BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Ethan Grunkemeyer threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns to lead Virginia Tech to a 34-24 victory over Georgia Tech on Saturday.
Que’Sean Brown added six receptions for 182 yards receiving and a touchdown for the Hokies (5-2, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who scored on four of their first five possessions and snapped a two-game losing streak.
“I just love that all three phases really found a way to have a positive factor in the game,” Virginia Tech coach James Franklin said. “Obviously, there are things that we’ve got to get cleaned up, but I’m very, very pleased with how all three phases had a factor in the game.”
Grunkemeyer found Brown for a 60-yard touchdown on the game’s third play, starting what turned out to be a big day for both and for the Hokies, whose previous two games – both losses – had come down to the game’s final play.
Georgia Tech (2-4, 1-2) rallied from a 24-3 halftime deficit to cut the Virginia Tech lead to 24-17 on 33-yard touchdown pass from Alberto Mendoza to Dalen Penson early in the third quarter. But Virginia Tech answered with two consecutive scoring drives spanning the third and fourth quarters to pull away.
Grunkemeyer’s third touchdown pass of the game, a 26-yarder to Jeffrey Overton Jr. with 5:41 left in the third quarter, pushed the lead to 31-17, and John Love added a 24-yard field goal early in the fourth for a 17-point edge.
The Hokies overcame a career game for Mendoza, who completed 29 of 38 passes for a career-high 335 yards and two touchdowns for the Yellow Jackets.
“We’ve shown that we can play with anybody on Saturdays,” Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said. “We can get in a hole, but turn it around, come out of it, and play. But it’s the consistency.
“The outcome of the game is not what we wanted, but there were a lot of things in this game that we did a better job. I’m not sitting here blowing smoke by any means, but there was improvement made, and that’s what we have to show the guys.”
The takeaway
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets were looking to build upon their win over previously unbeaten Duke and actually outgained the Hokies 428-409, but gave up touchdowns on Virginia Tech’s first two drives and just never recovered.
Virginia Tech: The Hokies bounced back after two gut-wrenching losses and now head into the most difficult part of their season. Three of their next four games are on the road – at Clemson, at SMU, and at Miami.
Big-game Brown
Que’Sean Brown’s 182 yards receiving were the sixth-most in a game in Virginia Tech history and were a career high. He also had a 63-yard punt return that led to the fourth-quarter field goal from Love.
“We were able to find some things that we felt like we could get some matchups that we wanted,” Franklin said of Brown’s success. “He’s playing big time. I’m proud of him.”
Missed opportunities
Georgia Tech had several miscues in this game, including a Trelain Maddox fumble as he was going into the end zone for a touchdown that resulted in a touchback on the Yellow Jackets’ first possession – one of two Georgia Tech turnovers that led to 10 Virginia Tech points. In addition, the Yellow Jackets allowed the big return to Brown, muffed a punt, missed a short field goal, and had a 43-pass play from Mendoza to Isaiah Fuhrmann that would have given the Yellow Jackets a first-and-goal at the Virginia Tech 3 called back because of a penalty.
“We definitely shot ourselves in the foot way too many times to come out on the right side,” Key said.
Up next
Georgia Tech: Hosts Boston College on Saturday.
Virginia Tech: Plays at Clemson on Saturday.
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By JIMMY ROBERTSON
Associated Press
