Terion Stewart’s “The Bully” Moniker Apparent in Career Night Against N.C. State 

RALEIGH, N.C. — Running back Terion Stewart entered the season as one of the most talked-about players on Virginia Tech’s 2025 roster, with hopes he could replicate at least a chunk of Bhayshul Tuten’s production from 2024. Instead, the first four games of the 2025 campaign told a different story.

Stewart tallied no snaps against both South Carolina and Wofford and saw limited action versus Vanderbilt and Old Dominion. By the time Virginia Tech (2-3, 1-0 ACC) faced NC State (3-2, 1-2 ACC) on Saturday, the graduate student had logged just 11 carries for 65 yards and no touchdowns.

That absence mattered. Particularly against the Commodores (5-0, 1-0 SEC) and Monarchs (3-1), the Hokies struggled to sustain drives on the ground, putting extra pressure on the passing game and signal-caller Kyron Drones. The lack of a forceful ground game not only stalled drives but forced Drones to throw under duress, often doing so behind the sticks and exposing Virginia Tech’s lack of balance.

For Stewart, a player expected to help shoulder the load, Saturday represented more than another mundane opportunity, but a chance for Stewart to reassert his place in the Hokies’ backfield.

On Saturday, Stewart tallied 174 rushing yards on 15 carries, punctuated by an 85-yard scampering that almost went all the way, coming up just short at the Wolfpack’s four-yard line. The result was an obscene 13.8 yards per carry mark. Stewart outpaced the Wolfpack all on his lonesome, with his output (174 yards) almost tripling NC State’s 59.

“He could have played against Wofford but we wanted to make sure that he was ready to go for conference play and so, it definitely worked out,” said running backs coach Elijah Brooks on Wednesday. “He had a different gear on Saturday and did well."

The play began innocently enough on a first-and-10 inside zone. But Stewart exploded through an open crease, shrugging off several Wolfpack defenders before one finally tracked him down right at the four-yard line. Stewart’s 85-yard rush marked the seventh-longest rush in program history, according to Damian Salas, Virginia Tech’s Assistant Athletics Director of Digital & Internet Strategies.

“My lineman looked at me and said, ‘I got you,’” Stewart said after the game, recalling the lead-up to the play. “I said, ‘Okay, bet, I got you.’ Watch this. Boom.”

“I knew that was going to happen,” said wide receiver Cameron Seldon. “The momentum he was picking up before, it was just like [you] knew something big was about to happen sooner than later.”

Throughout the night, Stewart’s rushing attack was marked by a mixture of power and shiftiness.

“He's a unique back in that way [in regards to his body type],” said Virginia Tech interim head coach Philip Montgomery. “He provides a lot of power. He's got great quickness. He's hard to tackle. He's got great contact balance. And so, that's what makes him unique and he plays to his strengths.”

Even entering the contest, Stewart did not line up as the Hokies’ starting back against NC State. That role once again belonged to Marcellous Hawkins, who held the starting tailback role in each game so far this season for Virginia Tech. In the days leading up to kickoff, Montgomery noted that Stewart was “trending upward,” but stopped short of promising that he would play against NC State. The graduate student let his play do the talking instead, suiting up, seizing command of the backfield and delivering a signature performance.

"He does [have moves],” Brooks said. “It's one of those things where he's a fire hydrant. So, tackling him, guys don't like to tackle him and he wears you down and then he can make you miss if you duck your head. And so, I think he is definitely deceptive when it comes to his agility and making guys miss."

The offensive line that aided Stewart possessed a new look Saturday. Johnny Garrett returned to his prototypical left tackle spot, following a leg injury sustained against Vanderbilt. Tomas Rimac shifted to left guard, the position he played for three years with West Virginia, while Aidan Lynch started his third straight game at the right tackle spot. The reshuffled unit not only opened running lanes but kept Stewart clean at the second level, allowing him to showcase his speed and balance in the open field.

“They helped me a lot,” Stewart said. “Like you see all the holes that was there tonight… I would not have that [career high], especially if it wasn’t for them guys.”

Even removing Stewart’s 85-yard almost-house call, the graduate student still accumulated 89 yards on 14 carries. Stewart was automatic on the ground, punishing many who stood in his way and even trucking a defender en route to one of seven first downs.

For Stewart, the performance carried weight beyond the box score. Battling through injuries, he found meaning in both the return and the response. In a locker room that preaches resilience and routine, his resurgence echoed the team’s larger mindset:” keep going, stick to the work, and let each day build on the last.

“Just keep going,” Stewart said when asked about how the career-high motivates him for this upcoming Saturday contest against Wake Forest. “Just keep going. Just take it day by day. Want to know every single day. Just want to know. Just keep working. And as we keep working, practicing each day, we want to get better.”

The question now is what comes next. For Stewart, it now moves towards showing that Saturday’s breakout was more than just a one-week spark. His performance against NC State wasn’t only a return to form but arguably the best outing of his career. Stewart eclipsed the 100–yard plateau for the 11th time, crossed the 150-yard threshold for the fifth time and set a new personal best with 174 yards. His previous high, a 170–yard effort against Buffalo in 2021, came back in his second collegiate season.

Now the Hokies will look to carry that momentum forward, with Stewart’s resurgence arriving just as conference play heats up. Tech’s next contest comes against Wake Forest, a team noted for its ability to limit the run game.

“I think they do a great job of running to the football,” Montgomery said of the Demon Deacons (2-2, 0-2 ACC). “They're physical up front. They're hard to move up front. They got a couple of really big interior pieces that make it difficult.

“They're good with their hands. Their linebackers are playing downhill. They don't give up explosive plays. I think their biggest explosive play of the year came in the first game kind of on a broken play. And they keep things in front of them. They do a good job of tackling. So, they're making you stay patient. They're making you drive the length in the field. And they've done a really good job down in the red zone of keeping guys out and holding them to field goals. So, we've got to do a great job in those areas."

Virginia Tech football continues its 2025 campaign with a return to Lane Stadium this Saturday, facing off against Wake Forest on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 1 p.m. ET. Viewing for the game will be available on the CW.