Opinion: Time to declare the end of Justin Fuente era at Virginia Tech

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Instead, on Oct. 23, 2021, we can pretty much declare the Fuente era over. It’s not official, of course, until the press release comes from Virginia Tech and the buyout money – $10 million if the decision is made before Dec. 16 – is in place. It may take several more weeks, or Virginia Tech may pull the plug soon. We’ll see. 

But with the Hokies falling at home to Syracuse 41-36, the answer is no longer a mystery. Not only did Virginia Tech lose its third consecutive home game to fall to 3-4, but the Hokies blew a 36-27 lead with 5:36 remaining against a team that had lost 10 straight ACC games. 

It happened in a way that has become all too familiar for Hokies fans in late-game situations. After giving up a big kickoff return and failing to mount much defensive resistance as the Orange cut the deficit to 36-34, Virginia Tech played conservatively and punted the ball away with 1:04 left. That was enough for Syracuse to go 70 yards, completing a 45-yard touchdown pass with 19 seconds left to hand Virginia Tech a second come-from-ahead loss this month. Just a few weeks ago, Virginia Tech led Notre Dame 29-21 with 3:55 left and somehow lost in regulation. The Hokies lost a third close one earlier in the year against West Virginia when they had first-and-goal at the 3-yard line with a chance to win and couldn’t score on four plays. 

Virginia Tech No. 1 in this week’s Misery Index, a weekly measurement of knee-jerk reactions based on what each fan base just watched.  

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