Virginia Tech had its most entertaining game of the season on Friday night as the Hokies won a thrilling 42-34 double overtime game against California. This was a roller coaster of a night where the Hokies scored the first 10 points, Cal scored the next 20, VT scored the next 17, and then Cal scored a tying touchdown after before double overtime was needed to decide this game.
With that said, here are my takeaways from the Hokies' 42-34 victory over California.
1. Kyron Drones' Toughness Can't Be Denied
One thing that can't be denied after Friday Night's performance is the toughness of Kyron Drones.
The redshirt quarterback put his body on the line time and time again in this game, not sliding once on his 19 non-sack carries. That type of toughness and physicality paid off as Drones ran for 155 yards on those 19 non-sack carries with two rushing touchdowns. That's not including his two-point conversion in the second overtime that proved inconsequential in the end after Cal was stopped without a first down to seal the victory.
Drones received plenty of criticism earlier on this season when there was a play where he slid just before the line of scrimmage in what appeared to be a simple lack of awareness rather than him showing a lack of toughness. It also came after an offseason where Drones was encouraged to slide more to minimize his wear and tear after an injury-riddled 2024.
Well, Drones went back to his old physical-running self in this game and took advantage of a Cal defense that consistently went all-in on the RB on read option looks. He was unafraid to put his head down and put his body on the line run after run, diving at times for every yard he can get and ensuring that he maximizes his carries.
When your team is 2-5 and you have dreams of playing at the next level but have an injury history, it would be easy to move with tiptoes and choose to slide instead of putting your body on the line. Instead, Drones has been unafraid to run with full force and physicality despite the increased injury risk for a team that is trending towards one of the worst records in VT's 21st Century football history.
If that's not someone who has great toughness and passion for football, then I'm not sure what is. Moving forward, it'll take a borderline insurmountable amount of data to prove that Drones isn't a tough football player, especially after the way he ran against California on Friday night.
2. Marcellous Hawkins Has Star Potential
To start, let's compare three different Virginia Tech RB seasons based on some PFF data.
Player A
- 1 missed tackle per 2.65 carries
- 18.8% of carries for 10+ yards
- 4.72 yards per carry after contact
Player B
- 1 missed tackle per 2.95 carries
- 18.6% of carries for 10+ yards
- 4.47 yards per carry after contact
Player C
- 1 missed tackle per 3.69 carries
- 21.9% of carries for 10+ yards
- 4.74 yards per carry after contact
