Tech’s 20-17 loss featured a battle of lightning-quick quarterbacks, but was fueled by good, old-fashioned smash-mouth aggression. With a combined 477 yards rushing, both teams had turns cramming the ball down each other’s throats. However, the difference between a moral victory and a real victory for Tech was turnovers and special-teams play.
For the third straight game, Tech gave up the ball multiple times with quarterback Josh Nesbitt losing the ball twice on a fumble and an interception, the latter leading to the Hokies go-ahead field goal. They also had an extra point blocked.
The Yellow Jackets showed success in the first half, moving the ball early, but were marred by an additional fumble by Jonathan Dwyer on one drive and settled for a Scott Blair field goal on another. However, Paul Johnson finally got a spark from the passing game with Nesbitt hitting a wide-open Roddy Jones for a 41-yard touchdown pass. The pass came after numerous running plays and caught the Hokie defenders completely off guard.
The Tech offense lost a little steam when Dwyer, (10 carries, 28 yards), injured his hip and missed most of the second half. Tech’s last flashes of brilliance came on a nine-play, 81-yard drive that Nesbitt capped with an 18-yard touchdown.
The Yellow Jacket defense was solid most of the game but couldn’t hold the combination of Tyrod Taylor and Darren Evans. While Taylor electrified the crowd by dancing around defenders on the way to a 15-carry, 74-yard performance, Evans ran defenders over. Nearly half of his 94 yards came in a decisive drive in which the Hokies drove down to Tech’s 4-yard line before Dustin Keys kicked a 21-yard go-ahead field goal.
After that, Paul Johnson made a questionable move on fourth and seven on Tech’s own 32 with 2:10 remaining in the game. Rather than punting, he decided to go for it and Nesbitt was left with no one to throw to and nowhere to go. The question of why he didn’t turn the game over to his defense will surely come up, especially when you consider that the defense held the Hokies on the next possession. The Yellow Jackets were left with 25 seconds remaining.
Sure, they would have had more time if Tech had punted, but there are many what-ifs in a game in which Tech was solid on offense and defense but was betrayed by turnovers and worn down by the Hokies running game.
Crosskey can be reached at jcrosskey@scoreatl.com.
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