When the Virginia Tech football team took the field last Saturday night against Vanderbilt, quarterback Kyron Drones needed a bounce-back performance. He struggled in the opener six days before against South Carolina, throwing the ball. He missed some wide-open receivers (his receivers also dropped some balls that should have been caught), and he threw an ill-advised interception at the goal line.
Playing at home, it was the perfect setup for the senior to have a bounce-back game. The results were better in the first half, but the second half was a different story for not only Drones but also his teammates.
Grading Kyron Drones performance against Vanderbilt
In the opening half, Drones led the Hokies into the red zone four times on their five possessions. Offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery mixed up the play calling and had the Commodores guessing a little bit with the running game and passing game.
On the game-opening drive, the Hokies got inside Vanderbilt's 20-yard line and, facing a third-and-long, Drones scrambled and had a wide-open receiver at the front corner of the end zone, but a bad throw forced an incomplete pass as the catch was not completed with the receiver falling out of bounds. They had to settle for a field goal, and you knew that in the end, kicking field goals was not going to be enough to keep up with Diego Pavia and Vandy's offense.
Drones led a touchdown drive after Quentin Reddish's interception, and then in the second quarter, he scored on a 1-yard keeper to help build the halftime lead. Then the second half happened.
Drones was under pressure it felt like the entire half, and Virginia Tech didn't pick up their first first down without the benefit of a penalty until the end of the half with Pop Watson in the game by then. It was a forgetful half of football for Virginia Tech, not just Drones.
Kyron Drones Grade: C
The offensive line play wasn't good and was compounded at the end of the first half when they lost Johnny Garrett, forcing freshman Aidan Lynch into the game. Drones was under pressure a lot of the night and ran the ball well, but he needed to be better to beat Pavia.