Virginia Tech bounces back against Boston College in home opener, 27-10

By Jack Brizendine

Staff Writer

September 10, 2022

BLACKSBURG — The ability to bounce back is what makes or breaks a team. Whether a team bends or breaks when the pressure is on determines how much adversity it will be able to overcome.

In Saturday night’s 27-10 victory over Boston College, Brent Pry’s squad proved it won’t let past mistakes affect the team’s future.

“It just feels good to be 1-0,” Pry said following the victory, his first as Virginia Tech head coach in his Lane Stadium debut.

The Hokies wanted to put last Friday’s 20-17 upset defeat against Old Dominion in the rear view mirror, and their hot start on defense helped that cause.

On Boston College’s second play of the night, Eagles (0-2, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) quarterback Phil Jurkovec looked towards the right sideline and fired a ball into the waiting arms of cornerback Armani Chatman.

Chatman scampered down the sideline before going out of bounds at the Boston College 14-yard line, allowing the offense to start its first drive in the red zone.

Three minutes later running back Jalen Holston burst over the goal line to give Virginia Tech (1-1, 1-0 ACC) a 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the game.

The defense set up the offense for success continually throughout the night. In addition to Chatman’s opening interception, the Hokies forced nine three-and-out’s from the Eagles’ offense.

“I think the field position tonight, the drive start battle, we won,” Pry said. “Peter [Moore] did a great job kicking the ball, but those three and outs help that. They don’t merit a first down and [the Eagles] punt and we get pretty good field position. It makes things easy, especially easier when you don’t have a lot of depth.”

Boston College only earned its initial first down with four minutes to play before halftime, indicating how disruptive Tech’s defense was all night. The Eagles had only six yards of offense prior to that drive

The defense’s stifling performance started up front with the defensive line, keeping Jurkovec under fire all night.

Led by TyJuan Garbutt — who finished the night with one sack, three tackles for loss and four quarterback hurries — the Hokies racked up five sacks and ten tackles for loss.

“I felt like I played like a dog that hadn’t [eaten] in three days,” Garbutt said of his performance. “Don’t mess with a dog that [hasn’t eaten] in three days, he might bite your hand.”

Virginia Tech’s resilience was tested halfway through the third quarter, as Jurkovec hit Zay Flowers in stride down the left sideline for 49 yards. The catch ignited a touchdown drive by the Eagles, which brought the game within one possession, 17-10, for the first time since the first quarter.

With the Hokies needing a response on offense, quarterback Grant Wells dropped a dime into the hands of Kaleb Smith for 43 yards. Smith’s next catch came in the end zone eight plays later, restoring Tech’s 14-point lead.

“That’s what we didn’t do last week, the offense taking the reins and converting,” Pry said of the offense’s response. “Heck of a catch by Kaleb and a great throw by Grant to extend that drive and go down and score. That’s exactly what needed to happen and that’s what good football teams do.

“That was a point of emphasis all week. We had an opportunity on both sides of the ball at Old Dominion to win, to close out the game and we didn’t handle it, so it was good to see tonight.”

Wells was surgical in his second start for the Hokies, completing 16 of 25 passes for a touchdown and zero turnovers.

“I think this whole offense got a lot more confident [this week],” Wells said. “I think this is a really good game to build on and this is one that we’re not going to take lightly.”

The offensive line was one of the groups that seemed to play with more confidence on Saturday, only allowing two sacks and opening up holes for halfbacks in the run game — including Keshawn King’s 65-yard house call in the second quarter.

The win gives Wells and the Hokies some positive momentum before hosting Wofford and West Virginia in the coming weeks, but it won’t change the team’s approach to future games.

“Obviously you gain some confidence [from the win], but it doesn’t change what we emphasize and the details and the accountability,” Pry said. “We gotta keep preaching that message.”