Hokies Triumph Over Former Big East Foe
Oh, a home matchup versus Boston College on a Thursday night? Let me just go fetal position in the corner for a minute. The real ones (okay, I mean OLD ones) remember how Matt Ryan broke our heart on a Thursday night at Lane Stadium in 2007. But enough about the past! Let's look at the primetime beatdown done by our Hokies.
Another Strong Start
ESPN’s Matt Barrie said it himself during VT’s entrance to Enter Sandman: “If that doesn’t get your college football hormones raging, I don’t know what will.” Brent Pry’s guys sure were raging with talent coming out the gates adorned in orange. An opening defensive stop would then shift to a surgical opening drive by Kyron Drones leading the charge.
Offensive Cliff Notes
- Kyron Drones was decisive and on time
- Bowen's play calling spread the ball around and used lots of motion
- Drones’ use on designed plays flaunted his dual-threat talents and exposed the BC defense
- Tuten broke a single-game rushing record for Virginia Tech
Even before halftime, the 28-point lashing was the most given up by BC all season. Offensive Coordinator Tyler Bowen was democratic with his air attack, spreading his wealth while Drones efficiently dissected the Eagles defense. The ground attack, featuring Bhayshul Tuten, was the true champion of the night. The 210-pound pinball had the game of his career with 18 carries for 266 and 3 TDs including one receiving touchdown. Momentum was the name of the game in the first half.
Aside from a 3rd quarter scare where VT allowed three scores by the Eagles in just five minutes, there were little fingers to be pointed or choice words to be screamed. Chris Marve’s defense was once again dominant - much to Bill O’Brien’s chagrin. While the Hokies were not without some mistakes they’d like back, they outplayed any possibilities of taking an L with big plays on key downs to hold the Eagles at arm's length.
“If that doesn’t get your college football hormones raging, I don’t know what will.” - Matt Barrie
Defensively, it was a team effort, but standout Antwon Powell-Ryland continued to cement his name in Hokie stone. APR racked up his second four-sack performance of the season. He also climbed to tops in the country in total sacks and became the first Hokie to record double digits sacks in a season since Darryl Tapp in 2005 (APR at 11.0 by week 8). Three fumble recoveries (Strong, Powell-Ryland, and Burgos) continued to fan the defensive flames and keep the Eagles offense out of the end zone for most of the night.
After moving to 4-3, Virginia Tech stays home to host a week nine contest against Georgia Tech at high noon on Saturday.
