So many missed opportunities. So many questionable coaching decisions. So many failures to execute in clutch situations. The atmosphere was once again raucous, and a few of the Hokies gutted it out and did more than their part. But it wasn’t enough, and a chance to notch a memorable win slipped by. With injuries piling up to key personnel, the rest of the season is starting to look shaky.

In this narrow, nearly-last-second loss to one of Notre Dame’s less-than-impressive teams, a few Hokies acquitted themselves well. John Parker Romo rose to the occasion. Raheem Blackshear looked like a difference maker. Jermaine Waller reminded us why he will join Caleb Farley in the NFL next year.

But it just wound up being a bitter defeat. When Virginia Tech went three-and-out with the score tied at 29, taking just 26 seconds off the clock and leaving Notre Dame 1:56 to go for the winning score, I folded my arms and watched the rest in silence from section 9. I knew what was coming. And I’m not usually like that.

A Good Start for Virginia Tech

The day started out well enough. A week-long forecast for rain turned into just cloud cover with no precipitation, and sure enough, the rain held off and the Stripe Lane Effect came to fruition, as opposed to what our friend Clark Ruhland called a “Skittles Effect” of what would have been a sea of ponchos.

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