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Aug 31, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies quarterback Kyron Drones (1) passes the ball against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Five Big Takeaways from Virginia Tech's loss to South Carolina

Originally posted on Virginia Tech Hokies on SI
By Luke Hubbard | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 8:18 PM ET

The Virginia Tech Hokies opened their 2025 season against the No. 13 South Carolina Gamecocks. Things didn't look great out of the gates with the Gamecocks marching down the field and easily scoring a touchdown, but the Hokies fought back and made it a 10-8 game at the half.

Neither team could score in the third, but South Carolina broke the second half seal with a punt return touchdown early in the fourth to go up 17-8. The Hokies quickly got three back, but Sellers delivered the dagger with a 64-yard strike to Nyck Harbor with under eight minutes left in the game.

Here were my takeaways from Sunday's loss.

1. Hokies are resilient

After watching LaNorris Sellers and South Carolina's offense march down the field with ease on their opening drive and the Hokies go three-and-out right after, I thought this game was over. It looked like the Gamecocks were just going to roll the Hokies, but they did a great job of being resilient and fighting back.

After the Gamecocks' touchdown, Tech's defense forced two punts and a safety on South Carolina's next three possessions. The Gamecocks totaled just 16 yards on those drives, and they made Sellers and Co. look lost out there.

The offense also did a pretty good job of responding after their first drive. They only put three points on the board on their next three drives, but they got to the red zone twice and would've had an 8-7 lead if it weren't for a bad decision from Kyron Drones, which resulted in an interception.

They could've been better and arguably should've had at least a touchdown lead after their field goal drive at the beginning of the second, but I was still very encouraged by how they responded to a poor start on both sides of the ball.

2. Hokies' DL was a massive reason Tech only trailed by two at halftime

Coming into the season, I expected Virginia Tech's defensive line to be one of the strengths of their defense, and they proved me right today. They got pushed around on the opening drive, but responded a couple of drives later by sacking Sellers in the end zone for a safety after Drones' interception. They were also able to get after Sellers again in the first half when Elhadj Fall blew up the Gamecocks' guard and got a big sack.

In the run game, I thought they looked pretty good as well. In the first half, South Carolina ran it 20 times for 96 yards, but 53 of those came on two runs. Take those out of the equation and they gave up 43 yards on 18 attempts, or 2.38 yards per rush.

The team as a whole played solid football, but it was the defensive line that kept them in this game in the first half.

3. Ayden Greene and Donavon Greene are 1A and 1B

After Virginia Tech lost its top four receivers from last season, they went out and added a lot of receivers in the portal, but it was Ayden Greene, who caught 19 passes for the Hokies a year ago, who many thought would be WR1. His play on Sunday backed that thought up, but another Greene could be just as effective.

In the first half, Ayden Greene was Drones' favorite target. He caught three passes for 52 yards and nearly connected with Drones for a massive touchdown at the end of the half. His counterpart, Donavon, was a big play machine, catching three passes for 94 yards, including an incredible catch while being held, through the first three quarters. This duo combined for eight catches and 165 yards in today's game.

Outside of the two Greenes, nobody else really made an impact in the pass game (except Isaiah Spencer, who made an incredible catch). Going forward, Ayden and Donavon will be 1A and 1B for Drones.

4. Kyron Drones looked shaky

Kyron Drones had a particularly poor first half. He was under pressure a lot from South Carolina's defensive line, but still was only able to complete 8 of his 19 attempts for 124 yards and an interception in the first half. His INT came in the red zone and cost the Hokies three points. He was all off target on quite a few throws, most notably on a third down wheel route to his running back, who was wide open, which cost them a chance at more points.

The second half was a little better, but Drones still didn't look completely comfortable. Again, a lot of it was due to the fact that he was under pressure a lot, but if it weren't for a few incredible catches, his stat line would've looked a lot worse than it did.

5. John Love will keep Tech in games this year

In college, it's so hard to find a reliable kicker, but Tech has one of the best in the business in John Love. The offense continued to stall in South Carolina territory, but Love was able to keep the Hokies in this game with his leg.

Love drilled a 29, 39 and 56-yard field goal in this game. Last year, he was 16-for-18 on field goals, including 3-for-4 from 50+ yards, and it looks like he's in for another big year. If he keeps kicking like this, he'll keep the Hokies in a lot of games when their offense is struggling.