15 seconds is all that stood between Virginia Tech and a 9 win, top 25 season. There’d also be an an off-season of optimism plus the added bonus of sending out coaching legend Bud Foster a winner in his final game as DC.
Then it all fell apart against an average Kentucky team, with a one-trick pony of an offense. Kentucky QB Lynn Bowden wasn’t even on the Wildcat QB depth chart to start the season. This wasn’t facing Georgia Tech’s triple option of years past.
Kentucky had to employ a make-shift run offense mid-season.
You knew Kentucky was going to run the ball. They knew they were going to run the ball. Virginia Tech knew it too and still couldn’t stop the Wildcats offense in a 31-30 last second loss.
It was unceremonious way to send out Bud Foster.
Now question marks surround the Virginia Tech program.
Justin Fuente’s first year was a 10 win top 20 season. That remains Fuente’s high-water mark. I think it’s safe to say the Hokies are not better than in Fuente’s first season.
As he enters his fifth year, my podcast partner @Hokiesmash_ASD said it best.
@TalkinACCSports next year is the most important year of the Fuente era – he owns the coaching hires and the players are his now – this is his program and his players are all old enough not to play undisciplined – and it’s all on him now
— Hokie Matthew (@hokiesmash_ASD) December 31, 2019
Justin Fuente seemed like a good bet to return the Hokies to perennial top 25 status when he arrived, but the last two years have been marred with defensive breakdowns, late game collapses, the inability to consistently move the football on offense, and chemistry issues within the team.
There is some hope for 2020 though.
QB Hendon Hooker looks like one of the best returning QB’s in the ACC. If you’re solid at QB that’s half the battle. Despite Tuesday’s result, Virginia Tech still won 8 games. It’s not a stretch to say they’ll be in the thick of the Coastal Division race next season and maybe win 9+ games.
The results better improved for Justin Fuente’s sake.
Fuente wasn’t brought to Blacksburg to lose minor bowl games in year 5 of his tenure.
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1 ping
Hokie Mark says:
December 31, 2019 at 11:21 pm (UTC -4)
It’s not just this bowl loss – it’s the 3rd in a row. And the last bowl win saw the Hokies fall behind (badly) before making adjustments. This tendency to fall behind and have to come back brings into question the ability to gameplan.
I don’t know how much of the defensive problems fall on Fuente. I’m pretty sure Foster was untouchable to some extent, but now Fuente will have both the ability and the responsibility to tell the DC how he wants/needs the defense to play.
2020 should be interesting.