Virginia Tech Football: 10 Things We Learned from the Hokies Loss to Miami

For Virginia Tech and its fans, this one was certainly not pretty. 

Though Virginia Tech was the slight favorite heading into the contest on the road, the Miami Hurricanes led from start to finish en route to a 30-12 victory.

The Hokies had no problem moving the ball, but turnovers were the difference once again in another disappointing loss for Frank Beamer and crew.

Here are 10 things we learned about in Thursday night's ACC showdown.

This Is Not the Special Teams Fans Are Used to

Virginia Tech has been known for special teams ever since Frank Beamer arrived on campus decades ago.

This year, that has not necessarily been the case, and that was on full display Thursday night.

Virginia Tech not only had a punt blocked, but also allowed Duke Johnson to return a kickoff 81 yards. Couple that with a missed field goal by Cody Journell and it was not a good day.

While kick returner Demetri Knowles did have some good returns, the special teams unit was a downfall for the Hokies.

Duke Johnson Is a Man

Duke Johnson is only a true freshman, but viewers would not have known that watching him dominate the Hokies.

Johnson had 217 all-purpose yards, including an 81-yard kickoff return that helped to change the complexion of the game.

He rushed for 99 yards and a score on 12 carries to go along with two receptions on the night.

Logan Thomas Has Accuracy Issues

This might not come as a huge surprise, but Logan Thomas has some serious accuracy issues.

The junior quarterback threw two more interceptions, giving him 12 in his last seven games. He also fumbled a snap near the goal-line.

Thomas was constantly under-throwing receivers and finished 19-of-37 for only 199 yards. He especially struggled in the second half, only passing for 77 yards after half.

Time of Possession Does Not Really Matter

Virginia Tech dominated time of possession from start to finish, and that did not matter one bit.

The Hokies had the ball for nearly 35 minutes, including close to 13 minutes in the first quarter. Most thought Miami would wear down by the end and the Hokies would exploit the young defense, but time of possession was all for naught in this one for the road side.

Who Needs Third-Down Conversions?

Miami did not convert a third down until midway through the fourth quarter, and were 1-of-12 overall on the night.

The third-down conversion Miami did make was a huge pass down the field after Morris avoided the pressure and stepped up in the pocket.

Such poor conversion rates usually spell defeat, but, like time of possession, Miami overcame the ominous stat on its way to a victory.

Turnovers Are a Good Way to Lose a Game

When a team is outgained by over 70 yards, severely loses the time-of-possession battle, converts only one third down and still manages to win by 18 points, there could only be one reason for that: turnovers.

Even though Miami struggled to move the ball, particularly in the second half, the Hurricanes did not turn the ball over.

Miami, meanwhile, forced three Virginia Tech turnovers—two of them in the red zone—and that was the difference.

Virginia Tech Is Awful on the Road

Despite the sparse and undaunting Sun Life Stadium crowd, Virginia Tech could not overcome their road woes and fell to 0-5 in games away from Blacksburg this season.

The Hokies have been outscored 178-104 in the five losses, and unless they can upset Florida State in their next contest, Va Teach is going to have to win one on the road to become bowl eligible.

The Young Miami Defense Is Improving

Earlier in the season, Miami had one of the worst defenses in the country, but the group is starting to come into its own.

The unit has allowed just 21 points a game over its last three contests against the likes of North Carolina, Florida State and Virginia Tech.

Expect the defense to continue to improve and be one of the best in the conference next season.

Clock Management Can Be a Game Changer

The turning point of the game might have been near the end of the first half. It appeared Frank Beamer called timeout before the officials measured for a first down.

There were 30 seconds remaining and after the officials measured they started rolling the clock, much to the chagrin of Beamer.

That ended up costing the Hokies, as they went to the locker room with one timeout in their pocket and only enough time to kick a field goal.

The timeout that never happened proved to be very costly to Virginia Tech.

Efficieny Counts

Miami proved in this latest win that it does not matter how many plays a team runs, but what they do with those plays.

Even though Virginia Tech ran nearly 25 more plays, Miami got much more out of their opportunities.

The Hurricanes were very efficient, particularly in the first half of the game, and averaged 6.3 yards a pass and 5.6 yards a rush.

The Hokies, on the other hand, only averaged 5.4 yards a pass and 4.9 yards a rush.

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