By Jimmy Robertson
BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech football team spent Sunday turning the page from the Miami game, as it looked ahead to Pittsburgh following Saturday's excruciating one-point loss to the then-No. 9 'Canes at Lane Stadium.
The Hokies led by 11 in the second half, but came up empty on their final five possessions, which allowed Miami to come back for a 25-24 victory. The loss left Tech at 4-4 on the season, with three games remaining – a slate that starts with Saturday's matchup in Pittsburgh. The Hokies have lost five of their past six games in Pittsburgh.
Saturday's game, though, remains in doubt at the moment, as Pittsburgh paused all athletics-related activities on Thursday because of COVID-19. The school hasn't officially announced a resumption of those activities.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Saturday, Nov. 21 – 4 p.m.
Heinz Field; Pittsburgh, Pa.
at Pitt (4-4, 3-4)
Head Coach: Pat Narduzzi (sixth season)
Record at school: 40-33; Career: 40-33 (sixth season)
Series: Tech leads 11-8 Last: Nov. 23, 2019 (W, 28-0)
Live Stats: CLICK HERE
Broadcast: ACCN
Play-by-Play: Chris Cotter
Analyst: Eric Wood
Sideline: Lericia Harris
Radio: Virginia Tech Sports Properties
Play-by-Play: Jon Laaser
Analyst: Mike Burnop
Sideline: Wes McElroy
Virginia Tech Game Notes: CLICK HERE
"I don't know any more than the rest of ya'll when it comes to their status," Tech coach Justin Fuente said during his Monday media session. "I'll tell you this, we deal with uncertainty every day. I took my 30th COVID test today. Hopefully, I get the text message, like I've gotten 29 times before, that says I can keep coming to work. You can imagine all our players and staff that either get a text that's good or a phone call that's bad. So we're all dealing with uncertainty on a daily basis. This thing hasn't gone away. I think our guys have done a great job of handling it.
"We can't approach this week with any different mindset. None of us really know that we'll get to come to work tomorrow. We've gotten good training for uncertainty, but we shouldn't have any change in our preparation. That was one of the things that I brought up to the team yesterday was, 'You guys have got to understand that we'll figure it out when we know, but we can't approach it any other way.'"
Fuente discussed several topics during his 30-minute video news conference, including the pandemic, the play of specific players and positions, Pittsburgh, and more. Here are some takeaways from the session:
• Tech tailback Jalen Holston received rave reviews for his play Saturday after he scored two touchdowns – his first since 2018. Holston ran with power, especially on a 19-yard burst that set up a 1-yard touchdown run, and he also scored on an 8-yard run. He finished with 36 yards rushing on four carries, and according to Fuente, made a difference on special teams, too.
"He's been fantastic on special teams," Fuente said. "He's played really hard, and he's a really smart kid. On the last punt last week, he jumps in the opposite gap, takes up a blocker, and we almost blocked that punt. They turned another guy scot free. It was just a really headsy play by Jalen.
"I guess what I'm getting at is he's played really well on special teams and earned playing time at running back and was effective – and I would anticipate that his role would continue to increase, as we go through the remainder of the season."
• Holston played well on offense for the Hokies, and linebacker Dax Hollifield stood out on defense. Seeing extensive time because of an injury to Alan Tisdale, Hollifield recorded 13 tackles – the most by a Tech player in a game this season. He also added a sack.
"We're asking a lot of him," Fuente said. "He's working at both positions [both mike linebacker and backer], which, as an offensive guy, I'm not sure I quite had enough respect for how difficult that is. There's quite a bit that comes with both of those two spots, and he played with quite a bit of emotion and effort, as you would expect."
•Much was made last week of Fuente's decision to jump in and run the scout team offense, which provides a look at what each opponent's offense likes to do from a schematic perspective. This helps Tech's defense in its preparation. Perhaps not coincidentally, the Hokies played well on defense against Miami, and Fuente plans on continuing his work with the scout team.
"I fell in love with it," he said. "I wish I had done it a long time ago. It was the most fun I've had in nine years of being a head coach. I got to have my own meeting. I got to have my own guys. The kids responded really well, and I just went in there and told them, 'Guys, we haven't done a good enough job in this area, and it's my fault. It's not your fault. It's my fault, so let's go fix it.' We've got great kids over there that love Virginia Tech. They're scholarship guys and non-scholarship guys. I had a lot of fun, and I'm going to continue to do it."
• Speaking of Tech's defense, the Hokies held Miami to 386 yards – tying for the second-fewest allowed by Tech this season. The Hokies also held Miami to just 131 yards rushing, which marks the second-fewest rushing yards allowed by Tech this season.
"We just played better defensively," Fuente said. "We probably played better in all areas of the field, but certainly in the red zone and especially when you're playing a team as explosive as Miami, holding them to field-goal opportunities – they faked one and we stopped them on that, though that might have been outside of the actual red zone, but that was a big play – so yeah, we played a much better game all the way around.
"I thought on third down, particularly from the week before, Miami was in third and much longer than Liberty was the week before. Liberty seemed like it was third-and-3, or third-and-2, or third-and-4, which ultimately led to a first down or to a fourth-and-1 or a fourth-and-2 and a conversion there. All in all, across the board, we played much better. Now, the challenge is we've got to wipe that clean and get ready to go try and do it again."
• Tech's offense finished with a season-low 160 rushing yards, and quarterback Hendon Hooker was sacked six times – the most allowed by the Hokies this season. The numbers begged the question about the offensive line play on Saturday, and Fuente said the group could have played better.
"We didn't play as well as I would have liked," he admitted. "Part of that is their personnel is pretty good. We did make some adjustments that paid off big time early in the second half [the Hokies' first two drives led to a touchdown and a field goal], but when it came down to it overall, it was not as efficient of a performance as we'd like up front, and we'll have a similar challenge [Saturday]. These guys are just as big and just as athletic on the defensive line, but they put more people in the box than Miami."
• Fuente revealed to the media that linebacker Keshon Artis and defensive lineman Zion Debose both had decided to opt out for the remainder of the season because of the pandemic. Artis played in seven games and finished with three tackles, while Debose played in four games and had six tackles and a sack.
"That's a part of what we're dealing with this year and the way things are," Fuente said. "You see it across the country."