Strong Start Yields To Grim Finish In Hokies' 24-17 Loss To Marshall
Carter Hill
Co-Editor-In-Chief
September 23, 2023
Kyron Drones' two touchdowns on the ground weren't enough for the Hokies to get past Marshall. (Virginia Tech Athletics)
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. — Searching, seeking and in desperation mode for a big-time victory to kickstart what was primed to be a promising second season with Brent Pry at the helm, Virginia Tech got just that.
Leading Marshall 7-0 after the opening drive after Kyron Drones’ 31-yard dash to the end zone on the ground, Tech looked poised for success.
A Keli Lawson interception on the ensuing drive continued to signal towards exactly that, and that a complete performance was well on its way. Alas, how quickly the tides turned.
Capitalizing off of nine crucial penalties, and gashing the Hokies (1-3) for 214 yards on the ground, the Thundering Herd (3-0) were in full control the rest of the way, taking down Virginia Tech by a final score of 24-17 inside Joan C. Edwards Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
“We weren’t consistent enough across the board to be a pretty good football team,” Pry said postgame. “Our margin of error is razor thin. We can’t make the mistakes. We can’t have costly things at the wrong time. We’re just not the type of team to overcome that. We got to be smarter as coaches and we got to be smarter as players.
“We’ve got to play more consistent.”
The lack of consistency certainly can be tied to Tech’s inability to stop the run. Marshall back Rasheen Ali torched the Hokies on the ground with his 174-yard performance in the seven-point win. The 2023 All-Sun Belt First-Teamer found the end zone twice over the course of the contest, and nearly housed another on a 61-yard dash.
“We’ve got some issues just controlling the run game,” Pry said. “I think that’s our goal right now, to get to a better place where we can manage our run defense. The explosive runs are what's killing us. We’ve got to make people drive the field, and you’ve got to keep the ball in front and inside. … Just too much of that.
“It makes it too easy on teams when they can garner the big explosive plays in the run game.”
At times, Tech’s offense was fierce, producing explosive plays of its own and rushing for 184 yards on the ground. And although quarterback Kyron Drones looked sharp in his second career start, his 108-yard performance on the ground and 19-for-35, 160-yard showing in the air proved not to be enough, with the offense as a whole shifting into a lull in the second and third periods of play.
The Hokies went empty on six straight possessions between the middle two frames, with the Thundering Herd forcing five consecutive punts and a turnover to help them extend their lead to two scores over that period of time.
“I think it’s just about staying on schedule on the sticks,” tight end Benji Gosnell said. “Not getting behind schedule as far as second and third down goes, converting on third downs, stupid penalties sometimes, poor execution. … We just have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot.”
Pry agreed.
“We got stymied,” Pry said. “I thought we moved the ball. We were spreading the field, making them run sideline-to-sideline a little bit. We had a couple of dropped balls. We had a couple of passes I think Kyron would like back, but they made a couple of plays.
“We got it going again in the fourth quarter. But it’s like I said, we’ve got to be more consistent.”
Though trailing 17-10 coming out of the halftime intermission, the Hokies still found themselves in a position to strike. A Marshall three-and-out to start the half on its first offensive possession showed a sign of both promise and possibility when the outlook seemed grim and bleak.
Tech was able to move the chains once on the ensuing drive, but was forced to punt almost immediately following. After Peter Moore pinned the Herd at their own two-yard line, an opportunity awaited. Not only to flip the field, but to change the direction of where momentum was headed.
Turns out, the Hokies’ defense was unable to hold. After Ethan Payne slithered out of tackle in his own end zone to avoid a safety-securing tackle, Marshall was faced with a third-and-five at its own six. Targeting Caleb McMillan deep downfield, quarterback Cam Fancher got the flag he sought, with cornerback Dorian Strong charged with pass interference.
Detrimental.
After it appeared Tech had gotten off the field, not only did the drive continue, but Ali proceeded to take off for 61 yards on the very next play, and four plays later, the Herd were in the end zone once again to make it 24-10. A game-changer, and a deflating 98-yard drive.
With Drones’ ability on the ground, the Hokies stuck around. After the Baylor transfer scored with his legs from 16 yards out, Tech’s defense got the stop it needed. The Hokies got the ball back, and had to orchestrate a game-tying drive.
Tech moved quickly into Marshall territory, but after it was set up with a fourth-and-one and the Herd 31, that’s where the lack of consistency showed up once again. Offensive lineman Bob Schick got off to an early start on the play, and was whistled for the five-yard penalty.
On the fourth-and-six, the Hokies couldn't convert, and were forced to stare reality straight in the face.
Tech continues to search for answers. A 1-3 non-conference slate is far from ideal, and with ACC play looming on the horizon, the sense of urgency quickly comes into play.
“We’re just falling short in areas at different times in the game,” Pry said. “We have to do things better, the guys understand that. They see it. We’re very transparent with the players about where we’re at. There’s in-game conversations, but then on Sunday, the conversation’s about where we can get better and how we do that.
“We have to do a good job as coaches identifying that, and they have the do a good job taking it and putting it into action.”