The Virginia Tech and Boston College football teams battled not only each other on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Mass., but they also had to play Mother Nature. Playing in a Nor'easter, the Hokies and Eagles struggled with ugly first half numbers, but the second half, the weather took a little turn for the better and both yeams were able to open things up.
In the end, Virginia Tech rallied from a 14-6 fourth-quarter deficit to score two touchdowns en route to a 21-14 victory, improving to 4-0 for the first time in nine years in James Franklin's first season in Blacksburg. Here are three winners and two losers from the Hokies' first ACC victory.
Winner: Jeffrey Overton Jr.
When all was going to be said and done on Saturday afternoon, given the weather conditions, you knew that it was going to come down to whoever could break a big play. Both teams made them, but in the end, the Hokies had one more than the Eagles, thanks to their sophomore running back.
Overton Jr. finished with 209 yards rushing, one touchdown, and a key two-point conversion in the fourth quarter. Overton Jr. added his two-point conversion to tie the game after Marlion Jackson's touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. Then, Overton Jr. ripped off a 76-yard touchdown run on the ensuing possession that turned out to be the difference. Virginia Tech was also able to run out the clock on their final drive for the seven-point win.
Loser: Brent Pry
Whether it is as head coach or defensive coordinator, Brent Pry and running quarterbacks don't go hand in hand. That was the case on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Stadium. BC transfer Mason McKenzie rushed for 138 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns. He ripped off a 45-yard run late in the third quarter that led to the Eagles' first touchdown and a 7-6 lead. There are going to be more signal callers on the schedule who are better runners than McKenzie, and if he can do that against the Hokies, who knows what the other could do.
Winner: Marlion Jackson
Hokies wide receiver Ayden Greene was out and it was a big loss in the passing game for Virginia Tech. That left Davion Brown and Que'Sean Brown as Ethan Grunkemeyer's top two targets on the outside. Penn State transfer Marlion Jackson has been waiting to hear his named called in a big moment and that moment was Saturday.
After BC grabbed a 14-6 lead, Jackson hauled in a back-corner throw to the end zone from Grunkemeyer for a touchdown that tied the game after Overton Jr. added the two-point conversion.
Loser: Boston College running backs
For all the good that McKenzie did for BC running the ball, he got no help from any of the other running backs. Evan Dickens rushed for nine yards, and Bo MacCormack rushed for four. I get it, go with what's working, but if McKenzie rushes the ball 26 times a game in ACC play, he's not going to make it to the end of the season.
Winner: John Love
The field conditions were nowhere near anything that was fun for kickers in the game. Both coaches passed up field goal attempts that maybe they would have tried in better conditions, but Love connected on a 35-yard field goal late in the first half and a 22-yard field goal in the third quarter. They might not seem like much, but in a game played in the conditions that both teams played in, those were huge.
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