Virginia Tech's defense falls apart in 51-28 loss at SMU

The bye week was supposed to help Virginia Tech. It didn't. SMU scored on each of its first eight possessions Friday night at Gerald J. Ford Stadium and beat the Hokies 51-28. The game drew two 6-2 teams, and the gap between them was obvious by the end.

Kevin Jennings threw for 350 yards and four touchdowns, three of them to Yamir Knight, according to ESPN. Sports Illustrated counted 569 total yards for the Mustangs, including 219 on the ground at 6.1 yards per carry. SMU punted only once, on its 11th possession, with a backup quarterback in the game. The 51 points were 16 more than Virginia Tech had given up in any game this season.

In its takeaways, SB Nation's Gobbler Country put most of the blame on Brent Pry's defense, which had no answer for SMU's run-pass options and got almost no pressure on Jennings. The outlet also questioned some of Ty Howle's play calls on offense and noted that James Franklin, in his first season, promised fixes after the game. Its conclusion was that the Hokies have improved but still sit a step below SMU and Louisville.

The offense did enough to stay in the game for a while. SMU led 10-0 before Ethan Grunkemeyer finished an 11-play drive with a 1-yard push, and freshman Jeffrey Overton Jr. ran 22 yards for a score that cut the deficit to 20-14. SMU then scored three straight touchdowns after halftime to go up by 30, according to Virginia Tech Athletics. Grunkemeyer went 28 of 38 for 291 yards with a touchdown to Que'Sean Brown and an interception. SMU sacked him four times. Overton ran 13 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns, his third 100-yard game. He now has 762 rushing yards on the year.

Pass protection is the ongoing problem. Gobbler Country pointed to an offensive line that struggles to open running lanes, and Sports Illustrated noted a failed fourth-and-1 run by Marcellous Hawkins Jr. while the Hokies trailed 30-14.

What it means for Stanford

The loss drops Virginia Tech to 6-3 overall and 3-3 in the ACC. Three of those games were decided by eight points or fewer: a 25-20 loss at Cal, a 35-33 home loss to Pittsburgh and a 20-16 win at Clemson. Gobbler Country noted that winning two of the last three would still get Franklin to 8-4, which most fans would have accepted in August. Stanford visits Blacksburg on Saturday, November 14, on ACC Network.

The board has the Hokies heavily favored. On the game page, Virginia Tech is -733 on the moneyline at Novig. The best price anywhere is Pinnacle's -698, and Stanford's is +567 on Novig and +574 on Kalshi. Novig's spread is Virginia Tech -15.5 at -104, while Hard Rock Bet offers -14.5 at -110, a point apart across the 12 venues. The total is 59.5. That is a high number for a defense that just allowed 8.4 yards per play.

SMU, now 7-2, hosts No. 16 Wake Forest the same day. Wake Forest is a narrow favorite there, at -108 on Novig and -1.5 on the spread. SMU is +102 on Novig and +107 at BetRivers, the best price on the board.