Virginia Tech football: 5 takeaways from Hokies’ 34-24 win over Georgia Tech

The Virginia Tech Hokies defeated the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 34-24 on Saturday, snapping a two-game losing streak. The win moved Virginia Tech to 5-2 and 2-2 in ACC play. The win looked familiar, with another big offensive start from the Hokies, explosive plays allowed by the defense, and a hold on to the win after jumping out to a big lead.

Here are five takeaways from Virginia Tech’s fifth win of the 2026 season.

Good first half/bad second half

How many times have we seen this in 2026? Virginia Tech’s offense jumps on the opposition early, looking unstoppable on all fronts, while the defense flies to the football, tackles well, and looks like a capable unit. Then, in the second half, the offense struggles to run the ball, protect quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, and offensive coordinator Ty Howle appears slow to adapt to an opponent that has adapted to him.

Meanwhile, defensively, the Hokies can’t tackle in the second half. Can’t stop the run. Can’t cover anyone. Holes run throughout their zone coverage. And they can’t get to opposing quarterbacks. How many times this season will an opposing quarterback set a new career-high in passing yards against the Hokies? On Saturday, Alberto Mendoza passed for 335 yards and, at one point, completed 17 consecutive passes. It’s just too easy. What’s going to happen against Clemson, SMU and Miami? At some point, Brent Pry needs to find some answers. Right now, his unit is the weakest link.

Ultimately, both coordinators need to put together a complete game against a quality opponent. We haven’t seen that yet, which makes Tech’s 5-2 record even more impressive.

Secondary inspires little confidence

There was a lot of excitement about some of the pieces Virginia Tech added to its secondary last offseason. Unfortunately, that seems like a long time ago. Jaquez White was supposed to be an All-ACC-caliber cornerback. He gets beaten multiple times each week. Joshua Clarke has shown flashes. Nickel Isaiah Brown-Murray is the most consistent cornerback. Safety play hasn’t been much better. We still haven’t seen Quentin Reddish take the next step, despite his interception on Saturday. It doesn’t help that Virginia Tech’s pass rush can’t consistently get to opposing quarterbacks. Coverage and pass rush are supposed to work together. It hasn’t for the Hokies, and it makes the secondary look even worse. Still, does anyone have confidence that Virginia Tech’s cornerbacks can cover any wide receiver from the ACC’s top programs?

Offensive line is holding the offense back

If you look at Virginia Tech’s final stats: 409 total yards, 34 points, three touchdown passes, 70% completion percentage, 159 rushing yards, 4.0 yards per rush, and zero turnovers, any coach would be happy. However, there could’ve been so much more. That’s a recurring theme. On Saturday, Ethan Grunkemeyer was sacked seven times. On multiple occasions, running backs Jeff Overton and Marcellous Hawkins were hit near or behind the line of scrimmage. Sure, the Hokies are dealing with some injuries along the offensive line. They are three deep at some spots, including left tackle, where starting left guard Layth Ghannam has played because of injuries. This offense is close to becoming an elite unit, but one thing holds it back. The running game has been hit-or-miss all season. Overton and Hawkins have been outstanding, but much of that is due to their individual greatness. Howle and offensive line coach Matt Moore will have their work cut out for them against better defensive fronts like Clemson’s and Miami’s.

Overton saves the day

The Hokies led 24-3 at halftime. In the first 2 minutes and 59 seconds of the second half, the Yellow Jackets had already scored two touchdowns and sacked Grunkemeyer three times. The score suddenly stood at 24-17. Grunkemeyer led the Hokie offense deep into Georgia Tech territory. He needed a big play. Here comes the redshirt freshman running back.

This was simply a fantastic individual effort from Overton. The Hokies badly needed a score here to reverse Georgia Tech’s momentum. Overton broke tackles, displayed his speed, vision and patience all on this play to put the Hokies back up by 14 and essentially end GT’s best chance of catching Virginia Tech. A big-time play by a big-time player when his team needed it the most.

Que’Sean Brown’s big day

The ACC has several good wide receivers. Few are better than Que’Sean Brown. Brown set the tone early for the Hokies, catching a 60-yard touchdown pass on the third play from scrimmage to give the Hokies a 7-0 lead. That set the tone for Virginia Tech early. That’s what Brown and tight end Luke Reynolds have done for the Hokies all season: set the tone. Brown wasn’t done. He also caught a 66-yard pass and returned a 63-yard punt deep into GT territory.

Enjoy these highlights:

Brown gave VT fans a scare on that final punt return, though. He was on the ground for a few minutes before getting up and heading to the sideline. It looked like Brown had the wind knocked out of him, but we’ll follow his status through the week.

Here’s Brown’s final tally:

• 6 receptions, 182 yards, 1 TD, 30.3 yards per reception
• 1 carry, 12 yards
• 2 punt returns, 57 yards, 28.5 yards per return

It feels like it’s been a while since we’ve seen multiple Hokies threaten to score every time they touch the ball. Virginia Tech has two of them, Overton and Brown, in 2026.