Bhayshul Tuten ran for 115 yards and scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns as Virginia Tech ran away from Old Dominion and exorcized a demon on Saturday in a 37-17 victory in Norfolk, Va.
Kyron Drones rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. He also completed 15 of 26 passes for 176 yards and another score as the Hokies (2-1) won in Norfolk after suffering two losses to the Monarchs (0-3) there in the past seven years.
Jaylin Lane caught seven passes for 106 yards and a touchdown for Virginia Tech, which led for the whole game after scoring on its first two possessions.
Antwaun Powell-Ryland had four sacks and two forced fumbles to lead a Virginia Tech defense that limited Old Dominion to 293 yards of total offense and 11 first downs.
Old Dominion’s offense was hampered by the absence of starting quarterback Grant Wilson, who was sidelined with a wrist injury.
Colton Joseph and Quinn Henicle, neither of whom had attempted a collegiate pass, took over for the Monarchs and combined for six completions on 14 attempts for 50 yards.
Former Virginia Tech running back Bryce Duke rushed for 85 yards on just four carries to lead the Old Dominion offense.
After leading 14-10 at the break, the Hokies scored the first 23 points of the second half. In the third quarter, the Monarchs had just one first down and 0 total yards of offense.
In addition to Tuten’s touchdown runs of 16 and 22 yards, John Love booted three field goals in the second half for the visitors.
Virginia Tech started fast, propelled by the Drones-to-Lane connection. Lane’s 25-yard touchdown reception put the Hokies up 7-0 before the game was three minutes old.
Later in the first quarter, Drones turned a potential loss on a botched shotgun snap into a big gain when he shoveled a pass to Lane, who sprinted up the sideline for 46 yards.
Six plays later, on fourth down, Drones’ teammates pushed him into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown that gave the Hokies a 14-0 lead.
The Monarchs responded, as Henicle fooled the Hokies with a fake handoff and rolled around the right side for a 65-yard touchdown run to cut Old Dominion’s deficit in half with 13:13 left in the second quarter.
After Old Dominion’s Ricardo Williams Jr. blocked a Virginia Tech field goal, the Monarchs got three points when Ethan Sanchez connected on a kick from 28 yards out to make it 14-10.
–Field Level Media
