The Walking Dead

If there was any doubt that Virginia Tech, particularly its defense, had checked out on a lost 2025 season, Saturday night in Tallahassee removed it. Outside of the running backs, the Hokies mustered zero fight and Florida State ripped out Virginia Tech's heart and played hacky sack with it for three wretched hours. There was no pushback. The normally stout Tech defensive line only generated two hurries and no sacks on Seminoles quarterback Tommy Castellanos. The offense continued to take asinine penalties on first down, causing head coach and play-caller Philip Montgomery to forget that Marcellous Hawkins was averaging 8.4 yards per carry. There were only six catches by wide receivers, most of which happened while I had drifted to sleep while sitting on the couch out of complete boredom. Benji Gosnell, a critical component to the passing game for several seasons, has become a full time blocking back. The body language (outside the two upperclassmen running backs who continue to run with effort and attitude) looks like pallbearers. Nobody is happy, and the effort and attention to detail shows it.

This is the foundation that James Franklin will have to build on. As he said himself at his introductory press conference, "The day I signed the contract to be the head coach at Virginia Tech, they're all my players. That is the current team, and that is the players that we're going to bring in for competition."

Frankly (no pun intended), I don't see the solutions on this roster. Even the young guys who impressed early in the season, played like they had one foot out the door instead of taking advantage of the showcase to win over the next coaching staff.

No Fight on Defense

At this point, it isn't worth the keystrokes needed to dive into the Virginia Tech scheme. The defensive personnel quit on coordinator Sam Siefkes, and with most of the defensive line out of eligibility, a significant rebuild looms for next season. The truth is ugly. The Florida State Seminoles did not punt. For a program whose tradition of success was physical and pressure oriented defense, the Hokies did not force a punt, make a sack, or cause a turnover. Receivers were constantly open, and gang tackling was an endangered species. Even when the Seminoles failed to have a successful play, it was usually a solo tackle. The esprit de corps for the Hokies was gone. And when that one-on-one tackle wasn't made, there were devastating results.