Blacksburg, Va. — Virginia Tech's (5-2) goal for Saturday's homecoming matchup with Georgia Tech (3-4) was simple: halt a two-game skid that had stalled the momentum buoying the program since James Franklin took over last fall.
The Hokies had their work cut out for them. After suffering back-to-back crushing losses to Pitt and Cal, Franklin's group struggled with penalties and turnovers alike, and kicker John Love was 0-for-3 on his last three attempts. To make matters worse, the defense hadn't forced a turnover in four games, the longest streak in program history.
But once the ball was in the air on the opening kick, none of that mattered much. When it was all said and done, Virginia Tech turned in one of its best performances of the season, defeating Georgia Tech 34-24 behind Que'Sean Brown's career day.
The Hokies wasted no time in trying to achieve their objective. In a minute and 23 seconds, Ethan Grunkemeyer led another opening-drive score, Virginia Tech's fourth this season, capped off by a 60-yard pass to Que'Sean Brown down the seam. For the Duke transfer, the score marked his involvement in seven of the team's 15 longest plays of the season.
With wind in Virginia Tech's sails, the defense then did its part by forcing a fumble that went out of the end zone on the Jackets' first drive to hand the ball back to Grunkemeyer and Co.
It was just the start the Hokies needed after their last two weeks.
Seven plays and 80 yards later, Grunkemeyer extended the lead to 14-0 with his fifth rushing touchdown of the season, a 20-yard scamper up the middle.
After forcing a Georgia Tech punt, the Hokies took over from their own 4-yard line. Brown did his thing on third down, taking a sidearm Grunkemeyer throw 32 yards to move the chains and end another dominant first quarter in which Grunkemeyer was a perfect 6-for-6 for 128 yards, with Brown accounting for 103 on three catches.
"It felt great," Brown said about his performance after the game. "I wouldn't even give all the credit to me. I give it to my teammates. They put me in a position to get the ball in space, and I just did my God-given ability after that."
After getting another stop as the second quarter got underway, a familiar boogeyman crashed the party. In a rare misstep, Que'Sean Brown muffed a low punt, a giveaway that handed Georgia Tech the ball at the 18-yard line. The Jackets settled for a field goal four plays later.
If the Hokies' offense was deflated, it sure didn't show it. Grunkemeyer hit Brown again down the seam for 66 yards to the Jackets' 12, setting up a mesh play on fourth down that sprung tight end Ja'Ricous Hairston in the corner of the end zone to extend the lead to 21-3. It was Hairston's fifth career score.
What had begun as a spark of momentum in the first quarter then ignited into a firestorm.
After committing two pass interference penalties earlier in the game, safety Quentin Reddish picked off Alberto Mendoza on the Jackets' first play after Hairston's score. Just like that, after failing to turn over an opponent for four consecutive weeks, the Hokies now had two takeaways in one half. It was just the second interception of the season and the first since the opener against VMI, a stretch that no one on the Hokies' sideline had been happy about.
"This week, Coach Franklin, Coach Pry really had an emphasis on turning the ball over," defensive end Aycen Stevens said. "So that's something we look forward to proving to everybody that we can get the ball out."
True to his word, the defense forced four fumbles for the game, the most all season.
Although Virginia Tech wasn't able to put it in the end zone, it got another weight off its shoulders after John Love made a 39-yard field goal to end the longest streak of misses of his career. The team captain was greeted by a standing ovation from the home crowd.
Franklin emphasized that the Hokies held a legitimate competition this week at kicker in attempts to sort out the issues at that spot, an effort he felt paid off with Love's perfect day.
"I'm proud of him," Franklin said. "He did a really good job tonight."
At the half, the Hokies held a commanding 24-3 advantage. It was a career 30 minutes for Brown, who eclipsed his career high in receiving yards on five catches for 180 yards. Virginia Tech outgained Georgia Tech 307-149, despite the game's almost even time of possession (VT 15:52, GT 14:08).
Despite the Hokies doing almost everything right in the first half, Georgia Tech wouldn't go away quietly. Just 47 seconds into the second frame, running back Trelain Maddox erupted for 42 yards to cut the deficit to 14.
Georgia Tech showed more of its renewed pulse on Virginia Tech's first drive, bringing down Grunkemeyer for two sacks and forcing a punt that the Jackets returned into plus territory. Not wasting any time, Mendoza connected with a wide-open Dalen Penson for a 33-yard touchdown pass.
Visions of the last two weeks were now on the minds of all 65,632 fans in attendance as a 21-point lead that had Lane Stadium in a celebratory mood was nearly wiped out less than three minutes into the second half. Another three-and-out on the Hokies' next drive further dampened the mood, as the Jackets got home on their third sack in two series. Grunkemeyer was sacked five times on the day, continuing the offensive line's struggles.
The defense finally stopped the bleeding, thanks to a sack by Aycen Stevens down at the Jackets' 2-yard line. After a short punt, the Hokies were back in plus territory.
A few plays later, running back Jeff Overton Jr. caught a screen pass and took it 26 yards into the end zone to give the Hokies some breathing room back.
"I just saw open space, and I just ran toward the green grass," Overton said. "It kind of reminded me of high school a little bit, just seeing all that open field and just running back through it. You see open field, you just got to go take it."
After another Stevens' third-down sack on the next drive, Brown returned the Jackets' punt 63 yards down to the 17-yard line. A personal foul against Georgia Tech further helped the Hokies' cause, giving them a first down inside the 10 as the third quarter came to a close.
For Brown, it was another oh-so-close punt return that was halted just yards from paydirt.
"I promise you, I'm going to get one soon," he said. "I can promise you that."
Stevens' second sack marked seven total this season. He's recorded a sack in six of the Hokies' seven games.
"I look at myself as a leader up front for sure, but we play as a unit," Stevens said after the game. "I enjoy getting the sacks and all that, but it's not just me."
Another John Love field goal extended the lead to 34-17. After gaining just 31 yards in their quarter, the Hokies' 10 unanswered points were badly needed and later proved decisive.
The Jackets came back onto the field with a sense of urgency, completing passes of 16, 18, and 16 yards to set up a 32-yard field goal attempt that kicker Aidan Birr pushed to the right, ending a promising, much-needed drive.
Georgia Tech got the ball back a few minutes later, though, and quickly went to work. After Maddox burst into the Hokies' secondary for 34 yards, Mendoza hooked up with Jaiven Plummer for a 6-yard touchdown, pulling the Jackets within striking range with 5:20 remaining.
In arguably its most assertive drive of the day, Virginia Tech's offensive line paved the way for a run-heavy, 55-play drive deep into Georgia Tech territory that iced the game. The Hokies rushed for 159 yards on the day, the most since their 233-yard outing against Boston College in Week 4.
In total, Que'Sean Brown had 251 all-purpose yards, the eighth-most by a Virginia Tech player since 1987.
Brown reflected on his journey to Virginia Tech and felt that his performance Saturday validated the adversity he's encountered to get here.
"I've always wanted to be a Hokie," Brown said. "I was here at a camp before, and it just didn't work out, you know? They had a slot receiver already, and it just didn't work out. But God works in crazy ways, and I ended up back where I wanted to be."
In a tale of two halves, the Hokies started fast but later sputtered, earning just 35 passing yards in the final 30 minutes. After lagging for the first two quarters, the Jackets racked up 279 yards to Virginia Tech's 102 in the second half.
For the third time this season, Virginia Tech allowed 300 or more passing yards. The Hokies' secondary concerns were especially acute in the second half, when Mendoza threw just two incompletions.
"I think Mendoza is super accurate," Franklin said. "They got the ball out quickly, but there's no doubt we've got to make sure that we're doing a great job of adjusting to motions and shifts and forcing the quarterback to hold onto the ball a little longer."
Both quarterbacks played well. Mendoza was 29-of-38 for 335 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Ethan Grunkemeyer went 15-for-22 for 250 yards and three scores.
A point of emphasis all week, after two games filled with back-breaking penalties, Virginia Tech committed just four for 40 yards.
"We've been talking to the guys all the time about, you know, before you can learn how to win the big games, you have to learn what you have to do to eliminate the things that get you beat, right?" Franklin said. "Turnovers, penalties, things that just make winning more difficult. So that was a big factor in the game."
Virginia Tech travels to Clemson next week for a chance to become eligible for the first time since 2024.
