Virginia Tech Football: The Good, Bad and Ugly after Tech's 42-21 win over Boston College
The Good
Shocking one here, it's Bhayshul Tuten. You can't singlehandedly break the Hokies' single-game rushing yards with 266 yards and not be the fulcrum of everything good in what Tech did. Not only was it that Tuten did it, he came in the clutch.
When the Hokies were up 14-0, Tuten stamped two touchdowns to double the Tech lead. After Boston College marched back from down 28 to down seven, Tuten smacked the Eagles in the mouth with two fourth-quarter touchdowns. While he did commit a very costly turnover that kept the embers of a Boston College comeback burning alive, he has enough credit in the bank to make up for that rare error.
The Bad: The Hokies passing attack
Hokie quarterback Kyron Drones spent the first half whizzing at an above 90% completion rate with over 100 yards and a passing touchdown. This starkly contrasts his 20 yards over the air and one interception thrown in the second half. It is obviously not his fault for not being given the ability to air it out. It would have been nice to see a more balanced offense that allowed Drones to build up to those long shots we love to see rather than him heaving them in dire circumstances.
The Ugly: Tech's inefficent offense
This is a bold claim, considering Tech put up 42 points, and I will be the first to acknowledge that. I just ask that we look at these drives and examine where the Hokies were that got them 42 points.
Drive one resulted in a touchdown. The Hokies have built a reputation as of late for scoring on their first drive. After all, over their last three games, they have all started with a Tech touchdown. On their next two drives, the Hokies scored touchdowns as well. One was after being gifted a ball in the red zone, the second after an explosive Tuten rushing touchdown.
Tech then notches two drives of just seven plays, before a well executed two minute drive that gave the Hokies that smooth 28-0 halftime lead.
Over the course of the first four second-half Tyler Bowen-led drives, the Blacksburg side marked two turnovers and two punts, all fueling the Boston College comeback. After a strong defensive stand, Tech then had 49 yards to work with, which they pushed past the white-trimmed away side and collected another touchdown before Tuten sprinted home another 61-yard rush.
While Bhayshul Tuten is an explosive player who deserves all the plaudits college football has to offer, his carrying of this Tech side Thursday night, is not sustainable. Combine that with the fact that on the 11 drives Tech started with the ball on their own side of the 50, just four of them resulted in scores, two of those thanks to Tuten's explosiveness.
Related links
Additional Links:
Virginia Tech Football: Could Bhayshul Tuten catch Ashton Jeanty as the nation's leading rusher?
Connor Serven, the journey through a tricky portal that landed him home, in Blacksburg
