Camping World Bowl: Hokies defense solid, but missed opportunities costly in loss to Oklahoma State

Control the clock with the running game and limit the touches by the highest-scoring Power 5 offense. That was the path to victory for No. 22 Virginia Tech against No. 19 Oklahoma State in Thursday's Camping World Bowl.

Only holding the ball for nearly 17 minutes longer didn't matter, as Mason Rudolph and the Cowboys still had more firepower than the short-handed Hokies could muster, winning 30-21.

Here are three takeaways from Virginia Tech's loss, which ended their season at 9-4.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Josh Jackson was without two of hits most dangerous weapons, wide receiver Cam Phillips (sports hernia surgery) and running back Travon McMillian has decided to transfer and didn't play.

The QB was still a respectable 22 of 41 passing for 248 yards, a touchdown an an interception without them, but it wasn't the missing pieces that hurt the Hokies. It was the missed opportunities.

Set up for 1st-and-goal at the Oklahoma State 1-yard line in the second quarter, Jackson fumbled away the handoff, a turnover that resulted in a Cowboys field goal. Then on the second play of the third quarter, with the Hokies down 27-14 and siting at the Cowboys' 11, Jackson was sacked on 4th-and-8, a 14-play, 48-yard drive wasted.

Virginia Tech had two more drives go 40 or more yards end without points in the final 2:59. The first ended on a Jackson interception with the Hokies at the Cowboys' 29, then they went 55 yards before turning the ball over when Jackson threw an incompletion on 4th-and-9 at Oklahoma State's 27.

Averaging 352.5 yards against ranked opponents this season, the Hokies outgained the Cowboys 518-492, but left empty handed, largely due to that inability to cash in.

Three times this season, Rudolph and the Oklahoma State offense -- which came in averaging 46.3 points per game -- was held to 40 points or less and it resulted in losses to TCU (41-33) and Kansas State (45-40).

From that end, what Bud Foster's defense did against this group was impressive.

To be fair, the Hokies couldn't contain running back Justice Hill, who had 120 yards and a TD on 23 carries and Biletnikoff Award winner James Washington caught five balls for 126 yards and a score. But Rudolph's 351 passing yards were his fewest since West Virginia limited him to 216 and only one other Power 5 team, Texas held him to fewer yards (282).

It was an inevitability that the Cowboys offense was going to have its breakthroughs. The defense's job was to do just enough to give the offense a chance.

While the Hokies couldn't make the most of those chances, the same can't be said for the Cowboys. Virginia Tech came in 16th in FBS, allowing 4.85 yards per play; Oklahoma State got to them for 9.46 yards a touch.

Miami finally made its move to the top of the ACC Coastal Division this season, but this Virginia Tech team is positioned to make that look like the Hurricanes were simply serving as placeholders.

Coach Justin Fuente could return as many as 14 starters next season, led by Jackson -- who finished with 2,991 yards and 26 total TDs -- deep threats in Sean Savoy and Eric Kumah and four backs who had 60 or more carries.

If linebacker Tremaine Edmunds puts off the NFL for a year, the defense could have seven players back from a group that entered Thursday fifth in points allowed (13.5).

And the Hokies will be tested from the get-go, facing a Florida State team that is poised for a rebound under new coach Willie Taggart, in the season opener.

Follow Cory McCartney on Twitter @coryjmccartney and Facebook. His books, 'Tales from the Atlanta Braves Dugout: A Collection of the Greatest Braves Stories Ever Told,' and 'The Heisman Trophy: The Story of an American Icon and Its Winners.' are now available.