Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry took responsibility for a crucial mistake that contributed to the Hokies’ disappointing loss to Vanderbilt. This season was expected to be a statement year for Virginia Tech, with their first four games set against non-conference opponents like Vanderbilt, Marshall, Old Dominion, and Rutgers. Vanderbilt, projected to finish last and with 53 new players on their roster, was seen as a manageable challenge for the Hokies, who had retained much of their talent. However, the game did not go as expected.
Virginia Tech found themselves down 17-3 at halftime but rallied to take a 27-20 lead late in the fourth quarter. The Commodores, however, tied the game and pushed it into overtime, where quarterback Diego Pavia sealed a 34-27 victory with a game-winning touchdown. After the game, Brent Pry, in his third year as head coach, pointed to a crucial error in the third quarter that played a significant role in the loss, despite entering the game as 13.5-point favorites.
During his post-game press conference, Pry addressed a major mistake that occurred in the third quarter, leading to critical points for Vanderbilt. The Hokies had stopped Vanderbilt on the edge of field goal range, forcing a fourth down and causing a delay of game penalty that appeared to take the Commodores out of field goal territory. However, on the subsequent punt, Virginia Tech was penalized for having two players wearing the same jersey number (No. 0) on the field—a significant coaching error. Ali Jennings was back to return the punt because Tucker Holloway was injured, and Jaylin Lane was unable to return the punt, according to Pry. But the problem was that Keli Lawson, who also wears No. 0, was on the field as well. This mistake allowed Vanderbilt to regain five yards and attempt a 53-yard field goal, which kicker Brock Taylor made, extending their lead to 20-10.
Those three points proved crucial, as instead of winning the game 27-24 after Taylor missed a field goal at the end of regulation, the Hokies were forced into overtime, where they ultimately fell short against Pavia and the Vanderbilt offense.
“I put it on me. I should have called timeout. Bad management by me,” Pry admitted. In a close game, every point matters, and those three points were particularly significant. Some penalties are unavoidable, but this one was inexcusable.
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