Virginia Tech 34, Georgia Tech 24: Grunkemeyer builds a 24-3 lead that holds

Virginia Tech won this game in the first half. The Hokies scored on four of their first-half possessions, led 24-3 at the break, and spent the rest of Saturday at Lane Stadium absorbing a Georgia Tech rally that got within seven but no closer.

Ethan Grunkemeyer was the difference. He completed 15 of 22 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another, and did not throw an interception. Georgia Tech outgained the Hokies 428 to 409, but the Yellow Jackets lost the turnover battle 2-1 and never recovered from the early deficit.

How it was won

Virginia Tech needed 83 seconds to strike. Grunkemeyer found Que'Sean Brown for a 60-yard touchdown at 13:37 of the first quarter, then ran 20 yards for a second score at 6:10. John Love converted both extra points for a 14-0 lead.

Aidan Birr put Georgia Tech on the board with a 31-yard field goal early in the second quarter. The Hokies answered with a 5-yard Grunkemeyer pass to Ja'Ricous Hairston at 7:49, and Love added a 39-yard field goal at 4:55 to make it 24-3 at the half.

The Yellow Jackets came out of the locker room and scored twice in just over two minutes. Trelain Maddox broke a 42-yard touchdown run at 14:12 of the third quarter, and Alberto Mendoza hit Dalen Penson for 33 yards at 12:01. Suddenly it was 24-17.

Virginia Tech steadied. Grunkemeyer threw 26 yards to Jeffrey Overton Jr. at 5:41 of the third, and Love kicked a 24-yard field goal at 14:03 of the fourth for a 34-17 lead. Mendoza's 6-yard touchdown pass to Jaiven Plummer at 5:20 closed the scoring.

Brown was the biggest single factor in the box score: six catches for 182 yards. Overton added 85 rushing yards on 14 carries plus three catches for 29 yards and a score, and Marcellous Hawkins Jr. ran nine times for 42. The Hokies rushed for 159 yards and held the ball for 32:06.

Mendoza put up volume for Georgia Tech, going 29 of 38 for 335 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Jordan Allen caught 10 passes for 120 yards and Penson had five for 86. Maddox ran 12 times for 96 yards, and Chad Alexander added 34 on three carries. Neither offense was good on third down: Georgia Tech went 4 of 11, Virginia Tech 4 of 13.

Against the number

Virginia Tech closed as an 8.5-point favorite and won by 10, so the Hokies covered. The final Georgia Tech touchdown made it closer than the 17-point margin that stood for most of the fourth quarter, but it came up short of the number.

The total closed at 55.5, and the teams combined for 58 points, so the over cashed. That touchdown with 5:20 left is what pushed it there.

On the moneyline, Virginia Tech closed at -355 and Georgia Tech at +280. Full pricing history is on the game page.

What's next

Virginia Tech moves to 5-2 and travels to Clemson on Saturday, October 24. The Hokies had dropped two straight, to Pittsburgh and California, before this win.

Georgia Tech falls to 2-4 and hosts Boston College on Saturday, October 24, on ACC Network. The Yellow Jackets have not won consecutive games this season, and all four of their losses have come with the offense scoring 27 points or fewer.