Virginia Tech Football: 5 Mistakes That Cost Hokies Against Clemson

Virginia Tech knew it was facing a red-hot Clemson team in a critical ACC tilt on Saturday night.

The result?

An offense as cold as the winds blowing through Blacksburg, giving the Hokies a weary defense and an 0-1 ACC mark to begin conference play.

Overall, the performance against Clemson spotlighted a regressing offense and a self-defeating special teams squad. Despite winning the time of possession battle, the Hokies were plagued with predictable play-calling, turnovers and crucial penalties.    

The defense put forth a valiant effort, keeping an otherwise outmatched Virginia Tech team within striking distance. In fact, there were a few plays that, had the Hokies executed properly, would have altered the result.

However, the Hokies stumbled at critical moments and lost to a better Clemson team. 

Here are the five back-breaking plays that ultimately cost the Hokies. 

Logan Thomas Intercepted by Xavier Brewer

The scene in Blacksburg was electric following a quick stop by the Tech defense.

David Wilson and the Hokies drove the offense down the field to the Clemson 41 and appeared on their way to giving the Hokies an early lead.

Then, an old nemesis reared its ugly head: dropped passes.

Logan Thomas threw a quick slant over the middle to Jarrett Boykin, which would have netted a first down.

The pass slipped through Boykin's hands, landing in the arms of Clemson defender Xavier Brewer.

Not only was the mistake a drive-killer, but it sucked the momentum right out of the Lane Stadium crowd.

Against a talented Clemson team, the Hokies needed to score first and build the confidence of Logan Thomas.

The interception ensured that neither would happen and foreshadowed things to come for Virginia Tech's offense.

  

Fumble by David Wilson Leads to First Clemson Score

The lone bright spot for the Virginia Tech offense on the night was David Wilson. Wilson ran for 123 yards on 20 carries. 

However, even No. 4 was not immune to costly mistakes on Saturday.

Midway through the opening quarter, Wilson coughed up the football, handing possession back to Clemson at midfield. Again, the Hokies were driving, completing two first downs prior to the turnover.

Unlike the interception, Clemson was able to turn the fumble into three points, giving them the early lead. More importantly, the offensive staff lost confidence in Wilson, giving more carries to the less explosive Josh Oglesby.

Once Wilson appeared human, the rest of the offense lost faith in its execution and ability to hit the big play. 

First and Goal at Clemson's 2-Yard Line

Following a Jayron Hosley interception, Virginia Tech drove the ball down inside Clemson's 5-yard line.  

With 1st-and-goal at the 5, the Hokies called two run plays to move the ball inside the 2-yard line. 

Prior to third down, Clemson called a timeout, giving both teams a chance to draw up the right call.

The timeout proved useless for the Hokies after a painful ensuing false-start penalty backed Tech up to the 7-yard line.

The long down and distance forced an incomplete pass, leading to a Cody Journell field goal.

The goal-line stand by the Tigers halted Virginia Tech's hopes for the lead. Had the false-start penalty not been committed, Tech's play-calling scenarios would have been multi-dimensional.

As it were, a crucial penalty again crushed Tech's chances for a touchdown.

The field goal proved to be the last points of the game for the Hokies. 

Clemson Converts on 3rd-and-Long

After Virginia Tech got on the board, Clemson quickly moved the ball to the 35-yard line of the Hokies.

Facing a 3rd-and-long, Clemson teetered on the edge of field-goal range.

A stop for Virginia Tech would bring momentum back on their side.

However, freshman sensation Sammy Watkins made an appearance in a big way, catching a 23-yard pass from Tajh Boyd to move the ball inside the 15-yard line.

Clemson would go on to punch the ball in for a touchdown, cementing a 10-3 lead that would last into halftime.

Long third-down conversions are confidence boosters for offenses, especially on the road.

They are equally back-breaking for a defense, and this one led to the eventual game-winning score for the Tigers. 

Dwayne Allen Gets Behind the Defense to Secure Victory

Despite all of the aforementioned mistakes and missed opportunities, Virginia Tech was still hanging around early in the third quarter.

Down 10-3 and punting, the Hokies still had a chance.

Four plays later, they were done.

Following a Scott Demler 11-yard punt, Clemson reeled off a three-play touchdown drive culminating in a 32-yard pass from Tajh Boyd to Allen to dash Virginia Tech's hopes for a comeback.

At this point, the Virginia Tech defense was well aware of the offense's ineptitude.

They became overly aggressive and got burned on a bootleg pass from Boyd to Allen.

With no passing game or deep threat for the Hokies, Clemson would go on to cement the victory at Lane Stadium 23-3.  

The majority of the game-changing moments took place in the first half.

Virginia Tech did not execute at key moments and were humiliated by a talented Clemson squad. Down the road—especially with a young quarterback—the Hokies will need to limit mistakes at crucial times to have more success.