Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 10 No. 3 | January 2018

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the time, and on third-and-8 from the Oklahoma State 11, Jackson led
Kumah just a little too much. Tech went for it on fourth down, and a
poor snap led to a sack.
“The one to [Eric] Kumah in the back of the end zone. He had to
dive. Led him too much on that one. I missed Henri [Murphy] going
into the half. Never really overthrown him before, but I did, so it was
kind of surprising to me,” Jackson said, referring to throws he’d like
to have back. “Just some little ones like the screen that I threw [in
the first half] that was almost picked off. There were some outs [out
patterns]. Just things … I didn’t feel in my groove, I guess.”
Jackson, however, got the Hokies within striking distance on a
5-yard touchdown run with 5:40 remaining that cut the lead to 27-21.
Tech grabbed some momentum and only needed a stop to give itself a
chance to grab the lead.
Yet Oklahoma State answered, getting a big play on third-and-11
from the Tech 49. Justice Hill broke through the Tech defense for a
31-yard gain to the Tech 18, and the Cowboys kicked a field goal to take
a 30-21 lead with 2:34 to go.
That all but sealed things for the Cowboys. Hill’s run was the sixth
and final play of 20-plus yards for Oklahoma State, a cluster of plays
that included a 50-yard pass play that led to a touchdown and a 65-
yard touchdown pass from Mason Rudolph to James Washington.
“We had some opportunities to make some stops, and we didn’t,”
Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster said. “They hit us on a couple
of big plays, and those were key plays. Then the big play in the game,
I felt like, was the long third-down play at the end when we had a
chance to make a stop and we didn’t. We didn’t do some things that,
when it’s all said and done, gave ourselves a better chance.”
Unfortunately, this was one of those games where the Hokies
basically won every statistical category except for the one that
matters—the score. Tech out-gained Oklahoma State (518-488), and
paced by a career-high 124 yards fromDeshawn McClease, out-rushed
the Cowboys (248-137). The Hokies also hogged the ball for more than
38 minutes.
In addition, Tech got great performances from some of its younger
players. McClease led the way, but Phil Patterson—who saw extensive
time because of the absence of Cam Phillips (injury)—caught seven
passes, while Kumah and Hezekiah Grimsley each caught five.
Despite the loss, Tech’s performance overall and the return of several talented young players creates optimism for
spring practice and ultimately next fall. A group of incredible seniors have set the example going forward, a contingent
that includes Phillips, Andrew Motuapuaka, Greg Stroman, Wyatt Teller and Brandon Facyson.
“They have a lot to be proud of,” Fuente said of his 2017 team. “They accomplished a lot during the season. They
won both of our rivalry games, and they won nine football games. Our kids have a lot of pride—a lot of pride in
Virginia Tech, a lot of pride in themselves and this program. We knew we were going to get a great effort from our
kids [tonight].” VBS VT 1-3 page ad_Layout 1 7/21/16 11:52 AM Page 1
CAMPING WORLD BOWL NOTES
• Tech set three program records for a bowl
game in the loss to Oklahoma State in the
Camping World Bowl—first downs (31),
first downs by rushing (18) and total plays
(92).
• Phil Patterson caught a career-high seven
passes for 59 yards. He entered the game
with just two catches for 29 yards on the
season.
• Patterson’s seven catches were just one
short of the program record for a bowl
game.
• Deshawn McClease’s previous career high
both in rushing and carries was 55 yards
on 11 carries against East Carolina. He
ran the ball 18 times against the Cowboys.
• Josh Jackson’s touchdown runs marked
his fifth and sixth rushing touchdowns of
the season, and his touchdown pass to
Eric Kumah was his 20th passing TD.
• Kumah’s touchdown reception marked his
second of the season. He also caught one
in the Hokies’ win over North Carolina.
• Tech’s 18-play drive spanning the first and
second quarters marked its longest drive
of the season, both in terms of plays and
time of possession (10:06). The previous
longest was a 14-play drive in the win over
North Carolina that took 7:04.
• Andrew Motuapuaka closed his career by
starting his final 36 games.
In his first career start,
tailback Deshawn McClease
rushed for a career-high 124
yards in the Hokies’ bowl loss
to Oklahoma State.