For the third-straight week, Virginia Tech set the bar higher for their best game of the season with a 28-0 shutout victory against Pittsburgh to set up a Coastal Championship game with Virginia and eliminate Pittsburgh from the Coastal race. The Hokies had plenty of great performances, but Tayvion Robinson and Rayshard Ashby stood out the most to earn this week's Hokie of the Game honors.
Offensive Hokie of the Game: Tayvion Robinson
Tayvion Robinson had only 3 touches, but he had a pair of big plays that stood out the most in igniting the Hokies' offense on their longest touchdown drives. Robinson had a 71-yard reception that set up a one-yard James Mitchell touchdown run while his 32-yard carry gave VT a first and goal on a drive that ended in a touchdown along with a 3-yard reception.
Robinson's speed has given opponents' nightmares throughout this season, and this game was the latest example as his speed was on full display along with his impressive elusiveness as an open-field runner. There's no doubt that the ceiling is sky high for Robinson's potential and his big plays in this game were the latest examples.
Hendon Hooker had another strong, efficient game going 10-13 for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns while running for 27 net yards. Tre Turner had a strong game as well leading the Hokies with 3 receptions for 30 yards and a touchdown while Dalton Keene had 2 catches for 45 yards, James Mitchell had a one-yard rushing touchdown, and Damon Hazelton had a 2-yard touchdown reception.
Defensive Hokie of the Game: Rayshard Ashby
Throughout this season, there hasn't been a player as good on the Hokies' defense as Rayshard Ashby, and the Hokies' mike linebacker stepped up with another big performance.
Ashby shared the team lead with 7 tackles including 1.5 sacks, one of which came as a strip sack immediately following VT's opening touchdown that Norell Pollard recovered and returned for another TD, making it 14-0 in the first quarter.
Ashby can now add this highlight reel play to his forced fumble against Notre Dame that Divine Deablo returned for a touchdown. However, what has been most impressive about Ashby is how he has consistently made the every down play as the Hokies' most consistent tackler while always seeming to end up around the ball. Bud Foster also had very high praise for Ashby's season as a whole after today's victory.
Foster: "I'm not sure if there's a guy that means more to a defensive unit." "[He] just makes play after play after play" on Rayshard Ashby #Hokies
— The Tech Lunch Pail (@techlunchpaild) November 24, 2019
There's no doubt that Ashby has been the Hokies' most valuable defensive (and arguably overall) player this season and that showed once again in VT's latest dominant defensive performance.
Chamarri Conner had a big game in his own right sharing the team lead in tackles with 7 tackles including 1.5 for loss and 0.5 sacks along with 1 QB hurry. Jermaine Waller had a quality performance in coverage with 3 pass breakups and 3 tackles while Reggie Floyd had 5 tackles and a pass breakup in his final game at Lane Stadium.
