Inside Slant

The Sports Xchange

November 13, 2018 at 9:44 pm.

Hokies running out of time to make bowl

Virginia Tech-Miami sounds like a major ACC battle, with a Coastal Division title, national rankings and a big bowl — or even a spot in the playoff — at stake.

Not this season.

The former Big East foes are a combined 9-10 overall and 5-7 in the conference amid disappointing seasons. For the Hokies, who have lost three in a row, the major push of the season is to extend their streak of 26 consecutive bowl appearances.

Virginia Tech (4-5, 3-3 ACC) finishes the season at home against Miami this Saturday and against Virginia on the day after Thanksgiving. The Hokies had a Week 3 game against East Carolina canceled.

They were manhandled in a 52-22 loss at Pitt last week, allowing an astonishing 492 rushing yards.

“I can point a lot of fingers but, ultimately, they all come pointing to me,” said head coach Justin Fuente. “And that’s the bottom line. I don’t know what you want me to say. Pitt out-played us. Obviously, that comes back to me. That’s all I’m going to say. That’s all I can say about that.

“We’ve got good kids, kids that want to compete. I don’t know if they know how to compete right now on a consistent basis. We’ve got to roll our sleeves up. We’ve got two big-time games coming up.

Miami (5-5, 2-4) is also trying to keep its head above water in a season in which it started No. 8 in the AP poll. The Hurricanes, plagued by poor quarterback play, among other things, have lost four consecutive games, including 27-21 at Georgia Tech last week.

Injuries are certainly part of the story for Virginia Tech, which lost quarterback Josh Jackson in late September and had to start patching holes on defense back in the summer, when junior college transfer cornerback Jeremy Webb suffered a torn Achilles. Also, cornerback Adonis Alexander declared for the NFL supplemental draft and defensive back Mook Reynolds was dismissed from the team.

“I do think that it is a good example of the toll that can be enacted on your team,” Fuente said of Tech’s defense.

“…We’ve lost a few guys, I don’t know if it’s more or less than a normal year, but it’s something all teams have to deal with and battle through. It’s when you combine that with some of the other things we’ve had to deal with, it puts a pretty big strain on you.”

Virginia Tech, which has only six seniors, has lost three consecutive home games. The program hasn’t lost four in a row in Blacksburg since the 1992 season.

Another thing to watch: The possibility for Virginia Tech to find a replacement 12th game on Dec. 1, especially if the team still needs bowl eligibility.

“We’ve got interest in all of the scenarios,” Fuente said.

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