Virginia Tech (11)... 3 14 7 3 - 27 Georgia Tech......... 3 0 0 0 - 3 Scoring Summary: 1st Quarter 09:07 GT - Bell 24 yd FG 01:27 VT - Dunlevy 28 yd FG 2nd Quarter 13:52 VT - Glennon 2 yd run (Dunlevy) 05:30 VT - Harper 40 yd pass from Glennon (Dunlevy) 3rd Quarter 04:22 VT - Morgan 71 yd pass from Glennon (Dunlevy) 4th Quarter 12:44 VT - Dunlevy 28 yd FG
Atlanta, GA — After answering questions all week about whether or not they could recover from the Boston College loss, the Hokies answered the question on Thursday night. They could, and they did. Virginia Tech got a strong game from quarterback Sean Glennon, and dominated Georgia Tech 27-3 in Atlanta. The Hokies improved to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the ACC, and control their own destiny in the Coastal Division.
The coaching staff had a decision to make regarding which quarterback to play against Georgia Tech, and evidently they made the right one. Sean Glennon finished the game 22-of-32 for 296 yards and two touchdowns. He did not turn the ball over, and he also had a rushing touchdown on a quarterback sneak.
Over the past three games, Glennon is 53-of-78 for 703 yards, with five touchdowns and no interceptions. That’s a 67.9% completion percentage and an average of 234.3 yards per game, good for a quarterback rating of 164.81. That would rank … get ready for this … third in the entire nation if stretched out for the entire season. As it stands with his stats from the entire season, he’s 24th nationally, which is a very good mark.
Tech’s receivers also stepped up in a big way. Josh Morgan had six catches for 103 yards, including a 71 yard touchdown pass in the second half. Justin Harper had four catches for 77 yards and a touchdown, while Josh Hyman added four receptions for 27 yards. Eddie Royal had two catches for 45 yards before leaving the game with a calf injury.
The Hokies’ running game also took a major step forward. Tech ran for 185 yards as a team, their highest team total of the season. Branden Ore finished with 86 yards on 19 carries, a 4.5 yards per carry average. Jahre Cheeseman added 84 yards on six carries in garbage time, including a run for 70 yards.
The Virginia Tech offense finished the game with 481 yards of total offense against a Georgia Tech defense that entered the game allowing just 287.88 yards per game. That ranked #1 in the ACC and #7 nationally, but the Yellow Jackets were dominated by the Hokies on Thursday night. The 481 yards surrendered by the Jackets were the second highest total of the year by a GT opponent. (Boston College had 527 yards against Georgia Tech on September 15.)
As usual, Bud Foster’s defense was tremendous. They limited Georgia Tech to just 271 yards of total offense and picked off five passes. Quarterback Taylor Bennett entered the game having thrown just three interceptions all year, but he tossed four to the Hokies. Backup Josh Nesbitt also threw an interception.
Macho Harris led the Hokies with two interceptions, while Cam Martin, Kam Chancellor and Brandon Flowers also had picks. Brett Warren led the team with eight tackles, and he also added a tackle for loss and a sack.
Recap
This game didn’t look good for Virginia Tech in the early going. Taylor Bennett completed a 37 yard pass to the Virginia Tech 38 on the Yellow Jackets’ first drive. Although GT didn’t score, they got ahead in the field position battle. The Hokies’ next drive ended in a punt from their own six yard line.
Georgia Tech got the ball on the Hokies’ 49 to start their next drive. Bennett was hot yet again, hooking up with Johnson for two more passing plays that totaled 37 yards. Although the Yellow Jackets didn’t score a touchdown, they did manage a 24 yard field goal from Travis Bell to go up 3-0 with 9:07 left in the first quarter.
Little did they know, Georgia Tech would not have the ball again until early in the second quarter.
After GT’s field goal, the Hokies had an impressive drive for a field goal of their own. The drive lasted 16 plays and covered 64 yards. It took 7:20 off the clock, and VT looked like a well-oiled offensive machine. Virginia Tech converted three third downs on the drive, one on a Sean Glennon rush, one on a Glennon pass, and another on a run by Branden Ore.
The Hokies had to settle for a 28 yard field goal by Jud Dunlevy to tie the score at 3-3 with 1:27 left in the quarter. That set up a play that had to surprise every single Virginia Tech fan watching the game.
On the ensuing kickoff, Virginia Tech went with an onsides kick. Jud Dunlevy’s kick was very short, rolling just past the required 10 yards. It was Dunlevy himself that fell on the ball as other Hokies screened off Georgia Tech players. The play worked exactly as designed, and the VT offense was back on the field at their own 41.
Sean Glennon didn’t waste any time, hooking up with Eddie Royal for a 34 yard gain on the first play of the drive. Two plays later he hit Josh Morgan for a 13 yard gain to the Georgia Tech 11. After two Branden Ore runs took the ball to the 2, Sean Glennon snuck it in from there. The extra point put Virginia Tech up 10-3 with 13:52 left in the second quarter.
Virginia Tech’s two straight possessions totaled 10:14. Georgia Tech’s offense could do nothing but stand on the sidelines and watch. The Hokies ended up owning time of possession for the game by a whopping count of 37:25 to 22:35.
The Yellow Jacket offense stayed on the field for just five plays on their next possession. Taylor Bennett attempted a deep pass down the right sideline, but Macho Harris made a diving interception at the Virginia Tech 21 to deny the Jackets.
The Hokies were forced to punt on their next possession, but Georgia Tech’s offense struggled again on their next drive. This time they stayed on the field for just four plays, and it ended when Cam Martin picked off Bennett and returned the interception to the Georgia Tech 40.
Virginia Tech capitalized quickly. Sean Glennon dropped back on the first play of the drive and found a wide open Justin Harper on a slant pattern over the middle. Harper turned on the jets and took it all the way untouched for a 40 yard touchdown. Dunlevy’s extra point made the score 17-3 Hokies with 5:30 left in the second quarter.
Virginia Tech had a chance to score again late in the second quarter. The Hokies moved the ball from their own 28 to the Georgia Tech 25, but were stopped and had to settle for a field goal attempt. Georgia Tech defensive end Michael Johnson, who is a towering 6-7, barely got a piece of the ball as it went over the line, and the attempt was no good. The Hokies led 17-3 at halftime.
The early part of the third quarter was uneventful, with neither offense able to accomplish much. However, the Hokies put the nail in coffin late in the quarter. Facing third and 15 from their own 29, VT went for the long ball.
Glennon put it up deep for Josh Morgan down the right sideline, and the senior receiver beat good coverage and went up to make the catch. As the Georgia Tech defender fell down, Morgan sprinted to the end zone for the 71 yard touchdown, and the Hokies led 24-7 with 4:22 left in the third quarter.
The Hokies later added a 28 yard field goal from Jud Dunlevy with 12:44 left in the game. The field goal was set up by a Brandon Flowers interception, and VT’s offense moved the ball 45 yards to get into field goal range.
Virginia Tech threatened to score late in the game on the strength of a 70-yard run by Jahre Cheeseman that took the ball deep into GT territory, but the clock ran out after the Hokies had moved the ball inside Georgia Tech’s 5 yard line.
The Hokies return to action on Saturday, November 10 when they face the Florida State Seminoles in Lane Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30, and the game will be televised regionally by ABC.
STATISTICS
VT GT
---- ----
First downs 20 13
Rushed-yards 46-185 26-105
Passing yards 296 166
Sacked-yards lost 6-25 2-23
Return yards 23 115
Passes 22-33-0 12-29-5
Punts 7-47.1 6-42.5
Fumbles-lost 2-1 1-1
Penalties-yards 5-35 4-29
Time of possession 37:25 22:35
Att: 52,202
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING-VT, Ore 19-86, Cheeseman 6-84,
Lewis 6-13, Hyman 1-6, Jefferson 1-(-1),
Glennon 13-(-3). GT, Dwyer 10-68, Nesbitt 4-32
Evans 6-9, TEAM 1-(-1), Bennett 5-(-3).
PASSING-VT, Glennon 22-32-296.
GT, Bennett 11-26-157-4, Nesbitt 1-3-9-1.
RECEIVING-Virginia Tech, Morgan 6-103,
Harper 4-77, Hyman 4-27, Royal 2-45, Smith 2-22
Boone 2-14, Weatherford 2-8. GT, Johnson 7-136
Cox 3-21, Earls 1-9, Evans 1-0.
Tech Sideline is Presented By: