The Good, Bad, and Ugly from the Hokies 27-7 Loss vs Virginia
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It's the end of an unfortunate era for the Hokies.
A season that was started under Brent Pry has now finished identically to Virginia Tech's first campaign with Pry. A long 3-9 season, with a 2-6 record in the ACC, had some positives. Their victory against the Golden Bears marked the first time the Hokies won a game in overtime since 2019. A season that also ended with Virginia Tech's last loss against its rival, Virginia.
Saturday marked a lot of firsts for Tony Elliott. He finished his first winning season as head coach, he clinched his first ACC Championship berth, and it was Elliott's first win against Virginia Tech. It's a tough pill to swallow for the maroon and orange. Luckily, a new era awaits in Blacksburg.
As fans look forward to a recruiting frenzy for the 2026 season, there are still some things that need to be addressed from the final bout of the Hokies' 2025 season.
The Good: True Freshmen Flashes
Saturday saw the emergence of two young stars for Virginia Tech. The injuries to the Hokies' leading rusher and receiver left increased doubt looming over the game. For Jeffrey Overton and Snook Peterkin, however, this was a golden opportunity to spark some life into the offense.
Overton fought back from a season-ending injury in his senior season at Hayfield High School. His play earned him the Gatorade Football Player of the Year in Virginia for the 2023-24 season. His career is riddled with big plays and traits that build a can't-miss profile. He's flashed over the last three weeks and earned his first start in the absence of Hawkins. There wasn't much offense for the Hokies. They totalled just 197 yards on the day. Every time the ball was given to Overton, however, the spark he provided was evident. He had the longest rushing play of the contest with an early 31-yard burst. His short campaign finishes with 182 total yards and a touchdown in four games.
A name that hasn't been discussed much this season was the Hokies' leading receiver: Snook Peterkin. A dual-threat athlete also listed on Virginia Tech's basketball roster, Peterkin had been active in eight contests but saw little playing time throughout the year. Saturday saw his highest snap count of the season and the longest receiving touchdown of the season for Virginia Tech. His lone 57-yard touchdown grab emphasized some of the talent that has been hiding on the Hokies' depth chart.
First career TD for @ShamariusP ‼️ pic.twitter.com/bJBSSK9x7b
— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) November 30, 2025
Despite the nature of the loss, James Franklin seeing these two freshmen have the two longest plays of the game is certainly an upside.
The Bad: Missed Opportunities
This wasn't out of reach from start to finish for Virginia Tech. They started the worst way possible with an interception on their own side of the field. A quick score from Virginia left the Hokies already in need of a neutralizing drive.
They put together a strong 11-play drive following the touchdown. The lack of passing that would soon plague the game led the Hokies to stall out in John Love's range. Love proceeded to miss his fifth attempt from at least 40 yards. In years past, he was 13-15 from that mark. Both opening drives built the momentum they needed to put points on the board. The drives that followed saw seven straight punts and an interception before the Hokies' lone touchdown on the day.
😤 @MaddoxMarcellu3 gets us off to a fast start.
— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) November 30, 2025
📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/0stQzvRpSq
The Hokies' defense was getting stops when they needed. Virginia isn't a team that's going to be quiet on offense. The lack of rest given from their offense decreased their chance of holding off the Cavaliers. Once the second half was underway, the game got out of hand quickly. The Hokies' offense was one play away from being shut out. Their 20-point loss was Virginia Tech's biggest loss to Virginia since the Cavaliers' 1991 shutout victory. A game filled with miscues and lacking complementary football made this one a forgettable one for the maroon and orange.
The Ugly: The Passing Game
After all the hope that the 2023 season brought, Kyron Drones' time in Blacksburg came to a bitter end on Saturday. Before this season, the last time the Hokies finished with under 80 yards passing was 2021. Drones threw under that mark twice this season. That marked another unfortunate milestone: the first time since 2008 that Virginia Tech has thrown for under 80 yards in multiple games in a season.
Those aren't stats the Hokies needed or expected to have in the Commonwealth Clash. Drones had the worst passer rating and QBR of his career Saturday. In years past, this was more of a get-right game than anything. Pop Watson had what most thought would be a breakout performance last season. He had 302 total yards and two touchdowns with zero turnovers. Flash forward to 2025, and Drones puts up 113 yards and a touchdown with two turnovers. That's not to say Watson could've done better on Saturday. However, when the starting quarterback goes 4/16 on the day, what is keeping the QB2 from getting some reps?
It's not like that expectation is out of left field. This exact scenario played out last week against Miami. Watson didn't light the stat sheet up, but he had almost as many passing yards in one quarter of play as Drones did this weekend. Whether or not it's true, it shows an image of complacency to Hokie fans. It's known that this team will be night and day in 2026. The lack of aggression to upset your state rival and finish a forgettable season with a memory is disheartening.
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Brett Holmes has been covering the Hokies as a Sports Media & Analytics student at the school for the past two years. Alongside writing, he works behind the scenes as a production assistant for Virginia Tech's athletic production organization Hokie Vision. In his free time, he produces his own podcast, Holmes Field Advantage, on his YouTube. You can find him on X @_BrettHolmes
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