Going into Saturday’s non-conference football game against Rutgers in Piscataway, New Jersey, the Virginia Tech Hokies were battling injuries and did not name a starting quarterback after Grant Wells was questionable with an ankle injury.
Entering the game, Rutgers had a stout running game through the first two weeks in wins against Northwestern and Temple at home. Coach Greg Schiano has always been a ground-and-pound guy and Virginia Tech is the perfect opponent for that type of game after their struggles stopping the run against Old Dominion and Purdue in the first two weeks.
It was the worst-case scenario for second-year Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry as the Scarlet Knights jumped out to a 21-3 halftime lead and leaned on their running game in the second half to pull away from the Hokies for a 35-16 victory at SHI Stadium.
The loss drops Virginia Tech to 1-2, but believe it or not, there was some good to take from the loss on the road. Yes, of course, they would have liked to have won the game, but with a large number of injuries, they will take anything they can positive going forward.
As the Hokies get ready for another non-conference game on the road next week against Marshall, here are three takeaways from their loss to the Scarlet Knights, in a game that they should feel they let get away.
Too many mistakes cost the Hokies and Rutgers took full advantage
Playing with so many people out injured, it was the worst start possible for Virginia Tech and multiple first-half mistakes dug themselves a hole they were not able to fully get out of.
On the game’s first play, Drones kept the ball and went 8 yards on first down. On the next play, Drones attempted to hand the ball off to Bhayshul Tuten on an option, but the ball was fumbled and Rutgers recovered on the Hokies’ 19. On the Scarlet Knights’ first play following the turnover, Kyle Monangi took a handoff and raced 19 yards for a touchdown.
The possessions following the touchdown, the Virginia Tech defense actually played well and forced punts. In the second quarter and the Scarlet Knights struggling to move the ball, Keonta Jenkins was called for roughing the passer on an incomplete pass. That 15-yard penalty woke up Rutgers and quarterback Gavin Wimsatt scored on a 34-yard run up the middle for a 14-3 lead.
Late in the second quarter, Virginia Tech punter Peter Moore shanked a punt for 11 yards that set Rutgers up near midfield with great field position. Wimsatt threw a 4-yard TD pass to Christian Dremel with four seconds left in the first half for a 21-3 lead. With every mistake the Hokies made, the Scarlet Knights took advantage.
The offense didn’t finish early in the game
In the end, Drones started over Wells and the transfer played well. In fact, the case could be made that he outplayed Wimsatt in the first half, with the difference being turnovers and Rutgers taking advantage with some big plays.
In the first half, the Hokies had the ball for 20 minutes and Rutgers just 10, but the Hokies trailed 21-3. Go figure. Down 7-0 in the first quarter, John Love missed a chip shot field goal, before making his second chance in the second quarter, this one from 30 yards.
Virginia Tech was adjusting to a new quarterback, but Drones played with confidence, and that showed in the third quarter on a 39-yard touchdown pass to Da’Quan Felton. Four plays earlier, Felton had a step on his defender and dropped the ball. On the TD pass, Drones threw a perfect ball to the 10-yard line to a wide-open Felton who scampered untouched to the end zone.
@KyronDrones ➡️ @Dfeltonn#ThisisHome pic.twitter.com/ewjplUHbIw
— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) September 16, 2023
Would scoring a few more times in the first half turn the game into a win for the Hokies? Probably not, but not capitalizing, and the Scarlet Knights having the ball for just 10 minutes in the half and scoring with four seconds left gave them a lot of momentum heading into halftime.
Virginia Tech struggled with Rutgers’ running game
I know I’m not breaking any news here, but once again, an opponent was able to gash the Hokies’ defense on the ground. This time, it was Wimsatt and Monangi.
Monangi rushed for 146 yards on 16 carries and three touchdowns. After tech cut the deficit to 21-16 early in the fourth quarter, he broke off a 45-yard touchdown run on a third-and-short. Wimsatt rushed for 87 yards on 11 carries and his touchdown run in the second quarter got Rutgers going.
When needed in the fourth quarter, Rutgers was able to run the ball and burn the clock. They held a 124-14 advantage in yards in the quarter and rolled to 3-0 on the season. All three games have been at home and now they hit the road for the first time next week against Michigan, which will be their first test.
As for Virginia Tech, they get a week to fix things and head to Marshall. Drones’ performance was promising and have they found their future quarterback? Time will tell.