Virginia Tech Football: 3 positives from loss at Rutgers

By Scott Roche | Sep 18, 2023

Sep 16, 2023; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies quarterback Kyron Drones (1) fakes a hand off as Rutgers Scarlet Knights linebacker Mohamed Toure (1) and defensive lineman Kyonte Hamilton (48) pursue during the second half at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /

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Sep 9, 2023; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies running back Bhayshul Tuten (33) scores a touchdown in the second quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers defense at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lee Luther Jr.-USA TODAY Sports /

Virginia Tech ran the ball better than the previous two games

The run game against Old Dominion and Purdue in the first two weeks was, well, non-existent. From the offensive line having trouble blocking to hesitation from the backs to hitting the gaps hard to what appeared to be the theme of the playcalling to having Wells throw the ball a lot. It worked against ODU, but not against the Boilermakers.

Against the Scarlet Knights, just having Drones in the game is a threat to the Hokies running game with the ability to run the ball out of the option or just scramble from pressure. Virginia Tech finished the game with 129 yards on the ground. Of course 84 of that was from Drones, but 48 yards came from Bhayshul Tuten and 13 from Malachi Thomas.

Getting the running game going is a must for Virginia Tech as it takes a load off of their quarterback’s shoulders and makes them less predictable. The offense line, which struggled in all three games really, needs to step up as well.

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