The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly From Virginia Tech's Win Over Stanford

The Hokies go their first ACC win of the year today by going on the road and beating Stanford

Oct 5, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies running back Bhayshul Tuten (33) runs with the football against Stanford Cardinal safety Scotty Edwards (21) during the second quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images / Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech was the favorite coming into the game yesterday vs Stanford, but there was question as to whether they could make a long trip and play well after the controversial ending to the Miami game. The Hokies answered that question well and turned in perhaps their most complete performance of the season. Was it perfect? No, but considering the circumstances, I thought the Hokies showed a lot of resolve to come out and play the way that they did in this game. Now, they head into the bye week with some momentum and they can get ready to try and make a run in the second half of their schedule.

With that being said, what were the good, the bad, and the ugly things that came from this game?

The Good

• A win is always good, no matter how you get it.

• When the game was cut to 21-7 after the Stanford touchdown, Virginia Tech was able to finish the game and not let the Cardinal make a real run at a win.

• I thought the defense played well last night. Stanford is not a terrible team on offense and their running game gave Clemson some trouble last week. Virginia Tech was able to limit Stanford to just 258 yards on 66 plays and only allowed an average of 3.9 yards per play.

• The defense held Stanford to 5-13 on third down.

• The defense also forced a turnover in the redzone and picked up five sacks.

• Keonta Jenkins was able to get an interception

• Kyron Drones played an efficent game. He was not spectacular, but Drones finished 14-19 for 201 yards and had a 55-yard touchdown to Da'Quan Felton.

• The Hokies limited Stanford to 122 yards passing.

• Stanford only averaged 3.3 yards per carry. Running the ball is Stanford's strength, but Virginia Tech did not let them get going.

• The offense averaged 14.4 yards per completion.

The Bad

• I might be nitpicking just a little bit, but the offense was not great yesterday. The running game was fantastic against Miami, but they only managed to get 136 yards on 36 carries and averaged 3.8 yards per carry. Against better opponents, Virginia Tech has to find the ability to run the football. They did not need to be spectacular today, but against better teams, they are going to have to be better.

• Aside from the Felton touchdown catch, the offense was not super explosive

• Offense was only 5-12 on third down