The Briefing: Superb Defense Spells Hokies 31-14 Win Over The Thundering Herd
Blacksburg, VA- In the hours leading into the Hokies matchup vs. the Herd, the environment was buzzing. Families and students were parading around Beamer Way in anticipation of a blowout victory over West Virginian rival Marshall University. While things ended up looking good on the scoreboard, that does not tell the full story of Saturday evening's affair.
" I would say the biggest thorn in our side was third down." Said head coach Brent Pry "You know we got to take a look at that. I think we were one of eight or one of nine [on first-half third-down conversions] and you know we have got to be better."
Tech ended the first half with a putrid 1/9 on third downs and only up by three, as Pry's squad tallied just 131 total yards, with 42 coming from the air from star quarterback Kyron Drones.
Punt blunders could accurately capsize what transpired in the first half between the two sides. The lone Hokie touchdown of the came after a blazing Jaylin Lane 58 punt-yard return up the middle, leaving all defenders in the dust.
A real turning point in the fixture should have come in the second quarter when the Hokies were in prime position to double their tally after a botched punt put Tech at the Marshall 20. However, after a sequence of odd play calls and flags, the Hokies were instead forced to pinch in a lengthy 42-yard field goal for kicker John Love.
The Herd's biggest play came after a blocked punt that sat up an easy Ethan Payne two-yard rush touchdown.
Barring those few and far-between explosive plays, both offenses looked dormant in the first 30 minutes. This is the second time you could say that about the Hokies in two weeks.
The third quarter flipped the tide in favor of the Maroon and Orange as Tech's first three drives all ended in trips to the endzone, a stark difference from what was seen in the first half.
After another staunch defensive possession for defensive coordinator Chris Marve and his squad, the Hokies slowly marched down after a nearly seven-minute drive to push the Hokies into a 17-7 lead before Marshall running back A.J. Turner busted through the seam for a 69-yard rush to be followed by an 18-yard snag for Chrisitan Fitzpatrick over Mose Phillips III to bring the Herd deficit to three.
While an older Tech team may have crumbled in facing adversity, Hokie offensive play-caller Tyler Bowen expanded his playbook to a level never seen before in this game and allowed Kyron Drones to do something very few quarterbacks in the nation can do.
"I thought the deep ball to [Stephen] Gosnell, I mean. That was a big answer... We came back and answered there [that] was big. I think that we talked about that all week as a team starting in the locker room. And, you know, in Nashville that you got to respond. You know, that's part of it. As a play-caller and as a player, I thought we did a nice job today. That was the difference in the game."
What Pry was alluding to was a 49-yard shot to UNC transfer Stephen Gosnell, Gosnell reeled in the ball thrown on a rope before Drones eventually marched into the endzone ticking the lead back up to 10.
Gosnell tore his ACL against Tulane in last season's Military Bowl, and Pry admitted he thought the wideout had debated hanging up his boots. However, when asked, Gosnell denied any talk of those conversations ever occurring, just like he also refuses to say "torn ACL" after what happened in December last year.
The Hokies then scored on their next possession thanks to an astute interception by Mansoor Delane after a well-drilled Mose Phillips III tipped the ball, who recovered from his error in giving up a touchdown earlier in the night.
Delane needed a confidence boost after his poor night outing a week prior against the Commodores.
"He was determined to bounce back, you know, he's a resilient guy. I think he embodied kind of the way the team was today...He played with great technique, he played with great confidence. You gotta do that at that position." Said the third-year head coach.
"I think got a little razzled last week when they hit one on him, and you know, and I think it's a testament to coach Jones and Mansoor, and Dorian was in his ear all week. The way he bounced back, he played like the player that he is."
From that interception on, the Hokies looked in control of the night. The Hokies tight end Da'Quan Felton snagged his first touchdown of the new year after a five-yard pass from Drones.
The rest of the fourth was similar to the first half, where neither side looked to have much to play for as the Hokies were content in providing stops and even more content in settling on the offensive end.
The Hokies' star player of the night was, without a doubt, Bhayshul Tuten. The Paulsboro, N.J. native rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown, netting a cool 5.5 yards per carry, and when the Tech ship looked like it was sinking (and believe me, it did), Tuten would find a way to march behind an offensive line that was, at best, underwhelming.
"I'll tell you what he ran hard and he outran some folks, he broke tackles. You know, we got him in his stride right there, you know, we got his "A" game today...And I thought the O-line really played pretty well, particularly in the second half. But you know we've got to get him going. We know that and that was a mindset coming out of the half. We got to feed this guy and be patient enough to do it."
Up next for the Hokies is a trip to Norfolk, VA, to take on the Old Dominion Monarchs at a haunting ground that has a history of ending Virginia Tech's season before it even began.
CONNOR MARDIAN