Five Biggest Takeaways from Virginia Tech's Win Over Old Dominion
1. Virginia Tech's Defense
The Hokies' defense had an excellent night against the pass this weekend, only giving up 50 total passing yards and no passing touchdowns, along with an interception. The defense held Old Dominion scoreless in the first quarter and only 17 yards of total offense for the entire first quarter alone. The defense, however, struggled against the run in certain situations, giving up 240 yards rushing and two rushing touchdowns with one coming in the final few minutes of the game. The defense outside of the final touchdown when the game was out of reach, held Old Dominion to a touchdown and a field goal for most of the game.
2. Virginia Tech's Run Game
Virginia Tech ran all over the field the whole game, with nothing but fierce intentions. Quarterback Kyron Drones had a huge run for 53 yards where he stiff-armed and ran over defenders, runningback Bhayshul Tuten had a couple of similar runs as well, where he broke tackles for touchdowns. The Hokies offense ran for 289 yards and had 3 total rushing touchdowns from QB Kyron Drones and RB Bhayshul Tuten.
3. Offense Came Out Swinging
In the first quarter, the Hokies offense exploded with two touchdowns on back-to-back drives. The Hokies' protection was the best this season allowing no sacks and giving the offense enough time to develop for both passing and running. Virginia Tech wide receiver Jaylin Lane had 106 receiving yards in the first quarter and a touchdown with his longest reception coming in at 46 yards off a wild pass play. Kyron Drones was able to get outside the pocket and make throws down the field, which led to a lethal rushing attack for him finishing the game with 117 rush yards and a rushing touchdown.
4. Offense And Defense Needs Consistency Through All Quarters
It was a tale of two quarters in the first half for the Hokies, the first quarter they came out on fire but then the second quarter are held scoreless. The offense only managed to get 80 yards of offense in the second quarter and the defense struggled against the run.
The defense allowed Old Dominion QB Quinn Henicle to get a 65-yard touchdown in the second quarter and gave up a total of 176 rushing yards in the second quarter. These two things cannot happen as the season progresses, or it will be a lot tougher to win games against ranked teams who can be consistent on both sides of the ball.
5. The Offensive Line Played Great
The offensive line was an underrated key to victory in this one, as they kept the backfield clean and a place to get things done. The offensive line for the first time this season gave up 0 sacks the whole game and were key factors for the offense as a whole being able to be as explosive as they were, having a total of 465 yards. The most yards this season by the Hokies through the first 3 games that they've played and the most points they've scored. If the line can keep up this consistency along with the rest of the offense, the Hokies could go far this season as the defense has proven they can play well enough through most of the game.
Kahlil McCuller joined the Sports Illustrated team in summer 2024 and is a Sports Media major at Virginia Tech. Covering College Baseball, College Basketball, and College Football for the Virginia Tech Hokies. Prior to this Kahlil worked pregame radio shows for Virginia Tech Basketball teams on 105.3 The Bear and started his own basketball podcast on Spotify called "Fleeky Hoops Podcast" and covered March Madness for the Hokies Women's Basketball team back in March 2024. My favorite sports teams are: Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Chargers, Virginia Tech Hokies and PSG for Soccer