Slept On It: Ohio State

I found myself lying awake in bed for hours after Monday night's heartbreaking loss to Ohio State. My mind wouldn't turn off as it searched for an explanation for what I had just witnessed, replaying the highlights and overwhelming lowlights over and over again. It was a painful start to what had looked like a promising season for a team poised to return to its perch atop the ACC.

After one quarter, the Hokies looked like the overmatched team most national pundits expected them to be. By halftime, Tech had silenced the critics and stormed back to hold a slight 17-14 halftime lead after 17 unanswered points to the absolute joy of the Hokie faithful. This was the team we all believed in, the team that we all boisterously defended throughout the offseason as opposing fans dismissed last year's upset of the Buckeyes as nothing more than a fluke. By the final whistle, we all found ourselves absolutely shell-shocked, terrified of how the next eleven games would play out.

What transpired on Monday night was a fascinating dichotomy; a first half illustrating what could have been, followed by a second half of what could be.

After falling behind by two touchdowns early, the Hokie offense settled in and began to illustrate the variety of ways they could attack opponents behind the creativity of offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler. Three long and frustrating years spent waiting for weaponry and an identity looked to be over, and we all began to believe that this Hokies team could pull-off the unthinkable yet again. And then disaster struck.

The injury to Michael Brewer was crippling, forcing back up Brenden Motley into an untenable situation against a ferocious defense. Motley looked uncomfortable passing and the Buckeye defense quickly began stacking the box with eight and nine players, daring Motley to beat them over the top. Despite a late touchdown through the air, the Hokie offense looked like a shell of itself down the stretch. The defense didn't fare much better.

It was amazing how quickly the wind left the sails once Brewer left the game, as though the entire roster was hit with the same amount of despair as the rest of us. After being filled with so much hope, we all walked away overwhelmed by, "what ifs?"

As I laid in bed searching for ways to shut my mind off, I realized the seemingly endless questions were moot. It is human nature for us to look back on tough losses and note that things could have been different if not for a bad call, an unlucky break, or an ill-timed injury. Monday night's loss will be remembered by many Hokies as a winnable game that got away from us after Brewer went down; the collective focus broken along with our quarterback's collarbone.

That type of conjecture is inherent to fandom, arguably its most comforting attribute and its greatest weakness. Our memories will be kind to this game, remembering it more for the injury to Brewer and less for the defensive breakdowns that resulted in big play after big play.

Sure, the team's second quarter performance proved that they could go toe-to-toe with the defending national champions; whether or not the final 25 minutes would have played out the way we all believed they might have will forever remain a mystery.

So how did I stop the revolving debate raging inside my brain that ticked off the pro's and con's of Motley, Chris Durkin and Dwayne Lawson? How did I turn off the visions of Andrew Motuapuaka repeatedly taking himself out of plays? I realized that, much like this team needs to do over the next few days, I needed to move forward.

We spent an entire offseason looking forward to one game, and after a disastrous second half, we're fighting the urge to panic over the remainder of the season. The success of this team was never tied solely to the arm of Michael Brewer. Sure, he was a key member of this group — someone many felt would guide the Hokies over the top. But his loss provides an opportunity for someone else to step up; for someone else to attempt to chart their own path and lead this team.

Despite that gut-wrenching loss, the Hokies still have their uber-talented defensive front four. They still have their lockdown cornerback duo. They still have Ford, Phillips, Hodges and Malleck. They still have a stable of complimentary backs and an improving offensive line.

The anxiety I was feeling over how the rest of this schedule would play out was unhealthy, because in truth, it didn't matter. All that matters to this team is what is next, what is staring them in the face. The next practice snap; the next opportunity to shine; the next opportunity to prove doubters wrong and believers right.