The Shadow
BLACKSBURG, Va. (VR) – On Salute to Service Day at Lane Stadium, the Virginia Tech football team defeated Old Dominion 44-21 marking a 2-0 start to the James Franklin era.
The Hokies never trailed in the game, receiving the ball first and putting together an 11-play drive for 54 yards that culminated in a 39-yard field goal from John Love who finished the day with 14 points. Love, now sits in sixth place all-time in scoring.
In another dominant first half display, Tech scored on their first five possessions in the game. The Hokies were also stifling on defense, holding the Monarchs to just 109 yards in the first half and six points.
For the second consecutive week, the Hokies found the end zone on a non-offensive play this time on a fumble recovery by Tyson Flowers who scooped up the ball after Mylachi Williams sacked ODU quarterback Quinn Henicle.
Tight end Luke Reynolds led the receiving corps with career highs in receptions, yards and touchdowns as the junior caught two scores from Ethan Grunkemeyer. Grunkemeyer, also had a career afternoon, going 31-for-42 for 327 yards and two touchdowns, all career highs for him.
The Hokies enjoyed a 34-6 lead at the break and added to it in the third quarter with another Love field goal, this time from 25 yards. Grunkemeyer also found the end zone with a one-yard rush to complete the Hokies’ scoring in the game.
Tech’s offense was 7-for-7 scoring in the red zone on the afternoon and also converted 10 of 21 third down attempts.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Hokies followed up their 18.0 tackles for loss performance in the opener against VMI with another 14.0 against the Monarchs including seven sacks.
Game Notes
•John Love became the sixth man in program history to record 300 or more points with his 14 against ODU. He now sits in sixth place with 303.
•Tyson Flowers‘ fumble recovery that he took 14 yards for a score was the Hokies’ first such play since Nov. 13, 2021 vs. Duke (TyJuan Garbutt).
•Tech recovered three fumbles in the first half. It was the first time that the defense collected three in a single half since a Nov. 12, 2015 game at Georgia Tech.
•Luke Reynolds posted the first two-touchdown game of his career.
•Que’Sean Brown‘s 79-yard punt return was the longest by the program since Tucker Holloway‘s 90-yarder vs. Georgia Tech on Nov. 5, 2022.
Up Next
The Hokies will head to College Park, Maryland to take on the University of Maryland Terrapins on Saturday, Sept. 19. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on either Fox or FS1.
Tech will play another road game the following week on Saturday, Sept. 26 at Boston College in the ACC opener.
The Hokies’ next opportunity at Lane Stadium will be Oct. 2 against Pitt in another sold-out contest. Fans still seeking single-game ticket options are encouraged to visit SeatGeek, the official fan-to-fan ticket marketplace of Virginia Tech Athletics.
