NORFOLK — Virginia Tech finally took care of business on a trip to the 757.
The Hokies put away Old Dominion 37-17 at S.B. Ballard Stadium on Saturday night, their first victory in three tries in Norfolk.
Kyron Drones ran for 117 yards and Bhayshul Tuten 115, with the quarterback/running back duo combining for three touchdowns as Virginia Tech (2-1) finally started to look a bit like the team many hoped it’d be in the preseason.
The Hokies out-scored the Monarchs (0-3) 23-7 after halftime, busting open a game that was just a four-point Tech lead at the break.
Tech hounded ODU’s backup quarterbacks all night. Starter Grant Wilson couldn’t go due to injury, handing the reins to freshmen Colton Joseph and Quinn Henicle. The Hokies rattled them for five sacks, four coming from Antwaun Powell-Ryland, which tied a single-game school record held by him, J.C. Price, Bruce Smith and Morgan Roane.
The Monarchs only threw for 46 yards on 6-of-14 passing.
The Hokies, meanwhile, got their ground game in gear, running for a season-high 289 yards, with 202 of them coming after halftime.
Virginia Tech started the game as well as it could have, marching down the field in seven plays and hitting paydirt with a 76-yard drive.
The Hokies dialed up some trickery, with right tackle Parker Clements lining up out wide where the receivers typically are. He stepped back off the line after the snap and started waving his arms, almost doing jumping jacks.
ODU seemed confused, letting slot receiver Jaylin Lane go straight up the field uncovered for a 25-yard touchdown catch just three minutes in to make it 7-0.
Tech went straight down the field again on its second drive. Drones lost the handle on a snap but recovered the fumble, rolled away from pressure and dumped it off to Lane, who rumbled 46 yards, with a late-hit penalty tacked on. Lane had 106 yards in just the first quarter, his most in any game with the Hokies
Tech tush-pushed Drones over the goal line on fourth-and-1 to take a 14-0 lead with 5:50 left in the first quarter. It was the first time since the 2021 Syracuse game Tech scored touchdowns on its first two drives.
ODU got on the board when Henicle pulled the ball on a read play and out-sped the Hokies’ defense 65 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-7.
Virginia Tech could have gone up by 10 but John Love missed a 33-yard field goal after ODU’s Ricardo Williams Jr. busted up the middle and got a piece of it.
The Monarchs came right back, getting a 48-yard run by former Tech running back Bryce Duke to set up a 28-yard field goal by Ethan Sanchez to get ODU within 14-10 with 5:14 left in the half.
Drones took matters into his own hands to start the second half, breaking free on a 53-yard run and bulldozing two ODU defenders down the field, putting Dywan Griffin and Will Jones II on their butts. Tech couldn’t punch it in, though, settling for a 21-yard Love field goal to make it 17-10.
Powell-Ryland continued to be a one-man wrecking crew on the next drive, getting sacks on back-to-back plays. On the second, he knocked the ball loose from Henicle, giving the Hokies possession at the ODU 18. That set up another Love field goal, this one from 32 yards, to give Tech a 20-10 lead.
The Hokies out-gained the Monarchs 114-0 in the third quarter.
Tuten gave Tech some breathing room with a 16-yard touchdown run up the gut on a third-down run to make it 27-10 at the start of the fourth quarter.
After a Mansoor Delane interception, Tuten found the end zone again on a 22-yard run, upping the margin to 34-10.
Love’s third field goal of the night, a 41-yarder, made it 37-10 with 5:08 to play.
Tariq Sims scored on a 16-yard run late against the Hokies’ backups to make it 37-17.
Box Score: Virginia Tech 37, ODU 17
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Hey, the Hokies are making strides! They played 3 quarters instead of half-way!
ODU “fans” looked just like empty seats to me. 0-3 will really get after you *sniff
Think Rutgers is gonna run the ball – and run it some more – and some more.
In any case – a win is a win. Just ask FSU!
Morgan Roane? Man, that’s a trip down memory lane!
😂
I’m glad we got through this. I don’t think this performance is going to be good enough against better teams. One thing that stood out to me that is hopeful is that our starting left guard (Xavier Chaplin) exited the game and whoever was wearing the #79 jersey without a name did a good enough job. ODU’s last score came against from what I could tell was our second or third string defense. Our second string offense was okay, there were a lot of VERY young guys out there. IDK. I’m not convinced yet. I’m always grateful for the dub and for breaking what was seemingly a curse. I like the idea of turning the page, but I think there is a lot to learn from this page and we need to study it.
Chaplin is a tackle. We cannot afford injuries to our tackles. Johnny Garrett wears #79.
🎶Turn out the lights, the party’s over
Did anyone else notice that Vanderbilt lost to Georgia State?
What’s our upside for Tyler Bowen? Is it worth preserving?