Virginia Tech Football: Hokies Take Down Eagles in Beantown

CHESTNUT HILL, MA - OCTOBER 07: Travon McMillian
CHESTNUT HILL, MA - OCTOBER 07: Travon McMillian /
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Virginia Tech bounced back from their first loss and moved to 5-1 (1-1 ACC) on the season as they defeated the Boston College Eagles on Saturday.

“Our guys responded like we asked them to do,”  Justin Fuente said. “We didn’t play particularly fantastic at times. I’m disappointed with the penalties. But we played well enough to beat a very physical and tough, hard-nosed football team at their place.”

The offense had another slow start.  Josh Jackson was picked off early in the first quarter, but to the Hokies advantage, the drive ended with a missed field goal.

Soon after, the young offense found their rhythm when Jackson connected with wide-receiver Sean Savoy for a 53 yard touchdown.  The team quickly followed with another touchdown on a 23- yard run by Travon McMillian.

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This win, though not the prettiest, may be the biggest notch in the young team’s belt.  In addition to RB Steven Peoples (ankle) and WR C. J. Carroll (foot) not making the trip, Cam Phillips suffered a foot sprain late in the first and did not return.  His prognosis is unclear, though he has extra time heading into the bye week.

“We got pretty far down the ole’ depth chart there at the wide receiver position,” Fuente said. “But I thought the young guys stepped in and performed admirably.”

This injury opened opportunities for younger players Savoy, Eric Kumah and Dalton Keene to have crucial game reps while continuing to help the team keep control of the game.

The offensive line seemed to struggle, allowing Jackson to be sacked 5 times for a total loss of 35 yards.

Special Teams continues to be the pride of the team with Joey Slye getting back in his rhythm.  Slye became the all-time leading scorer, surpassing Shayne Graham with 376 points.

The defense continued to show its strength holding the Eagles to 344 yards, with 172 of those coming in the fourth quarter.

The Hokies head into their bye week on a good note, allowing players to rest and heal from the strain of the season.  The team will return to a heavy in-conference schedule as they host UNC at home.