When Virginia Tech defensive end Antwaun Powell-Ryland left the field against Wake Forest last Saturday, he knew he had a high sack total but wasn’t certain he’d gotten to four, unsure if the final play, when he knocked the ball loose from an about-to-throw Mitch Griffis, would be ruled an incomplete pass or not. 

It ended up being a strip sack, giving him four for the game, the first time a Hokie got to four since 1995. The player to do it? His position coach, J.C. Price, who offered praise.

“He was just like, ‘Great job. You did awesome,’” said Powell-Ryland, who earned ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors for his efforts. “He was rooting me on, telling me congratulations.”

Powell-Ryland’s burst at the end, getting to the quarterback three times on the final drive, was a first for his career and precisely why the Hokies brought him in from Florida as a transfer. Tech’s 22 sacks this season are tied for the ACC lead and the seventh-most nationally.

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