The Stanford Cardinal flew across the country to cold, windy Blacksburg, Virginia, and took it to the Virginia Tech Hokies, defeating them 40-22. It was Stanford’s first road win since Sept. 2024.
Things started badly for the Hokies early. After gaining around 34 yards on the opening drive, head coach James Franklin went for it on fourth down, and the Hokies couldn’t convert. Stanford ball. Fortunately, Tech’s defense looked like it came to play early with a couple of stops on the Cardinal’s first two drives.
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However, everything changed on VT’s second drive, when quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer threw an interception after his pass was tipped a few times. While the defense got another stop, Grunkemeyer was intercepted again on the next drive, this time deep in Stanford territory. The Cardinal then went on a 6-play, 78-yard drive and never looked back.
After the score, Virginia Tech wide receiver Que’Sean Brown was hit and fumbled. Stanford ball again. This time, the Cardinal would start the drive on VT’s 29-yard line and scored four plays later. Suddenly, it was 21-0. Lane Stadium was shocked. So was Virginia Tech’s sideline.
On their next drive, the Hokies leaned on freshman running back Jeffrey Overton Jr., who didn’t disappoint. Overton dominated the drive and scored a touchdown to make it 21-7. Unfortunately, Brent Pry’s defense would allow Stanford another field goal before halftime.
Down 24-7, the Hokies opened the second half with the football. It didn’t matter. They turned it over on four downs on four plays. After a defensive stop, there was some hope when true freshman wide receiver Davion Brown took a Grunkemeyer throw and raced 69 yards to the end zone for a touchdown, making it 24-14 in the third quarter. Suddenly, there was life in Blacksburg.
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Too bad the defense gave it right back, failing to get stops on third and fourth downs. The Cardinal ultimately settled for a field goal, but the Hokies had no answer, punting on their next drive. Stanford responded with another field goal, followed by another Hokies’ punt. After that last punt, the Cardinal put the game away with one last touchdown.
A disastrous night from start to finish for Virginia Tech. After last week’s blowout loss at SMU, no one expected this follow-up performance. The Hokies were 15.5-point favorites.
Grunkemeyer had a rough night, completing 17 of 34 passes for 270 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was also sacked five times.
Overton was the star of the show for the Hokies, carrying the ball 19 times for 107 yards and a touchdown. He had no negative runs.
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The most important statistic: VT lost the turnover battle 3-0.
A once-promising first year under Franklin has gone off the rails over the last two weeks. And it could be worse with a trip to Miami next week.
The Hokies are now 6-4, and 3-4 in ACC play.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
