Virginia Tech ended its two-game losing streak with a 34-24 victory over Georgia Tech thanks to a dominant 24-3 first half. Things got dicey when GT scored 14 points in three minutes to open the second half, but slowly widened as the Hokies turned bad field position for the Yellow Jackets off a punt that was fumbled twice to pin the Yellow Jackets deep into a quick stop and a touchdown immediately after to seize control the rest of the way.
With all that said, here are my takeaways from the Hokies' 34-24 victory over Georgia Tech.
1. Que'Sean Brown, Jeff Overton Jr Continue to be Dynamic
Virginia Tech has a pair of versatile, dynamic playmakers in Que'Sean Brown and Jeff Overton Jr who both have shown their ability to make impacts in multiple ways.
Brown had six catches for a career-high 182 yards and a touchdown plus a 63-yard punt return and a 12-yard carry, with three of his eight touches going for 60+ yards. Meanwhile, Jeff Overton Jr had 14 carries for 85 yards plus three catches for 29 yards and a touchdown.
Two of the traits that continue to be impressive about both Brown and Overton is their standout speed and their ability to manipulate defenders and make plays in the open field. Both Brown and Overton had multiple plays where they made multiple players miss.
Brown officially forced only one missed tackle per PFF, but he was dynamic throughout as shown by the fact that 131 of his 182 receiving yards came after the catch. Brown was able to manipulate the open space he had very effectively and turn on the jets when he knew he had plenty of room to run.
His ability to find the right lanes in more unstructured (non-run plays) situations shows best on punt returns where Brown seized an opportunity on a punt that carried farther than Georgia Tech would have liked and created lots more space in the punt coverage unit which Brown picked apart brilliantly to have his third 60+ yard play of the day. You can see it on the opening touchdowns where he manipulates a one-on-one situation with a DB perfectly to create the angle he needs to turn a long play into a touchdown.
That skill set combined with his tremendous speed has made him one of the most dynamic offensive weapons in the ACC at minimum and possibly one of the most dynamic weapons nationally especially when you factor his punt return skills with his receiving abilities.
Meanwhile, Overton's biggest moment came not on a run but on a catch-and-run as he seemed dead to rights on a checkdown into the flat but he made a guy miss and then completely changed directions to run into an ocean of space where he was able to manipulate his blocks and turn a nothing burger into a 26-yard catch and run touchdown.
Overton was credited with eight missed tackles in this game with six of those coming on carries and two of those coming on receptions. Overton's ability to shed tacklers and make guys miss combined with his speed makes him one of the most dangerous running backs in the ACC and someone who appears bound to be playing on Sundays when his collegiate career comes to a close.
Brown and Overton are continuing to be dynamic playmakers who are utilizing similar traits to be among the best at their position in the ACC this year. Don't be surprised when Brown and Overton both earn All-ACC honors this season.
