Vibes Aren't Enough

I'll freely admit that after Virginia Tech's gritty 23-21 victory over NC State last Saturday, I bought in. I believed Virginia Tech had turned a corner and was ready to play winning football.

Whoops.

The Hokies quite literally handed Wake Forest the win on Saturday, directly contributing to 27 of the Demon Deacons' 30 points. Penalty after penalty, unforced error after unforced error, and missed opportunity after missed opportunity doomed Virginia Tech from start to finish.

Consider these mistakes:

• Facing a collapsing pocket, Kyron Drones "threw" an interception to Wake Forest defensive lineman Dallas Afalava in the opening period. Wake took over deep inside Virginia Tech territory and settled for a field goal.
• On Wake's fourth possession, Ben Bell roughed Robby Ashford on a third-and-8, extending Wake's drive beyond midfield. They scored just four plays later, taking a 10-7 lead.
• Later in the second quarter, facing a third-and-15, a late hit out of bounds on Ashford moved the chains for the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest scored a touchdown three plays later.
• Just before halftime, Virginia Tech faced a third-and-18 deep in their own territory. Drones threw a quick pass to the sideline, stopping the clock. The Hokies punted it back to Wake, who proceeded to score a touchdown just before the clock ran out.
• Midway through the third quarter, Wake's Connor Calvert missed a 29-yard field goal. Predictably, Virginia Tech bailed him out with an illegal formation penalty, and Calvert converted his second chance at the kick.
• Later in the quarter, Virginia Tech intercepted a batted pass and found themselves inside the Wake Forest 5-yard-line. The Hokies were stuffed on multiple runs from the 1-yard-line, and instead of potentially going for it on fourth down, were forced to kick another field goal after Donavon Greene was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.

There are other examples, but each of these directly results in points for Wake Forest, or points off the board for Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech paid dearly for each and every mistake they made on Saturday, with the ultimate price being a loss to a dreadful Wake Forest bunch.

Saturday was a stark reminder that football games are not won with vibes or the power of friendship. Over the last two weeks, Virginia Tech has given its fans a glimpse into a locker room that is seemingly becoming closer and closer. The players are buying in for Philip Montgomery, and the upset win in Raleigh fueled optimism that the 2025 season could in some way be salvaged.

Unfortunately, optimism just isn't enough. Football games are won on the field. Coaches have to prepare their players, and players have to execute in order to win. Virginia Tech was missing both of those on Saturday.

Virginia Tech's road to bowl eligiblity shrunk considerably on Saturday. With a win over Wake, the Hokies would've improved to 3-3 with winnable games remaining on the schedule. Instead, Tech is 2-4 and must finish the season against Florida State, Miami, and Virginia, all of whom are making preliminary travel plans to Charlotte this December.

The Hokies needed to win on Saturday. The Hokies could have and should have won on Saturday, but they didn't. Instead, the same flawed roster that was run off the field by Old Dominion just a couple weeks ago found many ways to lose to one of the worst teams in the ACC.

Things can change. Montgomery might be able to work a little more magic with more time in the driver's seat and get the Hokies to play at a higher level. Sadly, Saturday's loss showed just how much more work remains to be done.

The vibes may be back in Blacksburg, but vibes don't win football games. Coaches and players win football games, and this group has a long way to go before they'll win consistently.