Virginia Tech left College Park with more than a road win Saturday night. The Hokies walked out at 3-0, and they did it by controlling the game from the opening series and keeping Maryland at arm’s length the rest of the way in a 35-26 victory.
It was the first non-conference win for Virginia Tech against a Power Four opponent since Sept. 3, 2017, when it beat West Virginia in Landover, Md. The result also ended Maryland’s 20-game non-conference winning streak, the longest in the country.
The Hokies set the tone early and never really gave it back. They held the ball for 36:38, compared with Maryland’s 23:22, and even though Virginia Tech scored just once after halftime, the 27-14 cushion it carried into the break was enough to keep the Terps chasing.
Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer was the engine all night. Virginia Tech opened with a 13-play drive that ended with his 14-yard screen pass to tight end Luke Reynolds for the first touchdown. Later in the first quarter, Grunkemeyer kept another possession alive with a slippery third-and-7 escape before finding Ayden Greene for 19 yards.
The Hokies eventually reached the 1-yard line on a 25-yard catch by Reynolds, then appeared stuck after a pair of penalties. Grunkemeyer solved that problem himself, pulling the ball down and running for an 18-yard touchdown with Overton leading the way. John Love’s extra point was blocked, the first missed PAT of his career, but Tech still led 13-0 with 14:51 left in the second quarter.
Maryland answered fast. Malik Washington hit Kaleb Webb on a 44-yard deep ball that was reviewed and put the Terps at the 1-yard line, and Iverson Howard finished the series with a 2-yard touchdown run to make it 13-7.
Virginia Tech also had to deal with an injury on the offensive line, as left tackle Logan Howland came in for Justin Terry after Terry was rolled up with 23 seconds left in the first quarter, helped off, and carted to the locker room. The Hokies still kept moving. Grunkemeyer converted a second-and-18 with a 15-yard throw to Greene, then found Reynolds on the sideline for a toe-tap grab on third-and-3.
Two snaps later, Tech isolated Jeffrey Overton on a linebacker and Grunkemeyer hit him on a wheel route for a 49-yard touchdown to push the lead to 20-7.
Maryland answered again two possessions later. Washington connected with tight end Dorian Fleming for gains of 29 and 19 yards, then lofted a touchdown pass to a wide-open Chris Durr Jr. for 12 yards. The play appeared to feature miscommunication between Tech cornerback Jaquez White and safety Quentin Reddish.
Virginia Tech closed the half with a calm, efficient march that covered 75 yards in 11 plays and took 1:55 off the clock. A pass interference penalty on Maryland kept the drive alive, and Greene was shaken up on the play and did not return. The Hokies converted two more third downs on the possession, including back-to-back completions to Benji Gosnell, before chunk gains to Reynolds and Overton set up a 2-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Ricous Hairston with 18 seconds left in the half.
That left Virginia Tech up 27-14 at the break, with an 8-for-9 mark on third down - tied for the most conversions in a half since 1987 - and a 19:28 to 10:32 edge in time of possession.
The second half moved quickly. After Maryland went three-and-out, Overton added a 2-yard rushing touchdown to stretch the margin. Marcellous Hawkins helped keep the drive alive with a key fourth-down conversion, Grunkemeyer found Davion “FatRat” Brown for 27 yards, and Reynolds chipped in another third-down catch to set up the score.
Maryland made one more push to open the fourth quarter, as Washington found Fleming on a 2-yard touchdown after a 13-play, 81-yard drive that included a 15-yard run by Washington. The two-point try failed, though, leaving the Terps down 35-26.
The Hokies then delivered the kind of play that ends a game. With 2:54 left, Grunkemeyer rolled right and hit Reynolds on fourth down.
Reynolds stretched the ball past the sticks, the officials reviewed it, and the ruling on the field stood. Maryland had no timeouts left, and Virginia Tech ran out the clock from there.
Grunkemeyer finished 31-for-39 for 314 yards and three touchdowns, spreading the ball to nine different receivers. Reynolds was the clear favorite target, catching 12 passes for 107 yards and a score.
Virginia Tech is 3-0 for the first time since 2017, when it opened with wins over West Virginia, Delaware and East Carolina. The Hokies have already matched last season’s win total.
Next up is a trip north. Virginia Tech plays at Boston College (2-1) on Saturday, Sept. 26, with a noon ET kickoff.
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Maryland rolled into the 2026 season with a long non-conference streak intact, but Virginia Tech ended that run in a 35-26 win that sent the Terrapins into Big Ten play with an immediate reminder of how thin the margin can be in a tougher stretch of the schedule. Ethan Grunkemeyer set the tone for the Hokies with 314 passing yards and three touchdowns, giving Virginia Tech enough balance and pace to keep Maryland from settling in.
Malik Washington was sharp for the Terps, going 30-for-43 for 359 yards and three scores, while Chris Durr Jr. caught 12 passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Even with that production, Maryland spent the night chasing Virginia Tech, and the result not only snapped a 20-game winning streak against non-conference opponents but also left a clear question hanging over what comes next once league play begins. [Read more 🡒]
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Maryland is the kind of opponent that should tell Virginia Tech something more meaningful about where it stands. A top-40 team with a strong pass rush, it brings the sort of front that can expose sloppy protection and force an offense to prove it can keep pace. The Hokies are also expecting a healthier offensive line with starting center Kyle Altuner back, and the timing feels right for a matchup that could say plenty about how real this fast start is. [Read more 🡒]