Final Grades: Pittsburgh

The Hokies have come back down after their lofty No. 13 ranking prior to Saturday's 35-17 loss at previously winless Pittsburgh. Having seen replays and thought it over, here's publisher Jason Stamm's exam of the Hokies' loss:

Junior quarterback

The ground game's lack of production against Georgia Tech was a warning sign. Redshirt freshman

Of the four areas of offense, this one was the best, but that's not saying a lot. Davis looked good on his touchdown run and should have had another if Thomas' first half pass to him would have been on target. Senior

The line took a big hit when junior guard

Junior defensive end

Because of the holes open through the defensive line, linebackers

It didn't help when junior cornerback

The one bright spot for the Hokies as sophomore

It's hard to tell how much of the blame goes to the coaches. They can't control Thomas' miss-throws, the running backs inability to run or even the number of missed tackles and assignments. But there weren't any playcalls that stood out as getting the Hokies in the game, minus the route by Davis that Thomas missed. But Virginia Tech's coaches couldn't find the answer on either side of the ball to try to climb back into the game.

Yes, it was an NFL stadium, but Heinz Field was about two-thirds full. The Hokies turnout wasn't that great either, given the driving distance. Of course, Virginia Tech fans didn't have a ton to cheer about, but the overall crowd could have done a bit better.