During the week, Virginia Tech football coach Brent Pry said all the right things after losing at Miami last Friday night. On Tuesday, he said that his team had turned the page to Stanford in a game where they had to travel over 2,000 miles just eight days after their trip to South Florida.
In the end, Pry and his coaches, along with his team, had a great game plan for Stanford and executed it really well in a dominating, 31-7 victory to even their record at 3-3 overall heading into a much-needed bye week. At the halfway point in their schedule, the Hokies get four of their final six games in Blacksburg as they make a push to become bowl-eligible. Here is Tech's report card from their 24-point win on the West Coast.
Virginia Tech report card after Stanford victory
There were not many Stanford fans at their ACC home opener, but there were a lot of Hokies in attendance as we saw on TV and social media. Once again, it doesn't need to be stated, that Hokies fans travel and travel well, even cross-country for a regular season game.
It was a great game plan from Brent Pry and his staff. Offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen was aggressive on the play-calling from the first series and his players executed it well. Defensive coordinator Chris Marve held the Cardinal to one touchdown and they defense got after Justin Lamson and had him running all afternoon long.
Hey, what do you know, an error-free game from the Hokies special teams. John Love kicked all four extra points and booted a 46-yard field goal late in the game. Punter Peter Moore was excellent at flipping the field. It was a very good afternoon for a unit that had been struggling.
Virginia Tech offensive report card vs. Stanford
Kyron Drones played well, but he did miss some throws that he would like to have back, missing receivers that were open. He did do a nice job of moving around in the pocket and Bowen did a nice job mixing up the calls. He was 14-for-19 for 201 yards through the air while adding a touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
As a team, the Hokies rushed for 136 yards against the nation's eighth-ranked defense, and the top team in the ACC in rushing yards allowed a game. Virginia Tech had a season-high 96 allowed by the Cardinal defense in the opening half. Tuten only finished with 73 yards on the ground on 21 carries and a touchdown.
Yes, Drones missed some open receivers and Jaylin Lane had a drop, but they made plays for their QB. The biggest was Da'Quan Felton's 55-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter when he grabbed a pass behind him and outran the Cardinal defense. He finished with a team-high 84 receiving yards and Stephen Gosnell had 53.
It was a quiet day for the tight ends with Benji Gosnell having two receptions for 10 yards. It didn't need to be a big day with the way they ran the ball and the wide receivers making plays.
It was an impressive performance from a unit that has struggled all season. Was it a perfect performance? No, but they were more than good enough and were a big reason for the success the Hokies had in the running game against Stanford. It was a good sight to see.
Virginia Tech defensive report card vs. Stanford
It was another good performance from the Hokies defensive line. They had Lamson on the run all day long and like the rest of the defense, they bent but never broke. Kemari Copeland's loss wasn't felt this weekend at tackle, but they got after it in the heat. You have to give the whole defensive unit props for sticking it out in the California heat.
What a day for the linebackers. Kaleb Spencer followed up his strong performance at Miami with another impressive game, finishing with five tackles, all solo, and three for a loss. Sam Brumfield finished with a team-high seven tackles and Caleb Woodson had six. Not to be outdone, Jaden Keller also finished with five. Spencer has been a bright spot the last couple of games for Marve's unit.
Like their teammates, it was a good day for the Hokies secondary and they also bent, but never broke. In fact, they held Stanford's talented wide receiver, Elic Ayomanor to zero receptions in the first half. In fact, his touchdown catch came on a half-back option. They allowed 122 receiving yards over 60 minutes. They also came to play.