Virginia Tech erased the Norfolk nightmares of the past tonight with a dominant 37-17 victory over Old Dominion. The Hokies had plenty of standout performances in this game but two players rose above the rest to earn Hokie of the Game honors.
Offensive Hokie of the Game: Bhayshul Tuten
He may have been banged up, but Bhayshul Tuten would not be denied in this game, putting together another impressive performance that helped drive the Hokies to a comfortable victory in the second half.
Tuten broke 100 rushing yards for the second-straight week turning 21 carries into 115 yards and two touchdowns including a very good average of 5.5 yards per carry. It didn't matter the type of carry Tuten go whether it was between the tackles or on the edge as he was able to create plenty of big plays in all circumstances.
This came after Tuten was practicing in a no-contact jersey during the week and went down late in the first half. At halftime, Tuten put on a knee brace and took over from there to drive the Hokies to their first victory in Norfolk over Old Dominion.
Kyron Drones had his best performance as a runner this season going for a team-high 117 yards on the ground on 12 carries while going 15-26 through the air for 176 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Part of what made Drones so effective was his composure on scrambles from making big plays with his legs to keeping his eyes down field and finding some open receivers to a couple moments where he was able to avoid a sack and get the ball away.
Jaylin Lane was the star of the first quarter with five catches for 106 yards and a touchdown in the first 15 minutes on his way to having seven catches for 106 yards. He also had 29 yards on three punt returns including a 20-yard return during the second half.
Defensive Hokie of the Game: Antwaun Powell-Ryland
It was a 757 homecoming to remember for Antwaun Powell-Ryland who was clearly the best player on the field in this game, and was the easy choice for this honors.
APR was dominant from start to finish with a school record tying four sacks to go with two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and seven total tackles which was tied for the team lead. APR was a nightmare for the Old Dominion offensive line and performed exactly how you would expect a player of APR's caliber to perform.
His performance also made him only the second Hokie ever to have multiple four-sack games in a VT career, joining the NFL's all-time sack leader Bruce Smith. After the game, APR had this to say when informed of that honor.
"That’s amazing, that’s Bruce Smith! Oh, that’s crazy. That’s Bruce Smith. To be in a conversation with Bruce Smith is saying I’m doing something right. So for me, I’ve just got to keep going. I’ve got to try to be on that level even more, try to excel on what’s going on now," Powell-Ryland said.
Powell-Ryland was indeed doing something right with this memorable performance back in his hometown.
Kelvin Gilliam had the best game of his collegiate career to date with six tackles including his first career sack. Caleb Woodson had a big night with seven tackles including 0.5 for loss and a QB hurry. Sam Brumfield also played well with six tackles including one for loss while Mansoor Delane had an interception and a pair of tackles.
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