Virginia Tech beat Georgia Tech 34–24 at Lane Stadium, snapping a two-game skid in which both losses came down to the final play. The Hokies are 5–2 and 2–2 in the ACC, one win from bowl eligibility. They led 24–3 at the break, then gave up two touchdowns in the first three minutes of the third quarter.
The win counts. So does what the second half said about a pass defense facing road trips to Clemson, SMU and Miami in three of the next four games. Here’s how each group graded out.
Quarterback: A-
Ethan Grunkemeyer completed 15-of-22 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, good for 11.4 yards per attempt. He also ran for a 20-yard touchdown, his fifth rushing score of the season.
The only knock is the second half. Of his 250 yards, 215 came before halftime, and some of that falls on protection.
Running back: A-
Sophomore Jeffrey Overton Jr. ran 14 times for 85 yards, 6.1 a carry, and caught three passes for 29 yards. His 26-yard screen touchdown, sprung by a block from right tackle Aidan Lynch, pushed the lead back to 31–17 after Georgia Tech cut it to seven.
A week after getting two carries after halftime at Cal, Overton was the closer. He carried the final, clock-killing drive with runs of 20 and 12 yards.
Wide receivers
Que’Sean Brown caught six passes for a career-high 182 yards and a touchdown, the sixth-most receiving yards in a game in program history. Both of his big ones came up the seam: a 60-yard touchdown on the game’s third play and a career-long 66-yarder.
“He’s playing big time,” Franklin said. “I’m proud of him.”
Freshman Davion Brown’s toe-tap 12-yarder on third-and-9 kept alive a touchdown drive.
Tight ends: B
Luke Reynolds caught a 13-yarder on the game’s first snap, two plays before Que’Sean Brown’s touchdown. He finished with two catches for 18 yards. Georgia Tech put a lot of manpower into keeping Reynolds production quiet. Ja’Ricous Hairston caught the fourth-and-3 touchdown from the five to put the Hokies up 21-3.
Offensive line: C-
Georgia Tech didn’t sack Duke’s quarterback once a week earlier. It sacked Grunkemeyer five times, including on three of Virginia Tech’s first six snaps of the second half. That stretch included a punt on fourth-and-31, and it’s where the 24–3 cushion started leaking.
The run blocking was better than the box score says. College stats count sacks as rushes, so Virginia Tech’s 159 rushing yards on 40 attempts include 29 lost yards. Take out the sacks and the Hokies ran 35 times for 188 yards, 5.4 a carry. The run game held up. The pass protection didn’t, and Clemson has the tape.
Defensive line: B
Aycen Stevens was the best defender on the field. The defensive end had 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss, including a third-quarter strip sack of Georgia Tech quarterback Alberto Mendoza that led to a punt. He leads the Hokies with seven sacks this season.
Otherwise the rush didn’t get home enough, finishing with three sacks to Georgia Tech’s five. “Mendoza’s slippery, man,” Franklin said, adding that the Hokies left a few more on the field.
Linebackers: C
Keon Wylie had a team-high 10 tackles. The run defense is where this grade drops. Take out the three sacks and Georgia Tech ran 18 times for 124 yards, 6.9 a carry. Running back Trelain Maddox had 96 of those on 12 carries, and his 42-yard touchdown on the third play of the second half started the comeback.
Secondary: C-
Mendoza threw for a career-high 335 yards on 29-of-38 passing with two touchdowns. After halftime he went 18-of-20 for 217 yards. Jordan Allen caught 10 passes for 120 yards. That’s two straight weeks over 320 passing yards allowed, after Cal’s backup threw for 321 in his first start.
Two plays kept this grade from failing. Cornerback Thomas Williams forced a Maddox fumble out of the end zone on Georgia Tech’s first drive, and safety Quentin Reddish intercepted Mendoza in the second quarter. Those turnovers produced 10 points, and the defense held Georgia Tech to 4-of-11 on third down.
Special teams: B+
John Love came into Saturday having missed his last three kicks, including a 36-yarder in the final seconds of the 35–33 loss to Pitt. He made field goals from 39 and 24 yards and all four extra points. After the 39-yarder, Franklin met the fifth-year kicker with a hug.
Brown’s return day cut both ways. His 63-yard punt return set up Love’s 24-yarder, the third time this season a Brown return of 50-plus yards reached the red zone and the Hokies settled for three. He also muffed a punt that Georgia Tech turned into its only first-half points.
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