This weekend, Justin Fuente and the Virginia Tech football team, faced off against the third team in the nation, the Clemson University Tigers, in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. The Hokies weren’t supposed to be in this position, being only a year removed from the retirement of legendary Virginia Tech coach, Frank Beamer. Beamer had been at Virginia Tech since 1987, and his replacement, Justin Fuente, has done a pretty good job in his own right.
The game vs Clemson was a back and forth affair. Every time Clemson tried to put Tech away, the Hokies dug deep and responded, bringing the game within seven points late in the fourth quarter. On a night where the Tech offense recorded 386 yards of total offense, mistakes costed the Hokies a chance to shock the college football world. Despite throwing for 284 yards and three total touchdowns (one through the air, two more on the ground), Virginia Tech quarterback Jerod Evans, couldn’t keep the ball away from the Clemson defense, throwing two interceptions in the game. Likewise, the Hokies defense couldn’t stop the Tigers rushing attack, as Clemson averaged 4.4 yards per carry, a much better average than the Hokies’ 2.9 yards per carry.
Virginia Tech did not win this game, but that doesn’t mean that it was a failure. The Hokies are a young team, and playing under a first year head coach. Fuente was hired for the future, and if this season is any indication for the upcoming years, the Virginia Tech faithful have a lot to be excited. The Hokies will play the University of Arkansas Razorbacks on December 29th in the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina.
(Video highlights provided by ESPN. Photos provided by Charlotte Observer)
