Recapping what we learned from the No. 21 Virginia Tech Hokies taking down the No. 22 West Virginia Mountaineers 31-24 in a wild game on Sunday night in Landover.
The No. 21 Virginia Tech Hokies retained the Black Diamond Trophy with a dramatic 31-24 win over the No. 22 West Virginia Mountaineers on Sunday night at FedExField in the first meeting between the two rivals since 2005.
As expected, both teams came out fired up and ready for a physical slugfest, with their respective defenses taking control early on against a pair of inexperienced offenses. West Virginia quarterback Will Grier missed some easy throws early on in his first game in nearly two years while Hokies redshirt freshman quarterback Josh Jackson didn’t really get settled in until the third quarter in an impressive overall performance, leading to a 10-7 Virginia Tech advantage at the half.
Finally, both teams managed to generate some splash plays early in the third, with Virginia Tech pushing the lead to 17-10 on Deshawn McClease’s 12-yard touchdown run. Grier got into a good rhythm with some quick throws on the next drive, and the Mountaineers tied things at 17 on Dante Stills’ touchdown late in the third.
James Clark broke off a long return on the subsequent kickoff, and Virginia Tech scored one play later on a 32-yard catch by star Cam Phillips. The back-and-forth play continued early in the fourth, as Gary Jennings made a terrific catch on a 60-yard score to knot the score at 24 with 12:47 to go.
Jackson’s terrific second half continued midway through the second on a 47-yard scamper to set up a short touchdown run with 6:30 to go. Wear Virginia got the ball back with under two minutes to go following a missed field goal, but dramatically stalled inside the red zone thanks to a huge sack from Andrew Motuapuaka, sealing the 31-24 Virginia Tech win.
Here’s what we learned from one of the most entertaining games of opening weekend.
Takeaways
1. Josh Jackson was outstanding, but the Hokies need more offensive weapons
After star quarterback Jerod Evans unexpectedly declared for the NFL Draft, the Hokies were preparing for a huge drop with a redshirt freshman under center. However, Jackson looked fantastic in his first career game, giving the Hokies enough upside on offense to compete for an ACC title.
Jackson completed 15 of 26 passes for yards and a touchdown while adding 101 yards and a score on the ground. Most importantly, Jackson did not turn the ball over and was nearly flawless after missing an easy touchdown throw to Cam Phillips midway through the first.
Still, it wasn’t all good news for the Virginia Tech offense. Phillips was stellar with seven receptions for 138 yards, but the rest of the Hokies’ receivers produced almost nothing, and the running back by committee was only marginally effective.
That needs to change later in the year, as Jackson can’t do everything himself. On a more positive note, Virginia Tech’s offensive line was stellar, something that will have to continue against more fearsome defensive lines in ACC play.
2. West Virginia’s offense will exceed expectations this season
While Grier came to Morgantown with plenty of hype this offseason, he was far from a sure thing with just six career games under his belt way back in 2015. The Florida transfer overcame some missed throws earlier on, completing 31 of 53 passes for 373 yards and three touchdowns against arguably the best defense the Mountaineers will see this year.
Even more impressive was the play of the offensive line and wide receivers for West Virginia, as neither group returned much experience from last year’s solid group. Grier was sacked just twice, while Gary Jennings and David Sills V both put up huge numbers.
The strength of the Mountaineers offense was supposed to be the backfield, which put up a decent but not great 26 carries for 170 yards. If Justin Crawford and company really get going, the rest of the Big 12 will need to watch out.
3. Virginia Tech’s secondary was a big disappointment
The Hokies entered the season as a darkhorse New Year’s Six contender thanks to a talented defense that returned several key pieces. However, Bud Foster has a lot of work to do after the Mountaineers put up 592 yards of total offense.
Virginia Tech’s secondary was particularly disappointing, as Grier shredded a unit that looked dominant on paper in the second half. Brothers Tremaine and Terrell Edmunds, two of the best playmakers in the nation, did not produce much, and the Hokies had a lot of issues in one-on0one coverage.
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The front seven at least did a good job against Crawford, as Motuapuaka and Ricky Walker were effective. If Virginia Tech is to beat teams like Miami and Clemson later on, the secondary will need to play to its full potential.