Tech Triumphs in the Trenches, Win on the Road at Old Dominion

Virginia Tech get their first ever win in S.B. Ballard Stadium as they storm to 2-1 with a 37-17 victory.

The cursed ODU-VT matchup. A stereotypical “trap game” that has left fans scared since 2018. But this year, Virginia Tech was ready to shut this rivalry down for good.

Team morale rose after fending off Marshall 31-14, making their week one loss feel like a distant memory. They heated up for a phenomenal second half but failed to establish tempo from beginning to end. Nonetheless, they got the job done and sent fans home happy. It was certainly a step in the right direction.

It would be an understatement to say Hokie fans held their breath going into this matchup. However, the odds swiftly shifted in favor of Virginia Tech before the game. While Old Dominion’s pass game had its flaws already, they had an even larger hill to climb after their starting quarterback, Grant Wilson, was ruled out before kickoff. With ODU already dealt a bad hand, expectations for the Hokies to come in and handle business were heightened.

“That’s all coach talked about the whole week,” Kyron Drones said in post-game interviews. “He was showing us the scores the last two times Virginia Tech came to ODU. People were just trying to say it was a rivalry, so this is kind of a statement game. He emphasized all week, change the narrative.”

The first quarter was exactly that, a narrative change.

We saw an explosive and complete Hokie offense to kickoff. Drones was unleashed from the get-go, airing it out confidently to start the game. In the blink of an eye, the Hokies drove down the field to finish their first drive with a 25-yard touchdown from honorary #25 Jaylin Lane. He wasn’t done with that though. After a botched snap and an impressive recovery by Kyron Drones, Lane worked some sideline magic for a massive 46-yard gain the next drive to set up a 14-0 Virginia Tech lead. Lane was certainly the story of this first half, as he tallied 94 of their 131-yard drives to start the first quarter. He went on to lead the Hokies receiving core on the night with 106 yards. Something about that historic #25 lit a flame under the star wideout.

Lane stated after the game, “It was just my week I guess. Every week can be up and down for a receiver so I’m glad I was up.” He also added, “Just being able to put on #25 and the coaches trusting me…It means a lot and I just want to continue to do whatever I can to help.”

The defense held their own in the first 15 minutes of the game. Colton Joseph was uncomfortable the entire first quarter, quickly being subbed out for Freshman QB Quinn Henicle. With their 3rd string QB now deployed, the Monarchs needed a kickstart fast.

Henicle had some rough travels to start but made Virginia Tech hurt to start the second quarter. A massive 65-yard touchdown run gashed this defense and the Monarchs were rolling. They let the Hokies drive down the field but bounced back forcing a missed field goal, Love’s first of the year. Former Hokie Bryce Duke was a storyline going into this game. He’d struggled to rise up the depth chart in Blacksburg, but transferred after his sophomore campaign for a fresh start in Norfolk. He got his taste of revenge by totaling 57 yards in the first half, highlighted by a 48-yard run to tighten the game up even further. 

The first two quarters were polar opposites. Fans had been waiting to see Virginia Tech establish and control the pace of the game from front to back. The first quarter signaled we could see that, but the Monarchs had other plans in mind. They jumped from 11 rushing yards in the first quarter to a commanding 164 going into the third. Second-quarter woes aside, the Hokies continued to lead going into half 14-10.

On defense, things may have seemed gloomy, but there was a glaring star. Antwaun Powell-Ryland is slowly making himself a household name amongst Hokie fans. A tattoo on the inside of his right forearm reads “Eat or Starve.” It would be an understatement to say he lived up to that mantra, leaving no crumbs at S.B. Ballard Stadium. Better known as APR, the stud pass-rusher helped the Hokies apply pressure to start the second half. He led this defense to six straight stops, highlighted by his strip sack in the middle of the third quarter. He finished with four sacks, joining Hokie legend Bruce Smith as the only players ever to accomplish such a feat.

David Cunningham
@therealdcunna

To further this stat: Antwaun Powell-Ryland and Bruce Smith are the only #Hokies players in school history with multiple four-sack games.

APR commented on the achievement, saying “It’s crazy. To be in a conversation with Bruce Smith, it means I’m doing something right.” Powell-Ryland also entered the game carrying the lunch pail, stating “I’ve bettered my leadership, which has allowed me to carry this lunch pail. Just being able to listen to my coaches and players has helped me learn everything I can do to help better this team going forward.”

Defensively, all the adjustments were correctly made. Offensively, it was a little more delayed. They were gift-wrapped touchdown opportunities but continued to stall out and settle for three points. Eventually, though, they got their act together. 

In came Bhayshul Tuten to crash the Monarch’s party.

Coach Pry held high praise for Tuten after the game, saying “ Sometimes you just got to have a little patience and keep handing it off to #33. He was banged up a little bit, but the true dog came out. He wanted the ball, despite the injury. He came through for us.”

Tuten exploded with 115 yards and two touchdowns, both coming in the fourth quarter. As if this rushing attack couldn’t be bolstered further, Kyron Drones decided to remind people who he was by finishing with 117 yards on the ground before exiting in the middle of the fourth. While Drones was silenced for most of the second half through the air, he stepped and adjusted to the pace of the game, highlighting his night with a strong 53-yard run. They made peasants out of the Monarchs as ODU dropped their first-ever home loss to Virginia Tech.

“We started fast, which was necessary. Had we not, we would’ve been in more of a dog fight down the stretch,” Coach Pry stated after the game. He also acknowledged that the bumps along the way needed to be flattened, saying “I thought we played better, but nowhere near what we need to do. We’ve got to be a better team on Saturday.”

This was a must-win matchup for Virginia Tech. They earned their first road win, silenced a curse that’d haunted them since 2018, and cruised their way home 2-1. Rutgers will present a stronger challenge next week, but back-to-back double-digit wins bolster their confidence to new levels.