Virginia Tech wasted no time making the James Franklin era feel different.
Under the new LED lights at Lane Stadium on Saturday night, the Hokies rolled VMI 73-3 in a runaway that doubled as the program’s largest margin of victory since Oct. 28, 1922, when Tech beat Catholic 73-0 at Miles Field in Blacksburg.
The scoreboard got ugly fast. Virginia Tech piled up 348 yards in the first half alone and went into halftime ahead 45-0, then kept pouring it on after the break with starters still on the field to open the third quarter.
Ethan Grunkemeyer set the tone early, finishing 17-for-20 for 224 yards and two touchdowns, including a 51-yard strike to Que’Sean Brown. Brown was a big part of the passing game all night, finishing with 109 yards on six catches after Tech went 12 games last season without a 100-yard receiver.
The Hokies did plenty of damage on the ground, too, with 268 rushing yards overall. Jeffrey Overton and Marcellous Hawkins handled most of the work and combined for five touchdowns.
Overton needed just nine carries to rack up 104 yards, breaking free for scores from 50 and 23 yards. Hawkins added 69 yards on 12 carries and found the end zone from the 9-, 1- and 2-yard lines.
Tech’s defense smothered VMI from the start. The Hokies finished with a record 18 tackles for loss, with 12 of them coming before halftime.
That broke the previous school mark of 16, which had stood since 1987. They also added five sacks against a Keydets team that attempted only 13 passes.
Special teams delivered two more haymakers. Virginia Tech blocked two punts for the first time since 2017 against Pitt.
Tyson Flowers got in just before Ben Shrewsbury could get the ball away, with Jordan Bass helping force the issue, and Sheldon Robinson pounced on the loose ball at the VMI 9-yard line. Hawkins punched it in one snap later for a 14-0 lead.
Later, Cortez Harris got to another Shrewsbury punt and knocked it into the end zone, where Knahlij Harrell fell on it for a touchdown and a 45-0 cushion.
The Hokies kept their foot down after halftime. Grunkemeyer’s second touchdown came on a 21-yard wheel route to tight end Luke Reynolds, stretching the lead to 52-0.
After that, backup quarterback Bryce Baker took over and quickly added his own highlight. He hit Chanz Wiggins for a 40-yard touchdown, giving Baker his first career scoring pass and Wiggins his first collegiate catch.
Baker finished 10-of-12 for 127 yards and a touchdown. He also helped set up another score with a 33-yard gain to tight end Ja’Ricous Hairston before quarterback-turned-wideout A.J. Brand took a direct snap and ran in from the 1-yard line for his first career touchdown, making it 73-0.
Virginia Tech’s only punt of the night came after a personal foul on Lucas Austin backed the offense up. Even then, the Hokies had already done more than enough damage.
VMI finally got on the board with 7:45 left when Jack Joyce drilled a career-long 50-yard field goal. Joyce had another chance later after Ian Reynolds connected with Halim Hardnett for 33 yards, but he missed from 31 yards.
By the end, the numbers told the story in full. Tech outgained VMI 619-83, including 351 passing yards and 268 on the ground. The Keydets finished with minus-four rushing yards.
There were individual milestones all over the place. George Ballance, making his first appearance as a team captain while wearing Frank Beamer’s No. 25 jersey, led the Hokies with six tackles.
Thomas Williams picked off JoJo Crump for Virginia Tech’s first turnover of the season. The Hokies had only four interceptions all last year, and just one came from a cornerback.
John Love also matched a school record by going 10-for-10 on extra points.
Virginia Tech returns to action Saturday, Sept. 12, against Old Dominion at noon ET on The CW.
In Other News...
Virginia Tech Faces One Trap Fans Cannot Ignore This Week
William "Pop" Watson III has already given Virginia Tech fans a reminder that a former backup can still change a Saturday. After leaving Blacksburg, Watson helped UMass pull off a 37-21 win over Rutgers as a heavy underdog, a result that only sharpened the spotlight on the Hokies as they turn their attention to VMI. On paper, this looks like the kind of game Virginia Tech should control, but the history of these matchups is exactly why it can still feel tricky.
VMI brings a triple-option offense under first-year coach Ashley Ingram, a style that can chew up tempo and force discipline even when the records do not suggest much danger. Virginia Tech is also entering the week with Ethan Grunkemeyer, the Penn State transfer, settled in as the starting quarterback and team captain, which gives the Hokies a clearer direction on offense. The bigger issue now is whether they can avoid letting a lesser opponent turn the game into something uncomfortable, the kind of trap that lingers far beyond the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Is Putting On The Kind Of Show Fans Craved
By halftime at Lane Stadium, Virginia Tech had already delivered the sort of complete performance fans have been waiting to see. The Hokies were up 45-0 on VMI after a first half that featured touchdowns on the ground from Jeffrey Overton Jr. and Marcellous Hawkins, a long scoring strike from Ethan Grunkemeyer to QueSean Brown, and a defensive touchdown off a blocked punt.
The bigger story was how thoroughly Virginia Tech controlled every phase. VMI managed just 32 yards on 28 plays before the break, and the Hokies piled up four sacks while keeping the Keydets from finding any kind of rhythm. It was the kind of lopsided, energized start that can change the feel of a night at Lane Stadium in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Is Chasing A Recruiting Win Mike Young Needs
Virginia Tech is spending real time on the road and on campus with some of the nations youngest rising basketball prospects, a sign of how Mike Young wants to shape the roster moving forward. The Hokies have hosted official visits from Joshua Tyson and Tyran Frazier, while Micah Gunter also made an unofficial stop, all part of a broader push into the 2027 and 2028 classes as the staff leans into development as a selling point.
Tyson, a 6-foot-1 point guard ranked No. 42 in the 2027 class, and Frazier, a 6-foot-10 center ranked in the 52nd-to-59th range, give Virginia Tech a look at two very different building blocks. Gunter, a highly regarded 6-foot-3 combo guard in the 2028 class, adds another layer to the effort, and the Hokies willingness to get in early suggests this is more than just background scouting. It is a deliberate shift from how they have approached recruiting before, and one that could tell you a lot about where the program wants to go next. [Read more 🡒]