Monday huddle: Hokies a bit lackluster, despite a win over Richmond

Hokies hope the extra rest will help before Notre Dame comes to town Oct. 9

Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuentes stands on the sideline in the second half of an NCAA college football game against Middle Tennessee, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, in Blacksburg Va. (AP Photo/Matt Gentry) (Matt Gentry, Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Huddle up! Here’s a look back at this weekend on the gridiron, with three key takeaways from the state’s football scene.


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Hokies survive, but not impressive in a win over an FCS opponent.

Virginia Tech certainly shouldn’t apologize for a 3-1 start to the season, but the past two weeks have produced some troubling signs.

After suffering their first loss of the season at West Virginia on Sept. 18, the Hokies seemed to have a big letdown at home against FCS opponent Richmond on Saturday.

Virginia Tech struggled throughout, even though it managed to pull out a 21-10 win.

Richmond outrushed Virginia Tech, 160-106, had only four fewer first downs in the game and possessed the football for more than six minutes longer than the Hokies.

It’s definitely a credit to Richmond for an inspiring performance, but the Hokies are starting to lose some luster after a season-opening win over North Carolina.

The good news is that Virginia Tech has some time to regroup, being off this week before its next big home game of the season, a matchup with No. 9 Notre Dame on Oct. 9.

VMI set to battle for the Silver Shako trophy.

Virginia Military Institute took care of business in its conference opener on Saturday, earning a 31-23 win over Wofford to move to 1-0 in Southern Conference play. Now, the Keydets will gear up one of their signature games of the year, one which they’ve started to reverse an ugly history in.

VMI on Saturday will play at The Citadel in the “Military Classic of the South,” where the winner gets the Silver Shako Trophy.

VMI will try and make it three in a row in the rivalry for the first time since the 1950s, when it won seven in a row.

Before winning the last two games, VMI lost the previous 12 years to The Citadel, so the Keydets hope to continue to reverse the course of history in the rivalry.

Washington Football Team’s defensive problems continue in a loss.

There wasn’t much concern about the Washington Football Team’s defense going into the year, especially since the squad had what many regarded as the best defensive line in the NFL.

Three games into the season, that tone has changed dramatically.

The Washington Football Team’s defense was torched again in a 43-21 loss at Buffalo, with Bills quarterback Josh Allen throwing for five touchdown passes and being sacked just once.

Through three games, the defense is allowing more tahn 400 yards per game.


About the Author:

Keith is a member of Graham Media Group's Digital Content Team, which produces content for all the company's news websites.