‘Canes Stomp Fading Hokies, 30-6

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Virginia Tech’s 30-6 loss to Miami Thursday night was historically bad.

It was the largest home loss of the Frank Beamer era since a 41-7 loss to Florida State in 1989, and the 24-point halftime deficit was the worst since 2007 against LSU.

The Hokies’ only score, a 14-yard connection from backup quarterback Mark Leal to Isaiah Ford on a 4th-and-10 with 1:30 left in the contest, was all that stood between the program and its first scoreless performance in 250 games, dating back to 1995.

“It’s never going to be fun losing,” fullback Sam Rogers said. “I never want it to be fun losing. I want this to motivate us. I want this to hurt.”

In the first half, the Hokies recorded two first downs, accumulated 36 yards on 20 plays — an average of 1.8 yards per play — and rushed for 13 yards.

“We’ve got to get it right and get it cleaned up,” offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler said. “We’re just inconsistent. At times we look like we know what we’re doing and at times we don’t. At the end of the day it’s my responsibility.”

While the Hokies were struggling mightily to get their offense going, Duke Johnson and Miami were charging full speed ahead.

Already up 10-0 midway through the second quarter, Miami took over on Tech’s 24-yard line after Michael Brewer threw three incompletions from his one-yard line and A.J. Hughes’ punt netted 23 yards.

Johnson found the end zone on the first play of the drive, accounting for just a chunk of his 249 rushing yards on the night.

“I was scared to death of Duke Johnson and he proved why tonight,” defensive coordinator Bud Foster said. “He’s just a great football player.”

Gus Edwards, Johnson’s backup, tacked on 117 rushing yards and two touchdowns of his own.

It was the first time since 1994 that a pair of backs rushed for 100-plus yards in the same game against Tech.

“It’s frustrating, but as a team we stick together,” defensive tackle Corey Marshall said. “We understand that what was in front of us was a good football team, give them credit, they made plays. It came down to mental errors, and you can’t dig yourself in holes in these situations, in these games, in these moments and expect things to magically turn around, but we’ll get it right.”

Miami’s first-half exclamation point came with just three seconds left when Johnson reeled in a 22-yard touchdown reception from freshman quarterback Brad Kaaya to extend the lead to 24.

“Of course, as a defense that hurts your pride,” defensive end Dadi Nicolas said. “We just got to get that right so we don’t let our opponents take advantage of us too much.”

In the second half, with a Tech comeback possible but improbable, Tech fumbled the ball away on each of its first three drives. Perhaps the hardest one to swallow for Hokies’ fans came when running back Marshawn Williams coughed up the ball short of the two-yard line just over three minutes into the third quarter.

Trailing 30-0 with 4:09 left in the game, Leal replaced Brewer at quarterback. The redshirt senior led Tech on a 10-play, 77-yard scoring drive, and went 5-for-8, including the touchdown pass that kept Tech’s scoring streak alive.

“I thought he did a good job,” Beamer said. “We’re going to look at it. We’re going to look at it. I think everything is on the table right now. I think we need to look a lot of things.”

Though Tech’s offense hasn’t been able to consistently sustain drives that result in points since early in the game against North Carolina, the team believes it has the ability and potential to right the ship.

“The proof we have is working every day together,” Rogers said. “The proof we have is how we fight together, how we workout together. That’s the proof we have. We know what we have in here. And I know it’s hard for outside guys to see that, but we know we’re going to be okay. But we’re going to be okay.”

With Tech at 4-4 on the season, it needs to win two of its final four games in order to keep its 21-season consecutive bowl streak alive.

But Rogers and the Hokies won’t get ahead of themselves.

“We’re on Boston College right now.”

Game notes, courtesy Virginia Tech Athletics Communication

• Virginia Tech wore maroon helmets, with maroon jerseys and maroon pants for the first time since playing Miami at home in 2009. Tech is now 12-8 all-time under head coach Frank Beamer wearing the maroon-maroon-maroon combination.

• Redshirt freshmen Wyatt Teller (offensive guard) and Andrew Motuapuaka (linebacker) made their first career starts Thursday night. Six true or redshirt freshmen have started for the Hokies at some point this season (Bucky Hodges, Isaiah Ford, Cam Phillips and Marshawn Williams).

• With Teller’s start, David Wang moved over and started at center for the first time this season, but for the 14th there time in his career. He has started 31 totals games in his six years, 17 at guard and 14 at center. Caleb Farris did not start, breaking his 24-game start streak at center dating back to last season.

• Motuapuaka came into the game with six career tackles and had 11 alone in tonight’s game.

• Miami’s Duke Johnson, with his 249 yards rushing, became the third Tech opponent to net 100+ yards or more in a game this year, but the first running back. The other two have been quarterbacks. Two additional quarterbacks also rushed for more than 100 yards, but after sacks, they didn’t net 100 yards. Johnson is the first Virginia Tech opponent to rush for 200 or more yards in a game since UNC’s Giovanni Bernard ran for 262 yards in 2012.

• The 24-0 deficit it the largest halftime deficit faced by the Hokies since trailing at No. 2 LSU in 2007, 24-0. Tech went on to lose that game 48-7. The largest halftime deficit under head coach Frank Beamer is 28 points, coming in the 1992 Miami game when the Hurricanes led 31-3 and went on to win 43-23.

• The last time Virginia Tech lost three fumbles in a game was in 2006 against North Carolina.

• Marshawn Williams tallied 100 yards rushing for the game, the 100-yard game of his young career. His 21 carries are a new career high.

• Duke Johnson’s 249 yards rushing were a new Lane Stadium record by an opponent, surpassing the 241 yards by Wake Forest’s Josh Harris in 2010. The total is the second-most ever in a game by a Tech opponent, falling short of UNC’s Giovanni Bernard, who had 262 in 2012.

• Miami’s 364 yards rushing are the most ever given up by a Frank Beamer-coached Hokie football team, surpassing the 346 allowed to Georgia Tech in 2010.

• Isaiah Ford caught his fifth touchdown pass late in the game, giving him five for the season. The five scores tie the school record for touchdown receptions in a season by a freshman (Josh Hyman, 2004), who did it as a redshirt freshman. It’s the most touchdown catches for a true freshman in school history and he now has 34 receptions for the year, adding to that freshman record.

• Ford’s touchdown with 1:30 left in the game is the latest the Hokies have scored in their 251-game scoring streak and just the eighth time the Hokies have scored just one time in a game during the streak. It’s also just the fifth time during the streak the Hokies had to go to the fourth quarter to extend the streak, the last coming in the 2012 Russell Athletic Bowl, a game Tech would go on to win in overtime over Rutgers.

— hokiesports.com box score —

 

43 Responses You are logged in as Test

  1. I think the one of the most telling comments is this one: “…defensive tackle Corey Marshall said. “We understand that what was in front of us was a good football team, give them credit, they made plays. It came down to mental errors, and you can’t dig yourself in holes in these situations, in these games, in these moments and expect things to magically turn around, but we’ll get it right” If the players are echoing what the coaches are saying then I fault the coaches, but no way is UM, a 3-loss team coming into this game, with plenty of warts on their own past performances a “good football team” UNLESS we make them look like a good football team which is what happened. If our D didn’t have to spend so much time on the field (due to our pitiful O performance), maybe their two running backs don’t get the yardage they ended up with. I admire the positive attitude of the players “we’ll get it right” but the time for that has long passed.

  2. I’ve been attending VT football games since 1966 (my freshman year). I’ve been a season ticket holder since 1989. I’ve never left a game unless the winner was decided with just minutes left in the contest (whether VT was on top or not). Last night I left at halftime. Couldn’t bear to watch any more. This game was a continuation of the Pitt game, only worse. As previous writers expressed – PAINFUL!

    After all CFB has done for VT football, as both a player and coach, I decided that I personally will never call for CFB to leave under any conditions except his own terms. However, I can’t help but think of the declining final years of great college coaches – Bryant, Paterno and Bowden. If it happened to these guys, it can sure happen to CFB as well.

  3. I’m not sure why Hokies nation is so blind to what they see before them? As long as Beamer remains HC the program will continue to sink. Why? Because he’s fat & happy & he’s not being held accountable. He’s living off the fumes of the glory years & is mailing it in now. With the offensive philosophy he has this program will never get good recruits. How can any state prospect with pro ambitions look at Tech & think this is a place to showcase their talents? We started ascending the same time as Oregon did & look what they’ve become. 3 different head coaches & they just keep getting better. Why? They run an imaginative, high-octane offense that’s influencing the NFL. We run garbage. I was at the ’97 homecoming game when we lost to Temple & this is worse! And please stop all the hand-wringing about what will we do without Beamer. If FSU, PSU & Texas can fiorce out national championship winning coaches then we can force out Beamer. Time to thank Frank for his long service & have him bow out gracefully.

    1. i can’t agree more fully with you. He is fat and happy. You realize he makes 2.5 million a year for this crap we’re watching. That’s $50 K per week or $7 K every day that he wakes up for. I have been following Tech football since 1979 when I was a freshman. Bill Dooley wasn’t a bad coach and we had some good years. I certainly enjoyed the games but now I find us painful to watch. It’s time to get rid of Beamer. Texas did it. Penn State did it. Florida State did it. Why not us. We need a prime time coach not just a fill in assistant coach too. I’m sure Whit is looking into this as we speak. Beamer just looks so dumb and perplexed on the sideline. $10 million 4 year contract that’s ridiculous.

  4. Listening to Loeffler the first thing that resonates is; there is not any fire or charisma in his soul that spills over to the pump up the team. He can barely get excited talking to the media or maybe not at all. He can barely be understood in an interview he speaks to soft and low. Some people speak and it puts you to sleep, while other’s project their thoughts and they rise people to action. He is not a motivational inspiration, whereas listen to Bud, he gets excited and pumped. One last thing: “The offense and defense feed off of one another, and the defense is starving to death! I feel bad for Bud because no matter how good (didn’t last night) the defense plays, the offense sucks. If I were Bud and the defense I would be outraged by the performance of the offensive staff and players.

    1. our defense tends to lose games too. georgia tech this year we let them drive down the field at the end and same with east carolina. our players do jumping jacks and jump up and down and we let them go right down the field for the score. remember cincinnati two years ago same thing. Last night our defense was abysmal. Don’t you dare think Bud is so great. I don’t. He also makes over a half million a year for these performances.

  5. Hindsight is always 20/20 but, why would any AD have hired Loeffler from Auburn after the season they had, before he came To Tech ? After last night, maybe Tech should start Mark Leal as QB, now, he looked pretty good and accurate at the end of the game although the M defense had maybe started using reserves. One of the guys broadcasting the game made the statement on the air something like, ” how could this be the team that beat Ohio State” .
    Why not start using all of the freshmen and let them get experience. Perhaps Tech’s big time new QB should lose the red shirt and start playing now? If he is as great as we have heard, he won’t be at tech for four years anyhow.

    1. Why subject a new QB to the losing? QB4 or 5 can’t fix this. Maybe a really mobile QB could do better, but we don’t have TT on MV waiting in the wings.

      4 AF is a good pocket passer- no pocket. 5 CD is a battering ram- prob a waste of a QB RS bc he would only be useful on wild cat plays.

      1. BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN IN THE PROGRAM 5 YEARS….that’s why. He has paid his dues and if we are out of the race play the man. I value his loyalty.

    2. No AD hires a coordinator, it’s the HC’s hire. This is Frank’s team, program, staff and nightmare of his own doing…

    3. That has been my thinking as well, I just want to second that motion also what happened to McMillian I think that’s how its spelled!

  6. This was the first time this season that we were never in the game. The other losses could have gone either way. Critical mistakes cost us losses against GT and ECU, and we had a chance against Pitt (although they outplayed us). This game was never a contest. And we’re talking about a Miami team that had not won on the road until yesterday and was converting on only 25% of their 3rd downs.
    I am curious what the TV ratings have been for the past 2 Thursday night games. Tech has been playing unwatchable football. In all seriousness, who would watch these games if they weren’t a fan of the teams that were playing?

    1. I’m a fan and I turned it off mid-way through the second quarter… seriously. I’ve never done that before (but I did think about it last week). Last night was just too much… or too little, depending on your perspective.

      1. Did the same and have never ever done that before. Several articles ago the comment was made that Whit is not worried about retaining the Hokie Club members that give $ and go to games no matter the situation …., well for years I have been one of them, but last night I looked my wife in the eye and said this is no longer fun for me. Whit better wake up ….. This product is b a d …. The last two games were unwatchable ….. I was embarassed for VT in General

        1. couldn’t agree more. Beamer looks so perplexed and dumbfounded on the sidelines. That’s what a 4 year $10 million contract will do to you. You read that right – $10million

  7. It looked like men against boys out there last night … a definite talent gap. All this with important recruit targets on the sidelines. Ouch! It feels like we are following the trajectory of the basketball team.
    I certainly can’t blame Coach Beamer or Coach Loeffler for the fumbles, but this feels like a program in decline (except for some exceptional freshman talent). With Coach Beamer at the helm, I don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. What’s worse … I fear that our recruiting targets won”t either. Our football program under CFB has run its course. Tired of watching him suffer on the sidelines. Time to turn the page.

  8. CFB is in denial. As posted previously, he won’t be leaving (on his own) until after the 2016-17 season (gotta play at Bristol). Hopefully, we get one more win (WF) this season. With BC’s running game and mobile QB, I expect another debacle. UVa seems to finally have a D. Sad state of affairs and embarrassing.

  9. I thought the Pitt fiasco was the low point of a disappointiong season, however, VT may have hit bedrock in the Miami game. If so, hopefully they can only improve, be it gradually, from here on out. At least that would be the hope. Can’t even comprehend the thought of another future performance that can be any more disappointing / devastating that this game. Tech is paying the price for too many years of sitting pat with 10 win seasons while letting subpar coaches slowly dismantle the program from within and Coach Beamer has to answer to that.

    I sort of look at it as Tech is only about halfway through this rebuilding program and while we were all hoping for a quicker turn-around, it’s just not ready to happen. The new coaches, dispite what some might say, will definitely make a difference in the long run, but right now they are caught in the middle of trying to balance the old with the new. Better recruiting is a bright spot but injuries and inexperience are taking a major toll. Defensively, the Hokie seem to sliding as well, but I have know doubt that coach Foster will get that back on track. Tech didn’t go this far downhill overnight, so it will be some time yet before we’ll be able to see Hokie football played at the high level we have come to expect. Got to be patient and loyal fans. GO HOKIES

        1. Not at all. The program has been in decline for years. This season is the result. I have no patience to give the coach more time. TIME FOR CHANGE IS NOW!!!!

          1. Fortunately you really do not have a say in the decision. I’m in complete agreement w/ NCNJ. We knew going into the season we were extremely thin on the OL and DL. The OL has been a sore spot for years and hopefully some of the young players in the program and the new recruits can improve the mess we have. At the start of the season, we knew that if we lost Luther Maddy, our DL would be hurting (too bad Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins couldn’t send us a few more boys). I’m not happy w/ the ways things look now, but in no way am I going to pretend to know what the solution is. Coaching changes have done nothing at several schools (Tenn and UF). If CFB didn’t have the passion he has during the game, maybe I’d be more concerned. I appreciate the fact he doesn’t throw people under the bus in press conferences (although he comes off as Pollyanna sometimes). I love the coaching staff changes and expect great things in the next few seasons. I’ll support my university regardless and appreciate the fact we are not constantly in the news for negative issues.

      1. NCNJ Hokie is dreaming. This team is in trouble and it all stems from Beamer and his confused state of affairs.

        1. Denial of what… This team is very thin on the OL and DL positions and we have a lot of work to do. My opinion is that we will see significant improvement in the next couple of seasons. I am as disappointed as anyone about the performance of the team the past few weeks, but I’m not going to stop supporting my university or my team. Feel free to yell and scream all you want and bash other Hokies. You have your opinion and I have mine and we’ll keep it at that. I’m just not one jumps up and down and whines like my 5 year old. My expectation is that things are going to significantly improve in 2015 and 2016 (lord knows we are not going to do worse than last night). Maybe I’m wrong, but I certainly am not going to run around like Chicken Little and call for a massive overhaul before we know how the staff will work out. Frankly, I’m a little down on some of the defensive coaching (although I know Bud is a stud DC) like having Dadi in pass coverage w/ 12 seconds left in the half. Free free to throw in a single line response …. I’ll do it for you…. “THE SKY IS FALLING”

          1. I agree with VT Rockie that time for change is now. Beamer is done and over. He did us well for his time. He is soaking up a 4 year 10 million dollar contract for this crap a .500 record over the past 3 years. We are Va Tech – we shouldn’t lose at home.

      1. Pollack made a smart ass remark about this offense against Virginia’s D. and you know what? He is probably right.

  10. Agonizing, embarrassing, butt whooping, unfocused, poorly coached, indecisive, waste of money, undisciplined, no identity, and poor quality are the adjectives I would to describe this team. Oh yeah I forgot! PAINFUL! What a let down as the Hokie’s digress into mediocrity. I am a loyal fan, but to the point of buying Hokie gear every year, or continue buying season tickets? Maybe not! When buying a product I usually look at two things: “Its usefulness, and its quality. Va. Tech is not putting a quality product on the field, and make me feel thus I am going to have to reconsider my options. Can you tell? I’m disappointed! There is no fire or desire in this team.

  11. Hope I am wrong, but seems maybe Auburn was the real Loeffler and what we have now. Play calling is real head scratcher. No attempts down field? None? Running Williams laterally instead of North/South in first half? Just don’t get it.

    Agree with posts above that Brewer is definitely not the same qback as earlier in season.

    1. Can’t blame Brewer or the OC. Miami played 4 down linemen all night because they knew the VT offensive could be handled against the run. If you have only 4 linemen against the run the other 7 players are obviously playing against the pass. There were very very few openings for the pass. Better to toss it out of bounds (which he did many times). The root problem is still the 500 pound gorilla in the discussion. Offensive line!!!

  12. There has got to be something physically wrong with Brewer. No reasons for the play calling to change from the past two games (nothing down the field) and then immediately when Leal comes into the game. Was there a hit he took early in the UNC game? Is it just a building of injury from no protection? Or, have the coaching staff just lost trust in his ability? Any answer other than poor coaching decisions to throw behind the chains consistently on 3rd down (get rid of the coach) and Brewer should be sat until healthy.

    1. Well, MB may or may not be hurt. However there is a big difference between 6 throwing against the prevent and 12 facing the looks he did last night. Not making excuses, I’m just saying I’m not sure we can truly compare the two performances.

      1. Question was more on play calling than performance. No matter what looks you are getting no OC in the country should be consistently calling plays that start 3 yards or less (even behind!) from the line of scrimmage on 3rd and long plays.

        1. OC should have taken paternity leave this season. The two biggest key elements – QB and OC – have been distracted for weeks. I’m not trying to insult CSL by pointing this out, but he is human, and loves his family. Family first.

  13. Leal was allowed to throw the ball down field and Brewer threw the ball lateral two games in a row. Could it be the coaches have ruined Brewer, now all he is trying to do is not turn the ball over? It is clear Brewer performs best with a fast pace no huddle offense. We have some really good young players that want to win, however we have a dysfunctional offensive coaching staff.

    1. bluetick, in my opinion the coaches did a great job in masking Brewers shortcomings early on. He has a borderline high school caliber arm. As teams have read the book on him cover to cover 5 times now, his accuracy has also gone out the window. Doesn’t help when (surprise surprise), the OL isn’t helping matters either.

        1. Something changed around UNC game. Either they’ve scared Brewer to not take chances or something is physically wrong with him. His passes don’t seem to have any zip on them compared to earlier this season.

          1. It confounds me to read this. If you have time, just watch the 2nd half of the OSU game. I won’t recommend the ECU game again, but you know the result- both his accuracy and power affected by the concussion he sustained at OSU.

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