Hokies No Match For No. 13 Louisville In 34-3 Drubbing

By Carter Hill

Editor-In-Chief

November 5, 2023

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Hear that? It’s the sound of reality hitting. 

After a blistering start to conference play with victories over Pitt, Wake Forest and Syracuse, Virginia Tech found itself in a position to compete for a spot in next month’s ACC title game.  

Alas, those hopeful, yet improbable, aspirations quickly came tumbling down in a 34-3 beatdown at the hands of No. 13 Louisville (8-1, 5-1 ACC) inside L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with just 140 yards of total offense demoralizing the Hokies (4-5, 3-2) in the 31-point defeat.

“Obviously, very disappointed,” Tech second-year head coach Brent Pry said. “Not just in the score, but I think we’re a better football team than that. I thought for the majority of the day, they played with the temperament that we need to play with. They played harder. We played with effort, but they just played harder and more determined. More confident. I’ve got to fix that.

“That starts with me.”

Tech was gashed on the ground for 231 yards over the course of the contest, and although Jawhar Jordan was advertised as the standout back, it was Isaac Guerendo that made the most noise with a boastful three touchdowns and 146 yards. 

“We got a lot of pride in run defense and it wasn’t very good today,” Pry said. “I think today was more about being blocked. Not getting off blocks. They were a big, strong team. I thought we were covered up a bunch and we didn’t tackle well, particularly in the perimeter. Balls will get on the second and third level. We’ve got to get them down. And those guys ran through tackles today. 

“We were throwing shoulders, and not getting body-on-body enough.”

Quarterback Kyron Drones went just 12-for-21 with 69 yards throughout the duration of the game. The Baylor transfer was also sacked four times on Saturday afternoon, with three of those coming on the first three possessions for the Hokies’ offense. 

That epitomized Tech’s start, and one that was a complete flip of the script of what’s been on display the past few weeks. 

It even goes back to the first play from scrimmage, where Drones was swallowed up in the backfield for a loss of 10. That set the tone for the rest of the day — the Hokies could move the ball at times, but were immediately pushed back after getting off-schedule.

Eight tackles for loss in addition to the multitude of sacks certainly isn’t a recipe for success, with the collection of errors serving as the driving factor for Tech’s offensive woes all afternoon long that plagued the Hokies the entirety of the day.

“We got behind the sticks too many times,” Pry said. “That’s what they’ve done well. In all the games that they’ve had success, they get minus yardage plays early in the series and everybody’s fighting from behind. That happened to us today.”

By midway through the second quarter, the Cardinals had jolted out to a 14-0 lead. At that point in time, quarterback Jack Plummer was 7-for-7 in the air for 83 yards, Guerendo had already found the end zone once and Jordan had scored on the opening drive from a yard out to draw first blood. 

Louisville had already mustered 213 yards of total offense, and Tech had just garnered 16. 

“You never want to start in a deficit, especially on the road against a good team like that,” cornerback Derrick Canteen said. “They have a good running game, a good defense. So we definitely want to start faster. We definitely want to get things going, try to kill the crowd and get things going in our favor early.”

It took an 11-play, 56-yard drive that was capped off by a John Love 44-yard field goal to get the Hokies on the board as time expired at the end of the half. And even though Tech trailed 14-3 at the halftime intermission, it was probably fortunate to be within two scores.

Though back in the ballgame, it wouldn’t last long. 

Just over five minutes into the half, Plummer connected with Cincinnati transfer Jadon Thompson over the middle of the field for a 37-yard score. The junior receiver’s first touchdown with the Cardinals made it a 21-3 ballgame, and even though still close to 25 minutes of game time remained, it pretty much served as the nail in the coffin with the way the Hokies were moving the ball. 

It’s a tough one for Tech. All chances of a potential trip to the ACC title game have essentially vanished. For the most part, though, it confirms what was already known. 

The Hokies, though making progress, aren’t quite there yet as a program. At 4-5 with three games left in the regular season, the focus now shifts towards two more wins and a potential bowl berth for the first time in the Pry era — a position many figured Tech to be in when the season began. 

“We’ve got to play better than that,” Pry said. “You’ve got to play with an edge each and every snap. You’ve got to practice that way all week. It’s a good measuring stick for us. It’s unfortunate that we had to learn some things that way today.”