BLACKSBURG — Virginia Tech had its Corps of Cadets cheering in the South stands and the ever-growing shirtless bros’ brigade waving their doffed T-shirts late Saturday afternoon as its football team attempted another fourth-quarter comeback victory.
No. 16 Louisville did not flinch, dominating after halftime and keeping its ACC title hopes alive.
Miller Moss passed for 136 yards and a TD, and the combination of All-ACC preseason running back Isaac Brown and backup Keyjuan Brown combined for 224 yards on the ground as the Cardinals scored three touchdowns in the second half while shutting out Virginia Tech during the same stretch on the way to a 28-16 comeback victory of their own.
The loss was the eighth straight for the Hokies against top-20 foes dating back to a 17-10 win over North Carolina in the 2021 season opener. It also leaves Virginia Tech needing consecutive wins over Florida State, Miami and Virginia to become bowl-eligible.
Louisville (7-1, 4-1) won its third straight game since losing in overtime to Virginia on Oct. 4 and is one of six ACC contenders with just one or fewer league loss.
The Hokies (3-6, 2-3) were just the fourth team to hold Louisville to fewer than 30 points, but Virginia Tech had no offensive punch in the second half to help maintain its 16-7 halftime lead, gaining just 99 total yards in the last two quarters, including two completed passes for 19 yards.
Virginia Tech’s 240 yards of total offense marked just the third time the Cardinals had held an opponent to fewer than 300 yards this season.
“In the second half, we never recaptured that momentum we built in the first half,” Virginia Tech coach Philip Montgomery said. “It wasn’t a lack of attitude, it wasn’t the lack of buy-in. … It’s just that’s sometimes how the game works.”
Despite last week’s exciting come-from-behind victory and sunny afternoon in Blacksburg, the announced attendance was barely more than last Friday’s game with Cal, and there was a noticeable number of empty seats in both the auxiliary student section and upper south deck.
Those in attendance were making those unhappy murmurs that had become quite familiar during the first two months of the season. It was happening for good reason as the Hokies opened the game with a lackluster drive.
Louisville running back Isaac Brown then introduced himself to the crowd by singlehandedly putting the Cardinals ahead less than three minutes into the game by orchestrating a two-play scoring drive with runs of 10 and 52 yards.
A second short offensive series for Virginia Tech morphed those murmurs into boos, and the Hokies needed something to get the home fans back onto their side.
Help was on the way in the form of fifth-year cornerback Isaiah Cash. The graduate transfer picked off a Moss pass and returned it to the Louisville 37-yard line.
Drones was much better with his short-field opportunity, completing two passes and rushing for 15 yards, including a 3-yard scoring plunge that evened the score at 7. The Hokies’ defense forced Louisville to punt on the ensuing drive, and then special teams got involved. Tailback P.J. Prioleau zipped into the Cardinals’ backfield on fourth-and-11 from the Louisville 24 and blocked David Chapeau’s punt all the way out of the end zone for a safety, giving Virginia Tech a 9-7 lead with 52 seconds left in the first quarter and reigniting the skeptical stadium.
The Hokies continued to control the momentum in the second quarter, holding Louisville to just 54 yards of offense during the period — 8 fewer than what Brown had on that first drive — while adding another score with Drones capping a 54-yard, eight-play drive with a 5-yard TD pass to Cameron Seldon.
The first-half effort kept most of the 54,030 attendees inside the stadium for the second half to see if the Hokies could withstand Louisville’s second-half adjustments.
Moss, who did not have a completion for more than 8 yards in the first half, was sharper in the third quarter, completing 6 of 7 attempts for 66 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown throw to Caulllin Lacy that cut Virginia Tech’s lead to 16-14 with 9:07 left in the period. Lacy followed that catch with a 63-yard punt return that put the football on the Hokies’ 5. Two plays later, Keyjuan Brown scored to put Louisville up 21-16.
Keyjuan Brown, who only had three carries prior to the start of the fourth quarter, played a significant role down the stretch, becoming the primary back after Isaac Brown suffered a leg injury with a little less than six minutes to play. Keyjuan Brown had 90 of his 94 yards in the last period.
The Hokies have a bye next week and then will be at Florida State on Nov. 15. Their last home game will be on Nov. 22 against the Hurricanes.
