VIRGINIA TECH FOOTBALL BLACKSBURG — It's a mentality the Virginia Tech defense has displayed against opposing offenses several times this season. The Hokies will "get a foot on their neck [and not] take it off," according to sophomore cornerback Dante Lovett, and the eventual pressure won't "even give them no hope." No.
19 Clemson at Virginia Tech ACC Football 3:30 p.m. Saturday; TV: ESPN Tech utilized that approach in wins over Marshall, Old Dominion, Stanford and Georgia Tech.
The Hokies were wobbly for a bit against Boston College before the suffocating defense took over in the fourth quarter. Tech's foot slipped off Syracuse's neck last weekend. The Orange were given a needed breath.
It was just what the hosts needed to rally, score a late touchdown to force overtime and then secure a walk-off victory. Sound familiar? It should, because it happened three other times this season. "I feel like we let up a little bit and it just gave them hope to keep pushing down the field," Lovett said.
"You just keep giving them little by little and they took advantage of their opportunities." Vanderbilt, Rutgers, Miami and Syracuse took advantage of the slightest of openings with drives that resulted in points after the two-minute timeout in the fourth quarter. All four drives looked different, but they had the same result with the Hokies' defense being unable to get off the field and preserve the lead.
Vanderbilt and Rutgers used big plays for quick-strike drives that lasted less than.