5 winners and 1 loser from Virginia Tech's statement win over Georgia Tech

For the second straight week, the Virginia Tech football team was facing a wounded opponent. Last week, they played an undermanned California team in Berkeley and lost, 25-20. It was the second straight loss after a gut-wrenching loss the week before at home to Pittsburgh. This week, they hosted Georgia Tech, which was down 12 starters.

After racing out to a 24-3 halftime lead, the Hokies held off a second-half rally from the Yellow Jackets to improve to 5-2 with a 34-24 victory. It was a must-win for Virginia Tech, and here are five winners and one loser as the Hokies improved to 2-2 in the ACC.

Winner: Que'Sean Brown

Que'Sean Brown continues to prove each week that he was a tremendous portal pickup. Just in the first half alone, Brown had five catches for 180 yards and a touchdown. He finished the game with 251 all-purpose yards against Georgia Tech. He had a 63-yard punt return late in the third quarter, where he was again tackled short of the goal line. If there is someone who deserves a punt return for a touchdown this season, it's Brown.

Loser: Brent Pry

I'm sure he'll be given another year, but yikes. The defense seems like it is getting worse by the week. They were only called for a couple of pass interference penalties in the game, forced a fumble, and had an interception, but it still wasn't an encouraging performance. It reached its low point in the third quarter when they allowed Georgia Tech to go 75 yards on three plays to begin the second half. Then on the next Yellow Jackets drive, they were torched for a touchdown pass with no communication, with a wide receiver wide open in the end zone. This looks nothing like the Brent Pry defenses at Penn State.

Winner: Ethan Grunkemeyer

Penn State transfer quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer had another big afternoon with his arm and legs. He was 15-for-22 through the air, with three touchdown passes. On the ground, he had 25 yards rushing and a first-half touchdown on a scramble. There are not many calls for Grunkemeyer to run the ball a lot, but he picks and chooses when to do it. He averaged 11.4 yards per completition and made some big throws early on.

Winner: Aycen Stevens

While things were clicking on the offensive side of the ball, the defensive side of things struggled at times, but Aycen Stevens had a big game once again for Pry. Stevens finished with four tackles, three solo, 1.5 sacks, and 2.5 tackles for a loss. He had a key sack in the third quarter when he was able to get Alberto Mendoza out of bounds at the Yellow Jackets' 2-yard line. The good thing was he got up and didn't celebrate over Mendoza like he did last week at Cal.

Winner: Keon Wylie

While Stevens was creating issues for Mendoza from the edge, Penn State transfer Keon Wylie was a huge presence at the second level. Wylie finished with a team-high 10 tackles, six solo, but he had some pressures. There have been some transfers who have been valuable this season, and Wylie doesn't get the headlines that Grunkemeyer and tight end Luke Reynolds do, but he's been tremendous on the defensive side of the ball.

Winner: John Love

If there was someone who needed something positive to happen to him this afternoon, it was Love. He had missed his last three kicks combined against Cal and Pitt, and if he had hit those, the Hokies would be 7-0. However, kickers are fragile, and Love nailed his two attempts in the game from 39 and 24 yards. Everyone was excited for the senior who had to survive a kicking competition in practice this week to have the opportunity to kick.

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