When a team suffers an embarrassing loss, there are two ways to react. They can get caught up in the negativity of the loss, or they can put their noses to the grindstone and go back to work, putting emphasis on the defense while hoping to correct the mistakes of the previous week and play better.
Virginia Tech did the latter this past Saturday.
Actually, they did more than that. They dominated most of the game against Boston College.
After committing 15 penalties and turning the ball over five times in a loss at Old Dominion, Virginia Tech played a very clean game Saturday night in their home opener They committed only five penalties and had no turnovers in a 27-10 win over Boston College.
This one was old school Virginia Tech football. Disruptive, suffocating defense, a key turnover, and just enough offense to get the job done. Add a raucous crowd of 66,000 plus and it could have been any home game from 15-20 years ago!
The First Possessions Told All
If you only saw the first two possessions of this game, then you saw enough. They were a perfect microcosm of things to come.
After receiving the opening kickoff, Boston College ran the ball on their first play from scrimmage. Virginia Tech flocked to the ball and stopped BC for no gain. On the very next play, Phil Jurkovec’s pass was intercepted by Virginia Tech cornerback Armani Chatman, who returned the ball 31 yards to the BC 14-yard line.
Seven plays and two fourth-down conversions later, Virginia Tech finally punched it in to go up 7-0.
This is how the game would go for the rest of the evening. Boston College was not able to run the ball, finishing the game with a meager four yards of rushing. They averaged 0.2 yards per carry.
The passing offense did not fare much better. Jurkovec only threw for 151 yards and one touchdown. It was a long night for the Eagles.
And although Virginia Tech scored 27 points, much like that first drive, the Hokies’ offense wasn’t very impressive. They did what they had to do to secure the win, and they did not turn the ball over, but they did not exactly light up the stat sheet.
The Hokies finished with 144 total yards rushing and a 3.2 yards per carry average. In the air, Grant Wells threw for 140 yards and one touchdown. Fortunately, the Virginia Tech defense was stifling, so Wells and company did not need to score in bunches.
The Yard Dogs and the Lunch Pail Defense
The Virginia Tech defense put on a show for the sold-out crowd. They swarmed to the ball. They played downhill. The defensive backs tackled well in the open field. And they harassed Jurkovec all night long.
It was a real throwback performance, one similar to the Lunch Pail Defenses of old. Head Coach Brent Pry has said that he wants to restore the program to its roots – he came through on this aspect of that promise!
The driving force of the defense was the front seven, specifically the front four. They have been dubbed “The Yard Dogs” by defensive line coach J.C. Price, a former standout Hokie defensive tackle himself. Price has even created dog tags that he is giving out to his players when then earn them.
The top dog this week was defensive end Tyjuan Garbutt. The senior was all over Boston College on Saturday. He recorded three solo tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, and four quarterback hurries. He also batted down a pass to end a BC drive at the Tech 13-yard line, causing the Eagles to settle for a field goal. Garbutt even caused a fumble on one of his tackles, but BC running back Pat Garwo jumped on the ball for a six-yard loss.
For his efforts, Garbutt was named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week. He also won the Lunch Pail honor – he will get to carry the Pail all week and out of the tunnel on Saturday. And he certainly earned his dog tag this week.
Garbutt and his peers like their new identity. In a Sons of Saturday interview, Garbutt called it “a mentality mindset thing” that allows them “to see what kind of dog you are. Are you a yard dog or are you a house dog?” Unlike a house dog that “keeps food in the bowl, that needs AC, he can’t be in the heat,” Garbutt describes the yard dog as a tougher breed. ”He sits outside all day chained up to the fence, waiting for the mailman to come…to try to bite at his ankle.” Garbutt and his fellow linemen were biting at Phil Jurkovec’s ankles all night, and they definitely got into his head.
They also got into the backfield all night, ending with ten tackles for loss, five sacks, and five quarterback hurries. The defense was very disruptive, something that has been lacking from the front seven for several years now.
The Offense Did What It Had To Do
This was not a pretty game by the Virginia Tech offense. The 284 yards of offense was a very pedestrian evening. But they did enough to win. Grant Wells and company effectively managed the game. They protected the ball. Late in the game, they ran the clock.
The Hokies were able to capitalize on two big plays from their offense. The first was a Keshawn King 65-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to put Tech up 17-0. King left the game early with injury, so he only finished with four carries for 64 yards, but he made that one play count. All summer, Brent Pry touted King for his explosiveness, and he put it on display on that beautifully executed run.
The other big play came in the second half when the momentum began to shift to Boston College. After a six play, 86-yard touchdown drive, Virginia Tech responded with a long drive of its own. They key play in that drive was a 43-yard reception by Kaleb Smith. On second and ten from their own 22, Grant Wells hit Smith in stride deep down the right side. Smith was blanketed – literally – by BC cornerback Elijah Jones, who had a handful of jersey at the shoulder pad and another handful of face mask. Smith made the spectacular one-handed grab, and the scoring drive was on.
Eight plays later, Wells again hit Smith on a perfectly designed and executed play action pass from the two-yard line, and Tech extended the lead back to two touchdowns. Uncle Mo returned to the Tech sideline and the Hokies easily controlled the rest of the game.
Brent Pry picked up his first win as Virginia Tech’s head coach, his first win in Lane Stadium, and his first win in the ACC. And most importantly, he had his team fired up and ready to play after that difficult loss to Old Dominion the week before. The season’s goals are still attainable.
Next Up
Virginia Tech has an early Saturday contest against Wofford this week before hosting border rival West Virginia next Thursday.
Through two games, Wofford is 0-2. They lost to Chattanooga and Elon by a combined margin of 57-0. They limp into Lane Stadium on a 12-game losing streak. The game starts at 11 am – the earliest start in Lane Stadium history – and it is not a sellout. This is the perfect scenario for a letdown, but after the Old Dominion game, Hokie Nation is hoping to learn from their mistakes and play clean football this weekend.
The Hokies should use this game simply to get better. They have not been particularly good at run blocking, nor have they stretched the field much in the passing game, so this will be an excellent opportunity to make those into points of emphasis. The defense should also challenge themselves to pitch the shutout. Tech needs to be focused and motivated – the ODU loss should be too fresh in their minds to play this any other way.
Hopefully, Virginia Tech can rest some of the key players who are banged up, and hopefully some of the younger guys can get onto the field early enough for meaningful snaps. Just take care of business and get the win, then turn their attention to winning back the Black Diamond Trophy on Thursday night.
Afterthoughts
- In the Old Dominion game, Virginia Tech leaned heavily on tight ends Nick Gallo and Drake De Iuliis. They had nine receptions for 61 yards. They were practically nonexistent in this one, however, combining for only two catches and three yards. Yes, Tech got the win, but hopefully the tight ends will be consistent weapons throughout the year.
- In the “Afterthoughts” of my previous article, I questioned the lack of use of Connor Blumrick in the ODU game. He didn’t touch the ball until the final, ill-fated desperation drive. Perhaps the Tech coaches read my article, because Blumrick was a weapon from the start of the BC game. He took a direct snap on the first play from scrimmage out of the Wild Turkey formation. He had a few nice catches and first downs, finishing with five receptions for 46 yards. He was even included in a trick play where he wisely decided not to throw the football and instead ran it out of bounds. It was refreshing to see him so involved in the game.
- Phil Jurkovec is probably happy that he never has to play in Lane Stadium again. In two visits, he is 0-2 with a combined margin of defeat of 67-24. In those two games, he has three interceptions and a lost fumble. Virginia Tech also sacked him 6 times and hurried him 13 more. To his credit, though, he kept battling back on Saturday and deserves props for showing some grit.
- Virginia Tech is all alone in first place in the Coastal Division. Let that sink in for a minute…
- Virginia Tech has now held the Commonwealth Cup for 643 consecutive days!