timeout negates game-winning touchdown in hokies loss

Jackson Didlake

November 7, 2020

BLACKSBURG, Va. - After the exhilaration of believing it had won on a last second field goal block touchdown, Virginia Tech lost 38-35 to No. 25 Liberty due to the Hokies calling a timeout ahead of the play.

“That was pretty crushing,” Hokies head coach Justin Fuente said. “It’s on me.”

“I’ll never get over it. I wish I had never called a timeout,” Fuente said. “I don’t believe in waiting last second to call a timeout in those situations. I hollered timeout. I guess I waited too long. That’s what I told the team. That’s on me.”

Virginia Tech (4-3, 4-2) appeared to complete the comeback against No. 25 Liberty (7-0) after Jermaine Waller returned a 59-yard field goal try back for a touchdown as time expired. But the Hokies called a timeout before the play.

“I saw the block and I was thinking the game was over,” Hokies quarterback Hendon Hooker said. “It’s a tough one.”

The loss capped off a disappointing day for the Hokies, who were without star running back Khalil Herbert. Herbert injured his hamstring on a kickoff return. Fuente said after the contest that the injury had been “bothering him for a while.” The Hokies leading receiver, tight end James Mitchell, did not play in the contest.

The tough break at the end of regulation was only one of many for the Hokies, with another coming toward the end of the first half. The Flames were driving deep in Hokies territory before Malik Willis was strip sacked by Jaylen Griffin and Chamarri Conner picked it up and appeared to be taking it back for six, but the play was called dead. The Hokies did gain possession after review but had to settle for a field goal as time expired in the half.

Without Herbert, most of the carries came from Hendon Hooker. Hooker passed for 217 yards and three touchdowns and added 156 yards and a score on the ground. Despite not having Herbert, Raheem Blackshear only recorded nine carries for 33 yards. Through the air, Tre Turner had a nice day with 90 yards and scored his first touchdown of the season.

The Flames also relied on their quarterback in the rushing game, with Malik Willis rushing for 128 yards and a score to go with 217 yards and three touchdowns passes. Hokies safety Divine Deablo offered some praise for Willis, calling him a “big time player.”

“I see why we recruited him back in high school,” Deablo said. The Hokies recruited the three-star quarterback before he decided to commit to Auburn.

Joshua Mack also played an important role on the ground for Liberty, rushing for 90 yards. Through the air, CJ Yarbrough led the way with 65 yards and a score.

The Flames started off hot, scoring on their opening drive after Willis found Yarbrough for a 32-yard touchdown. The Hokies scored later in the quarter off a 41-yard Brian Johnson field goal before the Flames started the second quarter with a 2-yard Jerome Jackson touchdown reception to go up 14-3.

Virginia Tech had plenty of struggles early in the contest but were able to rebound in the final 10 minutes of the first half. Hooker found Nick Gallo for a 3-yard touchdown before rushing for a 12-yard touchdown less than five minutes later. Johnson added a 18-yard field goal as time expired in the half to put the Hokies up 20-14 at the break.

Liberty scored the only points of the third quarter on a 19-yard Willis rush. The Hokies needed to make a splash in the fourth quarterback down one and forced a punt. Tayvion Robinson muffed the punt, though, and on the ensuing play, Willis found Johnny Huntley for a five-yard score to go up 28-20.

With less than six minutes remaining, the Hokies answered when Hooker found Kaleb Smith for a nine-yard touchdown. Raheem Blackshear caught a pass to get the two-point conversion and tie the game.

The Flames got the ball back and killed 4:05. They had a chance to kill the clock and attempt a late field goal, but the Hokies let them score in order to have a chance to get the ball back, according to Fuente.

The Hokies weren’t done yet, though, and drove down the field in 49 seconds before Hooker found Turner to knot up the game at 35 each.

Tech left too much time on the clock, however. The Flames had enough time to drive down and let Alex Barbir hit a 51-yard field goal after the Hokies blocked field goal recovery touchdown was called back for a timeout.

The Flames improve to 7-0 on the season as the hype continues to expand about head coach Hugh Freeze. The victory was Liberty’s second of the season against an ACC opponent after defeating Syracuse 38-21 back on Oct. 21. The road ahead for the Flames still has some challenges, facing NC State in two weeks and having a chance to play their first ranked opponent on Nov. 5 if No. 15 Coastal Carolina can continue to strive.

The Hokies fall to 4-3 and have lost 3 of 5 since starting the season 2-0. The road ahead is tough for Virginia Tech coming up, including games against No. 11 Miami next Saturday and No. 1 Clemson in three weeks.