Marty Gordon
Virginia Tech moved to 3-1 on the season in the ACC standings and are in fifth place. Thus, they will need a lot of help as four teams are above them, all in conference play. But Pittsburgh has to play SMU, and Clemson will travel to Blacksburg in two weeks.
So, the Hokies have their final record in their own hands with a chance to finish in one of the top two, playing in the ACC championship. Miami, the team Tech feels they beat, also does not have a blemish on their record. The final three games of the season will matter for everyone involved.
Virginia Tech like many other football programs took an opportunity on Saturday to salute cancer survivors and those battling with cancer and specific breast cancer during “Breast Cancer Awareness Month”. Many of those individuals were on the field for the Enter Sandman experience at the start of the ball game.
Six of the current players on the Tech roster call Georgia home and knew many of the GT players on the field this weekend. Those Hokies included: OL Montavious Cunningham (Athens, Ga.), OL Web Davidson (Macon, Ga.), LS Christian Eppling (Dacula, Ga.}, OL Elijah Haughawout (Suwanne, Ga.), DL Cole Nelson (John’s Creek, Ga.) and RB Malachia Thomas (Hartwell, Ga.).
Between 2005 and 2012, the winner of this game represented the Coastal Division in the ACC championship game. The teams are scheduled to play each other in two upcoming seasons (2025 in Atlanta and in 2026 back in Blacksburg).
Other items of notes from Virginia Tech’s sports communications staff:
Early in the second quarter against Georgia Tech, Kyron Drones threw his 10th touchdown pass of the season. Then after the two minute time out, Drones handed the ball off to Bhayshul Tuten who then pitched it to Jaylin Lane. Lane then throws 6-yards to the endzone finding Drones in the endzone.
Later in the third quarter, Drones called his own number with a 1-yard rush into the end zone giving him a receiving touchdown, a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown in the same game. He’s the first player to ever accomplish the hattrick in Virginia Tech history. The last time a player scored a touchdown three different ways in a game was André Davis in 2000 against West Virginia. In that gaame Davis scored on a 30-yard rush, a 64-yard reception and a 76-yard punt return.
Not only did Drones account for three touchdowns in the game, he also caught two passes – the touchdown and his own pass.
In the fourth quarter, Drones’ pass was blocked at the line by Georgia Tech’s Trenilyas Tatum and back into his arms. He is now the first quarterback to have two receptions in the same game. He also ties Sean Glennon with two career passes to themselves. Drones caught his own pass last season in the Military Bowl against Tulane. Glennon caught his own pass in 2004 against Western Michigan and again in 2006 against North Carolina.
The Lunch Pail Defense stopped Georgia Tech on fourth down on their last four drives of the game. The Yellow Jackets turned the ball over on downs on three consecutive drives.
The last time the Tech defense forced a team to turn the ball over on downs on three consecutive drives was in 2004 against Florida A&M. The four fourth down stops tie for the most by the Tech defense since 1987. The other times where against Boston College in 1996 (1-5) and North Carolina in 2014 (0-4) & 2016 (0-4).
Georgia Tech was also did not score any touchdowns in the game. It’s the first time since the Hokies shutout Pitt in 2019 that an opponent has not scored a touchdown in a game.
As mentioned earlier, Jaylin Lane threw for a touchdown in the game on Saturday. This now gives him a touchdown by passing, rushing, receiving and kick return.
The four different touchdowns ties him with DeAngelo Hall and Tony Kennedy for most different ways of scoring a touchdown in a season. DeAngelo Hall had a rushing, receiving, fumble return and three punt returns in 2003 while Tony Kennedy had a passing, receiving, kick return and three rushing touchdowns in 1992.
Saturday’s game marked the 378th consecutive game during which Virginia Tech has scored. The Hokies are in 4th place in both the all-time and active streak lists. In that span, Tech has shutout their opponent 34 times.
Tight end Benji Gosnell is a great example of Virginia Tech’s ability to develop its players. Stepping into his most significant role with the offense, Gosnell has shown tremendous growth as a pass catcher. The Pilot Mountain, North Carolina, product caught his second touchdown in 2024 and recorded a career-high in receptions (five) on Saturday afternoon.
The chemistry between Gosnell and quarterback Kyron Drones is continuing to grow as the young tight end has recorded at least four receptions the past two contests. The redshirt sophomore was wide open for a 20-yard catch and run for the Hokies’ first score and corralled the longest reception of his career for 31 yards. Gosnell’s versatility is very valuable for offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen and an asset in both the run and pass game.
On an afternoon that totaled 17 punts between both programs, punter Peter Moore had one of his most active games of the season. Punters are a position group that doesn’t receive a ton of attention, yet they have a significant role on special teams.
The ability to flip field position helps a defense and influence’s momentum. Virginia Tech’s defense benefited from Moore’s production against the Yellow Jackets, as the Davidsonville, Maryland native amassed nearly 500 yards on 10 punts. Moore averaged 49.0 yards per punt and placed five punts inside the 20-yard line.
The redshirt senior’s consistency in the third phase contributed significantly to a defensive performance that held Georgia Tech to only six points.
Moore’s 490 yards punting is the second most punting yards in a game for a Tech player behind A.J. Hughes’ 586 yards against Alabama in 2013. The last time Tech punted 10 or more times in a game was when Hughes’ had 10 punts against Maryland in 2013. Saturday’s game marked just the second time Tech has had 10 or more punts in a game that they’ve won.
The other win was in 2012 when Hughes punted 11 times in the 13-10 overtime win against Rutgers in the 2012 Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando.
Running back Bhayshul Tuten has been a touchdown machine dating back to last season. Although the senior tailback didn’t find the endzone, his patience and vision carrying the ball were still on full display. Tuten averaged 4.6 yards per carry, amassing 79 rushing yards on 17 attempts. Another solid outing on the ground moved the Paulsboro, New Jersey, product closer to another significant milestone following a four touchdown performance against Boston College. Saturday’s matchup left Tuten with only 50 yards to reach 1,000 rushing yards on the season.