Virginia Tech put together their best performance of the season in the ACC's first ever West Coast game, cruising to a 31-7 victory over Stanford. While there were plenty of standout performances on both sides of the ball, there were a couple standout performances above the rest to earn Hokie of the Game honors.
Offensive Hokie of the Game: Kyron Drones
Kyron Drones hasn't had the start to the season through the air that many including himself were hoping for. However, Drones built on a solid performance last week at Miami with arguably his best four-quarter passing game of the season to lead Tech to a dominant 31-7 victory over Stanford.
Kyron Drones was 14-19 for 201 yards and two touchdown while running for 17 yards and a touchdown. His 73.7% completion rate was the best of his Virginia Tech career according to Will Stewart of Tech Sideline, with plenty of these throws being down the field in the mid-range passing rather than just short or underneath passes.
While there were a couple decisions that Drones would likely want back, he made plenty of sharp decisions and accurate throws while having a few completions being due to him progressing through reads effectively even while staring down a rusher. this may not have been the toughest pass defense that Virginia Tech will face, but it's absolutely one that Drones and the Hokies' passing attack can build on for the rest of the season.
Stanford was able to slow Bhayshul Tuten down some, but he still was productive with 21 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown. Da'Quan Felton broke out of his slow start to the season with a dominant second half as he had four catches for 82 yards including a 55-yard touchdown reception. Stephen Gosnell added three catches for 53 yards and a touchdown while Jaylin Lane had three catches for 29 yards plus a 24-yard carry.
Defensive Hokie of the Game: Kaleb Spencer
Kaleb Spencer continues to be one of the biggest surprises for this Virginia Tech team, as the Miami transfer has forced his way into the linebacker despite the Hokies having a quality starting STAR linebacker, providing great work even in a rotational role.
Spencer shined for the second-straight week with four tackles including two for loss with one sack plus a forced fumble while being a force all over the field in this game. He was a playmaker in this game and continues to play like someone who will be a standout for the Hokies in 2025 and 2026 after Keonta Jenkins' graduation this year.
While Jenkins is also playing well and won't be overtaken for his starting job, Spencer is playing at a high level and should continue to be a playmaker in his rotational role throughout the rest of the season.
Mose Phillips continues to be a playmaker for Virginia Tech at safety with four tackles including one for loss plus a forced fumble. Keonta Jenkins had four tackles including one for loss and an interception while Sam Brumfield led the Hokies with seven tackles including 0.5 for loss. Caleb Woodson also added six tackles including 0.5 for loss while Jaden Keller had five tackles including 0.5 for loss and Aeneas Peebles had two tackles including his third sack of the year.
