BLACKSBURG, Va. — Cole NelsonI was greeted with a far-too-early wake up call Virginia TechJ.C. Price, defensive line coach at The Hotel Roanoke Saturday. Game days don’t usually start this early, but with an 11 a.m. kick against Wofford, it was necessary.
“Coach Price actually came into my room at 6:30, beating on the door, throwing water on us trying to wake us up, make sure we’re ready,” Nelson said.
Wait, he LiterallyYou were thrown water?
“He didn’t throw water on us,” said Nelson, who was speaking metaphorically. “But he was getting us, making sure we were up, making sure we were ready to go for the game.”
Is the mission accomplished?
Virginia Tech was never in any danger of losing in a 27-7 victory over Wofford at Lane Stadium, but the Hokies (2-1, 1-0 ACC) also didn’t beat the brakes off an FCS opponent who came into the game having not scored in their first two contests.
Although the Terriers (0-3) were outgained by the Hokies (475-199), they got bogged down in opposition territory early on. They were efficient at throwing the ball, spreading it to many receivers, but they struggled on the ground with an average of 3.2 yards per rush.
It’s been alllllllllllll @HokiesFBBlacksburg💪 pic.twitter.com/75ZD7RhECR
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) September 17, 2022
“I thought we were able to move the ball and stay on schedule better, and that was certainly a point of contention,” head coach Brent Pry said. “We converted better on third down, we had some long, extended drives. We just weren’t as good in the red zone as you wanted. We kicked the ball well, but I’d like to score touchdowns.”
Defensively, Tech was sharp again, though a deep ball late set up a touchdown that spoiled what would have been the Hokies’ first shutout since 2019. Wofford’s touchdown, a 3-yard run by Nate Walker in the fourth quarter, was its first points in 12 quarters this season.
“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t (bother me),” Pry said. “We talked in the locker room. The standard’s the standard. When you go in that game, you’re representing everybody. You’ve got to preserve the shutout when you have a chance to do that.”
Here are a few takeaways from a tune-up win against an FCS opponent ahead of what’s expected to be a thrilling Thursday-nighter against West VirginiaThis week:
Wells spreads the wealth
Grant Wells was Virginia Tech’s best player, completing 26 of 35 passes for 314 yard and two touchdowns. He didn’t turn it over once.
“I think that’s a closer example of who Grant is,” Pry said. “If he gets just a little bit of time, he can really read that thing and read throws and be accurate. So I think that’s a good building block for him.”
The Hokies’ offensive attack relied on a lot of quick passes Saturday, to a variety of receivers. Nine Wells receivers caught passes. At halftime, eight players had 10 or more yards.
“I have confidence in every guy in there and that doesn’t really surprise me,” Wells said.
Wells threw two touchdowns, one of which was an 11-yarder. Jadan BlueThat gave the Hokies an 20-0 halftime lead, and a 27-yarder to junior running back Bryce Duke on a wheel route in which Wells dropped it perfectly into Duke’s arms on the move.
“That’s one of the weird timing routes that are different with every back,” Wells said. “I knew I had a chance in there. He can scoot a little bit and he has the ability to track down some balls, and that’s something we’ve worked on all camp and all week, so I was proud of that one.”
“When I see that played called … I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m taking this one to the house,’” said Duke, who scored his first career touchdown. “And that’s what happened.”
.@GrantWells__ ↗️ @Bryceduke22
That’s not a penny on the wheel!🎯 @HokiesFB pic.twitter.com/EcI2HkWQgK
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) September 17, 2022
Receivers step up
That so many receivers caught passes is a positive sign for a Hokies offense that’s struggled with depth there for a handful of years. Christian Moss, and Blue both had positive showings.
Blue, a TempleTransfer, who had been suffering from a knee injury in August that had slowed him down and only one catch for negative three yards in the first two of his career. He had four catch for 61 yards Saturday, which included some impressive snags.
He stood tall to make a catch for a 29-yarder in the second quarter on a third and 19 in the quarter. He dragged his toe close to the sideline for a catch of 15 yards and another first down shortly before his touchdown catch.
“It does a lot for confidence because it’s been a while, honestly, since I’ve been able to make catches like that,” Blue said. “When I transferred here, I was struggling with a lot regarding our quarterback situation back at Temple. So me being able to come here and have somebody that’s able to deliver balls like that, you know, Grant’s been doing an excellent job.
“I take the credit too, but I’m not even going to lie, those balls are something that I was very excited to see, on behalf of him putting that trust in me to make those plays.”
Moss, a redshirt freshman, was one of a group of receivers that were trending up. Pry stated earlier this week that Moss had his first five catches for 50 yards. He also caught a wide-open catch at the sideline with his foot dragging.
“He’s got really good abilities,” Pry said. “He’s long. He’s kind of slinky. He’s a great catcher of the ball. It’s a matter of just growing up and mastering your craft and really diving into this thing. He’s taken a big step.”
Virginia Tech had 475 yards to Wofford’s 199 on Saturday. (Lee Luther Jr./USA Today)
Run game struggles
Despite success passing the ball, the Hokies didn’t overwhelm the Terriers on the ground like they hoped. With Malachi Thomas Keshawn KingTech managed to run for 133 yards on 41 carries.
The Hokies weren’t sharp in short-yardage, especially early. Jalen Hoston got stuffed on a fourth-and-1 on Tech’s first drive when a Wofford defender came through unblocked and hit him in the backfield.
“We’ve got to pick up a fourth-and-1,” Pry said. “I don’t want to take credit away from Wofford. … And you look at their first two ballgames, their defense kept hanging in there and hanging in there and hanging tough. But we’ve got to be better than that.”
Holston finished with 66 yards of running and a 4-1 yard average. Chance BlackAdd 45 yards and Duke 25,
But it was the Hokies’ second consecutive game of averaging 3.2 yards per carry (the opener, at 3.5, is misleading because of the bad field goal snap for a huge loss). Tech managed to keep its entire offensive line intact throughout the game, despite receiving extensive work from most of the position groups. Bob SchickFor an injured person, fill in as a left tackle Silas Dzansi.
“We’re trying to get to a place with those guys” Pry said. “I know coach (Joe) Rudolph feels that way, and honestly, offensive line coaches always act begrudgingly with subbing. It’s about those guys playing together and feeling confident and finding the right run plays. All of that’s really, really valuable right now for us.”
Another brutal defensive display
It was another solid showing for the Hokies’ defense, which gave up only 199 yards, the second game in a row it held an opponent to under 200 yards.
Tech sacked Wofford quarterback Jimmy Weirick twice, C.J. McCrayNelson, cornerback Brion MurrayBeing in the backfield. The Hokies, who came into the game with the nation’s fourth-ranked rushing defense, allowing 44 yards per game, actually improved their average by giving up just 38 rushing yards Saturday.
They did this while subscribing in generously. Pry estimated that the regular defense played about a half’s worth of football.
“We didn’t want a four-quarter game,” he said.
Wofford’s points came against a group of backups late. After Weirick was freed on a scramble, Landon Parker’s 47-yard pass to Parker set it up. Parker grabbed the cornerback DJ Harveyand stood behind the defense.
“It was a scramble situation, and our guys are taught to plaster to their people and their zones, plaster to their man, and we didn’t do that,” Pry said. “So that’ll be a good learning opportunity.”
Caution with injury
The Hokies took extra care with anyone who had been injured before they entered the game. They didn’t want to risk West Virginia’s short week. King, who suffered an injury in the BC game, was not able to play but was dressed.
“We went all the way to today with Keshawn,” Pry said. “And he just couldn’t get to full speed. I can sit there and go yeah, he looked pretty good at 90 percent, but I don’t want to do that to him.”
Defensive linemen TyJuan Garbutt Josh Fuga both did not dress, a decision made Friday. Garbutt, Last week’s stars, was wearing a walking boot at the sideline.
Two important pieces were lost by the Hokies on Saturday. Kaleb Smith, who caught two passes for 36 yards, left just before halftime and did not return, the second time in three games he’s had to leave early.
“We’re not sure what it is,” Pry said. “He seems to be OK. They did X-rays, everything checked out, but they’re going to do a little further dive on him. But talking to him at the end of the game there, he seemed pretty good.”
Tech played the final quarter and a-half without Dzansi. He was rolled on at the conclusion of a running play. Pry said he’s “fine” and could have returned if needed.
(Top photo of Bryce Duke by Lee Luther Jr./USA Today
