Enter Night: Keeping Up With the Hokies!

Beyond the world of high school sports is arguably the biggest event in the Blacksburg community right now: the Virginia Tech Football 2024 season. This is a crucial part of Blacksburg life right around the Fall every year. About every other Saturday, 65,000 fans pack Lane Stadium to cheer on the Hokies. They sponsor a variety of organizations throughout the entire community to help businesses and raise funds. Fans can always look forward to the various activities and events prior to kickoff, like jumping in the bouncy houses of Hokie Village and watching the marching band parade through Beamer Way. “I love going around to all of the events and tailgates before the games and meeting up with my friends and new people,” said Trini Ferreira. Personally, I don’t think you can consider yourself a proper Blacksburgian until you’ve been to a Tech Football game!

In terms of performance, the Hokies could be more successful compared to previous years. With a current standing of 4-3, we aren’t failing, but we’re definitely not gobbling up other teams either. With an unfortunate season opener against Vanderbilt, where we were a favorite, this season was not off to a great start. However, an exciting first home game against Marshall predictably raised everyone’s spirits. Then, of course, came disappointing consecutive losses against Rutgers and Miami, which was one of the most upsetting and controversial outcomes in Hokie history. 

At the very end of the 4th quarter, a second on the clock in the game hosted by Miami, Quarterback Kyron Drones made an unsteady pass to Da’Quan Felton which was ruled as a touchdown on the scene, putting the score at 40-38. This could definitely be argued as a bad call but nevertheless, the ruling on the field cannot be reversed unless they have 100% indisputable evidence. After almost 10 minutes of review, that is exactly what they did, leaving thousands of Hokie fans in disbelief as the win was snatched right from their grasp. Calls to investigate the refs, revisit the calling, and complain to the NCAA all made the night one of the most controversial ever seen before. Head Coach Brent Pry added that the refs used words like “interpretation” to justify this reversal, which to him didn’t “align with indisputable,” he said in an interview by Sports Illustrated. However, the team is committed to looking towards the future and not dwelling on this disappointing past. Allegedly, the Coach forbade any talk of the game’s outcome at the next practice. This would definitely be the right choice considering the satisfying win at Stanford and last night against Boston College. 

As our home game standing is currently 2-1, what makes Lane Stadium so crucial to our success? Most fans attribute the energy, volume, spirit, and altogether sense of community to why these games feel so special. “I always yell as much as I can at these games, and they are such a big part of what makes Blacksburg home,” said Abigail Gresham, who has gone to every home game this year. Fans have much more to pay attention to than just the game, with fun Hokie Vision games and challenges, as well as activities and concessions down in the concourse. 

The Thursday Night Football game was one of the greatest, especially with the night game energy that just can’t be replicated. The 3rd quarter had many fans regretting their celebration in the first half, trying to convince themselves that jinxing isn’t a real thing. However, we pulled it back through in the 4th quarter, and fans can remember the vibrant fireworks and screaming Hokies throughout the stadium. Everyone can look forward to the next home game against Georgia Tech on Saturday, October 26, at noon. We hope to see as many people there as possible, be sure to check out Seat Geek or Tech Sideline for any extra seats, and come support the Hokies!

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Written and Photography by Audra Kowalik