Virginia Tech got the kind of test it had been waiting for Saturday night, and it answered enough of the questions to leave with a 35-26 win over Maryland.
That result did a lot for the Hokies. It pushed them to 3-0 for the first time since 2017, snapped a 15-game skid against nonconference Power Four opponents, and brought Maryland’s nation-leading 20-game nonconference winning streak to an end. More than that, it gave a real glimpse of what James Franklin’s first Virginia Tech team can look like when the opponent is capable of pushing back.
The clearest reason for the win was quarterback Grunkemeyer, whose start is moving well past the “promising” stage. The Penn State transfer went 31 of 39 for 314 yards and three touchdowns, then added an 18-yard rushing score after Virginia Tech put itself in a third-and-goal from the 18. It was his second straight 300-yard passing game, making him the first Virginia Tech quarterback to do that since Ryan Willis in 2018.
The numbers stood out, but the way he put them together stood out even more. Maryland got pressure.
Virginia Tech piled up penalties. Starting left tackle Justin Terry left in the first quarter.
None of it seemed to throw Grunkemeyer off his rhythm.
His biggest throw may have come on fourth down with 2:54 left. Maryland had no timeouts and was trying to keep its comeback alive, and Grunkemeyer rolled right before hitting Luke Reynolds past the marker.
Virginia Tech ran out the rest of the game from there. Through three weeks, the Hokies no longer seem to have much mystery at quarterback.
Reynolds made the same kind of statement for the passing game. His eight catches for 108 yards against Old Dominion looked like a breakout. Against Maryland, he backed it up in a way that made the whole thing feel real.
The sophomore finished with a career-high 12 receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown, and he became Virginia Tech’s first player since Damon Hazelton in 2018 to post back-to-back 100-yard receiving games. Nine different Hokies caught passes Saturday, but when the offense needed a play, Grunkemeyer kept finding Reynolds.
That showed up on the game-sealing fourth-down conversion, but it was true all night. Reynolds opened the scoring with a 14-yard screen, and he kept Virginia Tech on schedule during a first half in which the Hokies converted eight of nine third downs.
Virginia Tech came into the year expecting Reynolds to matter in the passing game. After three games, “important” may not be a strong enough word.
Maryland did land some punches. Malik Washington had success against the Hokies’ secondary, completing 30 of 43 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns. The Terrapins scored 12 straight points in the fourth quarter, and Virginia Tech went scoreless over the final 15 minutes.
Still, the Hokies answered when they needed to. After Maryland trimmed the lead to six in the first half, Virginia Tech responded with a 75-yard touchdown drive before halftime. When the Terrapins made their late push, the Hokies kept the ball and finished the job themselves.
Virginia Tech ended up 10 of 16 on third down and perfect on its two fourth-down tries. There will be work to do before ACC play starts at Boston College, especially on a secondary that has to be watched closely after Washington’s performance. But on a night when Maryland asked real questions, Virginia Tech had enough answers.
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