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Raza Umerani
Editor-in-Chief
September 14, 2024
Virginia Tech put together its most complete performance on Saturday night in Norfolk. (Virginia Tech Athletics)
NORFOLK — Despite missed opportunities to put flashier numbers on the board, Virginia Tech’s performance in its 37-17 win over Old Dominion was something not found in Nashville 14 days ago or Blacksburg last week: complementary.
The Hokies (2-1) accumulated 289 of their 465 yards on the ground while racking up five sacks — four of which from defensive end Antwaun Powell-Ryland — and allowing just six completions for 50 yards against a largely anemic Monarchs (0-3) offense.
“We responded in all three phases at some point during this game, and it was necessary,” Tech third-year head coach Brent Pry said after the game. “We started fast, which was necessary. Had we not, we would have been in more of a dogfight down the stretch right there.”
A fast start might be an understatement. After failing to find the endzone in each of the previous two first halves of the season, the Hokies came out of the gates with guns blazing, leading 14-0 after the first two drives of the game before 10 minutes even came off the board.
That was courtesy of an easy, 25-yard pitch and catch from quarterback Kyron Drones to a wide open Jaylin Lane, then a short “tush push” plunge from the junior signal-caller. By the end of the first quarter, Lane had 106 yards and the score on five catches.
“It's always in the game plan to get guys touches,” Lane said. “This week, it was my week, I guess. I popped up wide open on my touchdown. It just kind of worked out for me. … It was just one of them weeks.”
All the while, Tech’s defense opened the game forcing three consecutive punts, including a pair of three-and-outs as ODU struggled to find its offensive identity with a pair of freshman backups juggling time under center.
It wound up being the third-string QB who got the nod as Quinn Henicle gave the Monarchs life with a 65-yard touchdown run after the Hokies turned the ball over on downs and went three-and-out following the opening scores. And when Tech’s next drive ended in a blocked field goal, it seemed for a moment as if the program’s historic woes in S.B. Ballard Stadium were starting to rear their ugly heads.
That would not be the case. After surrendering a field goal with just over five minutes left in the first half, the Hokies starting defense didn’t even allow Old Dominion to cross its own midfield logo, forcing a pair of turnovers along the way.
“For the most part, the message at halftime was, ‘Listen, that make them drive the field. Make them earn it,’” Pry said. “‘We do that, [and] I don't know that they can do that.’ And that's kind of the way the second half went.”
One of those was a strip sack and fumble recovery, all in one fell swoop from Powell-Ryland. It was his fourth of the game, with the third coming one play prior.
“I really just kept the mentality of not getting comfortable,” Powell-Ryland said. “I had sacks early on in the game, and I wasn't really thinking about that. I was thinking about getting the win. We were in a close game, so it wasn't like I could sit back and just enjoy watching whatever it was. We were still locked in. Anytime I step out there, I'm trying to go get it.”
And it was the type of performance that Tech expected out of the man chosen to carry the defense’s Lunch Pail this week in his homecoming to the Tidewater.
“The Lunch Pail, it has a lot of layers to it,” defensive line coach J.C. Price said. “To be a leader, the first thing you’ve got to do is be one of the best players. Let's not kid ourselves. So he's been making plays, he's been more vocal, he's been more consistent in everything he's done. He was one of the guys in Coach Pry challenged: 'Don't come back and be the same guy.' And he's not. He's not the same guy on and off the field. He's evolving, he's growing up and it's great to see.”
Tech’s defense keeping the Monarchs at arm’s length allowed its offense to spread its wings, take flight and put the game comfortably to bed in the second half. After starting the third quarter with a pair of field goals, then throwing an interception on the first play of the following drive, the Hokies scored on three consecutive possessions before running out the clock to end the game.
That was opened up by the offense doing what they do best: run the rock. The Hokies ran the ball 30 times in the second half, whereas they opted for an aerial attack just six times. As such, Drones and running back Bhayshul Tuten wore the Monarchs down with their strong style of play.
Drones finished the game with 117 yards on the ground on just 12 carries, highlighted by a physical run where he trucked multiple defenders and stiff-armed another into the humid Norfolk turf to the tune of 53 hard-earned yards.
“I thought about going out of bounds, but I was just like, 'I don't feel like he can tackle me,’” Drones said. “He definitely didn't have the angle to get me down straight up. So I just wanted to get the guys going and just go out there and make a play. … I ain't really worried about a corner coming to tackle me. I don't really just try to size them up. It is what it is, however I get the run. So if they try to tackle me high, then that's on them.”
As the perfect complement, Tuten racked up 115 yards — his second consecutive outing with triple digits in that category, despite dealing with a slight knee injury — with two scoring scampers.
“I just think we had to commit to [the run],” Pry said. “Sometimes you’ve got to have a little patience and just keep handing it off to 33 [Tuten]. I mean, y'all wanted to see what he could do. … The true dog came out, because he wanted the ball despite the injury. And he came through for us.”
The Hokies exhibited how effective they can be on both sides of the ball when they play up to their potential and their standard. Still, they left some meat on the bone.
Perhaps the game could have been put away earlier if they kicked a field goal to go up 17-0 rather than fail a fourth down conversion to allow ODU to eventually make it 14-10. Or if John Love had split the uprights on the kick that was blocked. Maybe Tech wanted Love on the sideline after Powell-Ryland’s turnover, but the offense had to settle for three instead of finding paydirt.
Regardless, this was the type of performance that had eluded Tech in the first two games of its season. So, even against arguably the worst team on its schedule, it was a welcome sight.
“I don't feel like we're even close to our ceiling right now,” Drones said. “We're still just trying to get the offense going, and right now we just needed to click, going into this next week. … I'm glad we were able to start getting things going, but it's a really high ceiling for our offense.”
The Hokies will need to continue to climb the ladder and get closer to that ceiling with a challenging, physically demanding test against Rutgers on tap on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network) back in Blacksburg.
The good news for them? They’re well aware of that fact.
“I thought we played better; nowhere near what we need to do,” Pry said. “We’ve got to keep improving all week long. We’ve got to be a better team on Saturday.”
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