru The T.V. and shake beamer and stiney and say wake da F… up SMDH!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yesterday was the same crap just warmed over. No offense and rely on the defense to carry you through. Except yesterday, it didn’t happen. No 1st downs until midway through the 2nd quarter is pathetic. It’s been depressing for years, but maybe losing more games it the only way that some action may be taken. The denial of the problem has to stop. And I wish everybody would quit talking about “Beamer Ball” during the games…..”Beamer Ball” has been dead for 10 years.
Flew all the way from Dallas to watch my beloved Hokies at Fedex field. What a dissapointment. Our offensive play calling is unimaginative and predictable. Stinespring has no idea how to use the weapons we have. And Logan Thomas is just not developing as a quarterback the way we all hoped he would. The D showed some bright spots, but we obviously don’t have the talent in the secondary we have enjoyed in the past. This one was just painful to watch slip away to an ordinary opponent. Thank god we don’t have to live in the SEC where we would struggle to be a 4-8 football team.
Every game it seems that the play calling is hurting the Hokies more than anything,I am watching and saying What the heck is Stinespring thinking,he has got to be the worse offensive coordinator ever….He needs to go…The tight-ends needs to be used more often,and in the game against Cincinnati Davis was open on just about every play…..Stick to what works…..