Slept On It: Duke

On Saturday afternoon I found myself yelling at the television a lot. At times it was directed at the officials, either for frustratingly not reviewing critical missed calls — Isaiah Ford's acrobatic recovery en route to an easy touchdown, for example — to their repeated use of replay on plays that were pretty cut-and-dry.

Other times it was the players that caught my ire, bouncing back-and-forth between the secondary's inability to cover the wheel route and ill-timed, badly missed blocks from the offensive line.

Predictably, the coaching staff had their moments too. I still don't understand the logic behind bringing in Brenden Motley for a play here and a play there, especially when the offense appeared to be in rhythm. Maybe Shane and Lefty grabbed a couple of beers on Friday night and talked shop.

If the game had played out differently, we would still be questioning the hairbrained deuce that occurred late in the third quarter; not only did Frank decide to go for two to cut the deficit to 3 points using his backup quarterback, but he immediately followed it up with a quasi-onside kick that was poorly and illegally executed.

And while the defense had some stellar moments, their early third down ineptitude dug the Hokies an early hole and they struggled to the last second defending deep throws down the sideline.

All-in-all, it sounds like it was a pretty miserable game to watch. Right?

My father isn't a Hokie and was never much of a college football fan — he went to college in upstate New York on the Canadian border, where all it does is snow and hockey rules the collegiate calendar.

He began following the Hokies when I enrolled at Tech in the fall of 2002, watching as many games as he could from my parents' home in Vermont. I still love talking to him about the games, hearing the thoughts and impressions of someone who largely exists outside of the Blacksburg bubble.

I remember talking to him after leaving Lane Stadium following the Hokies' incredible comeback win against Nebraska in 2009, spending more time listening to his jubilation than sharing my experiences in the stands. After Tech's opening loss to the Buckeyes this season, my dad and I texted late into the night, which he capped off by calling Urban Meyer and his $5 million salary "low-class."

Over the years, he had truly come to embody what it means to be a Hokies fan. But if there's one thing I've always respected about my father, the sports fan, it's that he was always quick to temporarily set aside the outcome and acknowledge a great game.

Against Duke, the Hokies had their fair share of misses and ultimately lost in gut-wrenching fashion. But damnit was that a great football game.

In his first start since breaking his collarbone against Ohio State, Michael Brewer continued to deliver solid throws despite taking repeated shots from an aggressive Duke defense. He displayed good touch on the move, threw some absolute darts to his receivers, and stepped up when his team needed him most.

Redshirt freshman tailback Travon McMillian continued to answer the call, rushing 29 times for 145 yards and two scores. As the game wore on and he looked visibly tired, he kept grinding out yards to keep the sticks moving.

And receivers Isaiah Ford and Bucky Hodges battled against a tough secondary to push the Hokies to the brink of an upset win. While Ford found ways to haul in big catch after big catch, Bucky was able to fight off some drops to haul in two huge touchdowns late.

Against the No. 23 Blue Devils, the Hokies played an inspired game. They fought back, they showed energy and emotion, and they imposed their will on offense when it mattered most.

The 20 play, 95-yard drive late in the third quarter was one of the scrappiest drives I've seen from the Hokies in years. The 12 play, 83-yard drive in the waning minutes of the game, which ended in a Hodges' touchdown on 4th-and-2, and a game-tying two-point conversion by McMillian, brought a huge smile to my face.

Suddenly, I had forgotten about last week's demoralizing loss in Miami. I remembered how much fun it can be to watch Tech play, believing in them rather than waiting for the inevitable moment when they shoot themselves in the foot.

That moment eventually came on the Blue Devils' first offensive snap of the fourth overtime, immediately after Tech took a 43-37 lead. Thomas Sirk's touch pass found an open Erich Schneider, who burned Chuck Clark on yet another wheel route to tie the game. When Sirk battled his way over the goal line on the two-point conversion to end the game, I was overcome by sadness.

After enduring an up-and-down month punctuated by repeated defensive busts resulting in big plays, my emotional reaction to the Duke loss was likely a confluence of feelings. The team I loved was 3-5 and firmly seated in the ACC basement alongside our loathsome rival. The coach I admired is surely a goner in the next few weeks. But worst of all, a game that had so many things break in favor of the Hokies still finished in a loss.

There's no such thing as a "good" loss — they all hurt, some more so than others. In the midst of a season filled with losses that have elicited utter rage from the fan base, Saturday's defeat was different. Virginia Tech played a solid game; not a great game, but a solid one. They battled like a team with their backs against a wall. In the end, it wasn't enough.

We may look back on this loss as the proverbial nail in the coffin for Frank Beamer's storied career. Regardless, there's no denying it was one hell of a game.