Bears Can't Stop the Run, Fall to Va Tech in Double OT, 42-34

BLACKSBURG, VA - A back-and-forth affair at Virginia Tech saw the Bears fall in a heartbreaking 42-34 double OT loss to the 3-5 Hokies in a game that was there for the taking for the 5-3 (2-2) Bears.

“Every call, there's somebody responsible for the quarterback and having undisciplined eyes or not fitting properly in the run defense, your tempo on the run and then the finish, obviously, all those were terrible by us,” head coach Justin Wilcox said after the loss. “So it starts with the me as the head coach, and us as coaches, getting that relayed to the players, and then the players having the focus and the physicality to do it during the game.

“It was some bad football. Just like the start of the game we went three and out on offense two times. We gave them the ball with great field position. We had really poor leverage. I mean, the entire night on defense, we played with really poor leverage. In the run game, we did not get off blocks well, and the tackling, I don't know where to begin with the tackling. It was very, very poor. I think there was maybe a couple individual guys that had had some good tackles. But overall, the tackling was really bad.”

The game was marred by extended periods of no offense and weak defense interspersed with bursts of inspired play. The biggest backbreaker was the Bears near complete inability to contain the running of QB Kyron Drones (132 yards and 2 TDs on the ground) and running back Marcellous Hawkins (161 yards on 21 carries). About the only player who had success on the tackling front was junior MLB Cade Uluave, with 19 tackles, 3 TFL and 2 sacks on the night.

The atmosphere was electric in nearly sold out Lane Stadium with the Hokies streaming into the stadium to their Enter Sandman anthem after three parasailers with flags and fireworks converged on the stadium as the crowd went wild in the Friday night, nationally-televised contest atmosphere.

The Hokies clearly fed off the high energy, stuffing the Bears in their first possession and taking only four plays to light up the scoreboard as QB Drones hit receiver Ayden Greene over a fallen Paco Austin for a 27-yard TD - the Hokies’ longest TD pass of the season - just 3:07 into the game. The Hokies were aided with great field position to start the drive after a meager 34-yard Brook Honore punt started Va Tech off at the Cal 47.

After forcing another 3-and-out possession against the Bears, VT threatened to put the Bears in a big early hole, driving 56-yards to the Cal 29 but the Bears were able to hold, with the Hokies settling for a 46-yard John Love field goal to go up 10-0 with 7:15 remaining in the quarter.

Finally in their third possession of the game, the Bears picked up their first 1^st down with a Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele‍ 11-yard completion to receiver Jacob De Jesus‍, extended another 15 yards on an unnecessary roughness call on the Hokies. The Bears drove to the Tech 15 before a pair of penalties derailed the drive, forcing the Bears to settle for a 38-yard Chase Meyer field goal to bring the score to 10-3 Va Tech with 2:18 left in the quarter.

The Bears forced a 3-and-out on the next possession, taking over with good field position at their 49 after the Grant Veltsistas punt. It didn’t take long for the Bears to get in scoring position as Sagapolutele hit receiver Jordan King for a 38-yard strike up the middle on the second play of the drive, moving the Bears to the Va Tech 12. Two plays later, running back Kendrick Raphael punched it in from the 1 to tie the game after the Meyer PAT 24 seconds into the second quarter.

The Bears moved ahead 13-10 with 9:36 left in the half on another Meyer field goal, this time from 34 yards - his second successive kick after his first converted kick was wiped off the board with a Cal special teams penalty.

Not content to take a narrow lead into the locker room, the Bears forced a punt that was blocked by rusher Cole Boscia and spotted at the VT 20 after a Hokies blocker illegally advanced the ball. 

The Bears twice earned first downs on 3^rd and 4^th down situations as Raphael and De Jesus narrowly picked up the yardage they needed to twice keep the drive going. De Jesus’ grab gave the Bears a first down at the VT 1. Raphael picked up his second TD of the game on the next play.

MLB Cade Uluave was all over the field in the first half, piling up 9 tackles, 3 tackles for loss and 2 sacks in just 30 minutes, with several of his tackles being crucial plays to limit Hokies drives.

The Hokies narrowed the gap on their first possession of the second half, driving to the Cal 35 before settling for a 52-yard Love field goal to bring the score to 20-13, Cal. The Bears narrowly missed giving up a TD on the drive as a Greene TD pass to receiver Isaiah Spencer was overtuned when it was ruled Spencer didn’t maintain possession after hitting the ground.

After stopping the Bears in the next drive, the Hokies struck quickly to tie the game as the Bears’ defense broke down badly on consecutive plays, with running back Marcellous Hawkins finding nothing but green grass after breaking through the line on a big gainer. Only a clutch tackle by Austin limited the run to 34 yards at the Cal 44. The next play, Greene hit a wide-open Takye Heath over a badly trailing Cam Sidney and Jasiah Waggoner for the equalizer after the PAT with 5:06 left in the third quarter.

The Bears were unable to advance past midfield on their next possession and the Hokies took over at their 15 after the Honore punt.

The Hokies got a break on the next drive as Uluave was whistled for a late flag on a roughing the passer call one what was clearly a clean tackle, giving VT a first down at the Tech 42. The next play, Drones again saw nothing but green grass with no one accounting for him, picking up 33 yards to the Cal 25. Two plays later, the damage was limited with Drones throwing an ill-advised ball into double coverage that was intercepted by Sidney in the end zone for a touchback.

A bad snap - one of several by center Tyson Ruffins - ended the Bears’ next drive with a big loss as Sagapolutele fell on the ball at the Cal 23, forcing an Honore punt.

The Hokies took over at their 36 after the punt. Two plays later, Hawkins picked up 24 yards to move VT to the Bears’ 36. Six plays later, Drones picked up another big gain, going around the edge for a 17-yard TD run to give Va Tech a 27-20 lead with 7:11 left in the game.

The Bears weren’t ready to give up the fight, putting together a 9-play, 72-yard TD drive, with Raphael punching it in for his third TD of the night and his 8^th this season to tie the game with 2:34 left. Raphael led the Bears with 73 yards rushing to go with his 3 TDs.

The Hokies had a chance to win the game late but doinked a shot off the upright on a 45-yard Love attempt with 1:12 left in the game.

The Bears came back to move into scoring position for the chance to win, with Sagapolutele hitting TE Mason Mini for 22 yards, moving the ball to the Va Tech 32. The Hokies were whistled for targeting on the play with a clear shot to the soph TE’s head but the review booth inexplicably overturned the call, eventually forcing the Bears into a 49-yard field goal attempt that Meyer pulled wide right to end regulation play after the Hokies’ kneel-down in the last second.

OT started strong for the Bears, with Sagapolutele immediately hitting Mini for a perfectly-timed 25-yard TD pass in the opening possession but the Hokies came back to tie it up on a 17-yard Drones keeper for the easy TD.

The Hokies scored again on their next possession, with Drones hitting receiver Takye Heath for a 7-yard TD, with Drones converting on the 2-point play keeper on the next play.

The Bears had a chance to tie it again and seemed poised to potentially do so after the Hokies were flagged for a targeting call that would’ve put the Bears in the shadow of the goal line, but again, the review booth overruled the call and the Bears were unable to convert a first down or score and fell in the second OT, 42-34.

The Bears enter a tough stretch of the schedule now, facing two of the better teams in the conference in Virginia and Louisville in their next few games, starting with Virginia next Saturday at Memorial Stadium.