BLACKSBURG – Well, that was somewhat surprising, wasn't it?
Virginia Tech dominated Florida State 24-3 Monday night in the season opener for both squads, getting a couple of big plays on offense, blocking a punt for a touchdown and using a terrific performance from its defense.
Many in Hokie Nation picked the Hokies to win, but they probably never expected their beloved 7.5-point underdogs to win by three touchdowns – in the heat, in the humidity, in the rain and over a program with three national championships. After all, Tech's last win in Tallahassee came in 1974 when the Hokies ran for 410 yards and six touchdowns, including 116 yards and two scores by Roscoe Coles.
For sure, Tech did not look overwhelmed in the environment.
What did the Hokies do right? Well, a lot. What did they do wrong? The coaches probably would give you the same answer. Yet this bunch lived up to its motto – hard, smart, tough – and snapped a six-game losing streak to the Seminoles in Florida's capital.
What did Hokie Nation learn about its squad Monday night? Well, here are some takeaways:
These two #Hokies 🦃 deserved these honors after last night's W!
— Virginia Tech Football (@VT_Football) September 4, 2018
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• Young players played well – Yes, Tech got great performances from established stars like Josh Jackson, Trevon Hill, Ricky Walker and Reggie Floyd, but everyone expected that. The surprise came when Tech's younger players refused to be intimidated.
The Hokies took 14 true freshmen to Tallahassee. They also took a bunch of redshirt freshmen, sophomores and redshirt sophomores who lacked game experience. Yet you never would know it – and the stats bear that out.
Rayshard Ashby and Dylan Rivers, two sophomores, combined for 14 tackles, including two for a loss. New whip Khalil Ladler had a tackle for a loss and a fumble recovery that led to a field goal. Sophomore Bryce Watts finished with six tackles, including one that saved a touchdown. And redshirt freshman Caleb Farley recorded a stat line that included two interceptions and a sack.
It's not that they played and gained experience. They were productive – and the moment wasn't too big for them.
• Tech's secondary strong in opener – Certainly, a great performance by Tech's defensive front helped a young secondary, but give credit to the group of Farley, Watts, Ladler, Divine Deablo and of course, the leader, Floyd. They played well in coverage, as the Seminoles only threw for 233 yards.
Florida State appeared to want to attack the Hokies down the field, but Seminoles quarterback Deondre Francois lacked the time, and when he found time, he saw no one open. FSU finished with just three pass plays of longer than 30 yards, and two of those were actually short passes that wound up being big gains because of missed tackles.
Francois completed 22 of 35 for 233 yards, with three interceptions. Again, a lot of credit to Tech's defensive line, which harassed Francois all night (five sacks). Yet Tech's back end deserves recognition, too. Receivers certainly weren't running free all over the field.
• Too many missed opportunities – Tech's offense made enough plays to win the game, and that deserves recognition, but the Hokies misfired on several chances early in the second half to put the game away much earlier.
On their first possession of the second half, they had a second-and-5 at the FSU 28 before a poor snap resulted in a 14-yard loss, essentially killing the drive. They had a first down at the FSU 40 on their next series, but a sack doomed that drive. Then they couldn't punch it in on fourth-and-goal from the 1 early in the fourth quarter.
Normally, those missed opportunities come back to bite a team. Fortunately, the Hokies' defense stonewalled FSU for much of the game. And hopefully, the offense puts itself in similar situations against William & Mary – and capitalizes.
• Bradburn a real weapon – Few people talk about the punter after a game, but Oscar Bradburn warrants discussion. The Hokies excel at the field position game – keeping opponents backed up, while giving their offense better opportunities – in large part because of Bradburn.
Monday night, the sophomore only averaged 40 yards per punt, but he placed four of his nine punts inside the 20. More importantly, and perhaps unnoticed by many fans, his great hang time on punts prohibited any FSU returns. The Seminoles did not have a single punt return, and thus, no chance to better their field position.
Bradburn's ability to execute served as an unnoticed, but important, part of the Hokies' success against FSU.
Tech returned to Blacksburg and arrived at 4 a.m. following the game. Now it turns its attention to a much less recognized foe, William & Mary.
There is plenty to improve upon before taking on the Tribe. But everyone – players, coaches and fans – feel much better about the potential of this Tech team for this season after watching what transpired in Florida on Monday night.