Virginia Tech walked into Dallas with ACC implications hanging over the night, but SMU turned Gerald J. Ford Stadium into a runaway by the time the fourth quarter arrived. The Mustangs rolled past the Hokies 51-28 on Friday, and the margin stretched to as many as 30 before it was over.
The biggest problem for Virginia Tech was a passing game that never really found its rhythm. The Hokies did get some production on the ground - after three quarters, they had 23 carries for 116 yards, a shade over five yards per attempt - but that wasn’t enough to keep pace once SMU started stacking points.
Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer finished 27-of-35 for 279 yards, but 147 of those yards came in the final quarter, when Virginia Tech was already staring at a 37-14 hole. SMU’s defense also kept the Hokies’ top targets in check.
Que’Sean Brown led Virginia Tech with nine catches, but they went for only 37 yards. Luke Reynolds added six receptions for 67 yards, and no other Hokie topped 50 receiving yards.
The numbers from the night were rough across the board for Virginia Tech. The Hokies gave up 500 yards for the first time since Sept. 13, 2025, against Old Dominion, and it was the first time a Franklin-coached team had allowed that many in a game since Penn State surrendered 540 to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 20, 2023.
SMU’s total output was even more eye-opening. The Mustangs piled up 569 yards, the most Virginia Tech has allowed since Oct. 10, 2020, against North Carolina, when the Hokies gave up 656.
That 569-yard total ranks as the 11th-most the program has allowed since at least 1987. SMU’s 51 points were also the most scored on a Virginia Tech team since the Hokies’ 54-10 loss to Maryland in the 2021 Pinstripe Bowl.
The Mustangs were relentless from the opening stretch, scoring on their first eight drives and putting points on nine of 11 possessions. They were also perfect in the red zone, going 5-for-5.
Through the air, SMU spread the damage around. Yamir Knight and Yannick Smith each caught six passes, finishing with 103 yards and 84 yards, respectively. Three SMU receivers cleared the 80-yard mark.
The ground game was just as sharp. SMU ran for 219 yards on 36 carries, a 6.1-yard average, and scored twice. Jennings carried five times for 17 yards, while Virginia Tech’s defensive front managed only one sack on him.
Overton Jr. was the standout on the ground for SMU. He carried 13 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 9.5 yards per rush.
After a career-high 209-yard game at Boston College on Sept. 26, he had gone four straight games without a touchdown and totaled just 230 rushing yards in that span. Against Clemson the previous week, he was held to 26 yards on 10 carries, with a long run of five yards.
Friday night was a different story, and the performance gives him momentum heading into the final four games.
Virginia Tech returns home Saturday, Sept. 14, to face Stanford. Kickoff is set for either 7 p.m.
ET or 7:30 p.m. ET on either ESPN2 or the ACC Network.
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