Jeffrey Overton Jr. was the difference when Virginia Tech needed one more jolt in miserable conditions at Chestnut Hill.
On a cold, rainy, windy afternoon at Alumni Stadium, the Hokies finally got the play they’d been waiting for. Overton broke free off the right edge and sprinted untouched for a 76-yard touchdown with five minutes left, turning a tight, grind-it-out game into a 21-14 Virginia Tech win over Boston College.
The victory moved Tech to 4-0 for the first time since 2017 and gave the Hokies their first ACC win of the season. Overton, listed as the nominal backup but sharing carries with Marcellous Hawkins, turned in a career day with 209 rushing yards.
Virginia Tech had to claw back from real trouble for the first time this year. The Hokies trailed for the first time all season and had to do it in the middle of a nor’easter that brought steady rain and 39 mph winds - the strongest in a Tech game since at least 1987, and stronger than a 1994 trip to East Carolina that featured 25-35 mph winds.
Boston College struck first in the third quarter and briefly had the upper hand after quarterback Mason McKenzie took over on the ground. McKenzie ran for 138 yards and scored twice, including a 45-yard burst that set up his touchdown run off the left edge to give the Eagles a 7-6 lead with 9:52 left in the third.
Before that, the game had been stuck in mud. The first half was a punting contest, with both teams managing just 117 yards. The only points came from John Love’s 45-yard field goal just before halftime.
Virginia Tech found a little room early in the third when Aycen Stevens dropped Boston College for a third-down sack, forcing a punt. Que’Sean Brown then turned the return into a 50-yard gain after fielding a low liner and weaving through coverage before he was finally tripped up at the Eagles’ 10. The Hokies couldn’t cash it in for a touchdown, but Love added a 22-yard field goal to put Tech up 6-0 with 11:58 left in the third.
The real response came in the fourth. Down 14-6 after McKenzie’s second score of the day, Tech put together its best drive of the afternoon: 80 yards in 10 plays.
A fourth-down holding call against Boston College helped keep the possession alive after a defensive back hooked receiver Que’Sean Brown coming out of a break. Brown then caught passes of 7 and 9 yards, and Ethan Grunkemeyer found Marlion Jackson on a 14-yard back-shoulder touchdown pass.
Overton handled the 2-point conversion himself, running up the middle to tie the game at 14 with 8:05 remaining.
That set the stage for the finish. After the Hokies’ defense got a stop, Overton took a handoff to the right, followed a Ja’Ricous Hairston block through the hole and got a downfield seal from Layth Ghannam.
Once he hit the sideline, Boston College had no shot. The 76-yard dash was the longest run of his career and pushed Tech ahead 21-14.
Virginia Tech’s defense got another stop on the next Boston College possession, and Overton helped close the door with a tough 2-yard run on third-and-1, then a 10-yard gain that made it nearly impossible for the Eagles to get the ball back.
Overton’s 209 rushing yards were the most by a Tech tailback since Bhayshul Tuten’s 266-yard game against Boston College in Lane Stadium in 2024. It was also the most by a Hokies tailback on the road since Darren Evans ran for 253 yards at Maryland in 2008.
In the end, Tech turned a 14-6 deficit into 15 unanswered points and walked out of Chestnut Hill with a hard-earned win.
In Other News...
Virginia Tech May Have Found Its New Lead Back
Virginia Tech left Alumni Stadium with a hard-earned 21-14 win over Boston College, and the most encouraging part for the Hokies may have been the way the ground game carried them through a tight, fourth-quarter battle. Jeffrey Overton Jr. delivered the kind of burst that can change a backfield conversation, breaking loose for a 76-yard touchdown run late and finishing with 209 yards on 25 carries.
For a Virginia Tech offense looking for a reliable lead runner, Overtons night offered a clear case for expanded responsibility. Boston College kept things close behind quarterback Mason McKenzie, who did plenty of damage on the ground with 138 rushing yards and two touchdowns, but the Hokies answered when it mattered most and may have come away with more than just a road win. [Read more 🡒]
Boston College Faces An Early ACC Test That Will Say A Lot
Boston College gets an early read on where it stands in the ACC when it opens league play at home against undefeated Virginia Tech. The Eagles are 2-1 after rebounding from an opening loss with back-to-back wins, and now they face a Hokies team that has yet to taste defeat at 3-0.
It is the kind of September matchup that can sharpen the picture for both sides before the schedule really tightens. The game also comes with the usual pregame details that matter this time of year, including captains and full rosters, but the bigger point is simple: Virginia Tech arrives with momentum, and Boston College gets a chance to answer it on its own field. [Read more 🡒]
Boston College Let A Winnable ACC Game Slip Away Late
Boston College had plenty to like for much of the afternoon, with Mason McKenzie doing damage on the ground and the Eagles carrying an eight-point lead late against Virginia Tech. McKenzie finished with 111 rushing yards and a touchdown, and Boston College looked for stretches like the better team in a game it needed to finish.
Virginia Tech, though, kept chipping away as Boston Colleges issues on third downs and penalties piled up. The Hokies eventually tied it with a late touchdown and two-point conversion, then finished the job with a 76-yard rushing score from Jeffrey Overturn Jr., turning a winnable ACC game into another tough lesson for the Eagles. [Read more 🡒]