Virginia Tech Topples Boston College 21-14 In Rainy Affair

Virginia Tech football’s clash with Boston College Saturday, one that resulted in a 21-14 come-from-behind win, initially didn’t seem to carry quite the same luster as the three matchups that preceded it.

VMI? The first game of the James Franklin era, offering the Hokies an opportunity to get their feet wet. Old Dominion? A chance to avenge last year’s 45-26 loss that preceded then-head coach Brent Pry’s firing. Maryland? An opportunity to snap a 15-game losing streak against Power Four nonconference opponents.

Boston College? Sure, Franklin was facing another coach with whom he had previously worked in Bill O’Brien, but coaching connections had already been a storyline against Old Dominion’s Ricky Rahne and Maryland’s Mike Locksley.

Perhaps the biggest question entering Saturday’s matchup was how the unbeaten Hokies (4-0, 1-0 ACC) would respond to a blustery noon kickoff in Chestnut Hill. The Eagles (2-2, 0-1 ACC), coming off a 2-10 campaign that included a 1-7 mark in league play, offered Virginia Tech a favorable opportunity to begin its conference slate on the right foot.

With 11:09 remaining in the fourth quarter, though, that opportunity appeared to be slipping away. Boston College quarterback Mason McKenzie had just scored on a 2-yard rushing touchdown, putting the Eagles ahead 14-6 and leaving Virginia Tech staring at its first loss of the season.

Then Jeffrey Overton Jr. took over.

Behind a career-high 209 rushing yards from the sophomore running back, Virginia Tech mounted a fourth-quarter comeback to improve to 4-0 for the first time since 2017 with a 21-14 win over the eagles. Overton became the first Hokie to surpass 200 rushing yards in a game since Bhayshul Tuten accomplished the feat against Boston College in 2024.

With its backs against the wall, a 10-play, 80-yard drive for Virginia Tech culminated in an Ethan Grunkemeyer 14-yard throw to wide receiver Marlion Jackson in the right corner of the end zone that brought the game to 14-12. It was the Louisiana Tech transfer’s first touchdown with the Hokies; Jackson finished with three catches for 41 yards.

Overton Jr. punched in the 2-point conversion to deadlock the game at 14 and with just over eight minutes to go, Virginia Tech’s defense held the task of stopping Boston College signal-caller Mason McKenzie and Co. McKenzie was a persistent thorn on the ground, compiling 138 net rushing yards on 26 carries.

Virginia Tech’s defense forced a quick three-and-out. Working from the Hokies’ own 24-yard line, Overton Jr. scampered off the right edge and ran down the sideline for the go-ahead, 76-yard touchdown, elevating Virginia Tech’s lead to 21-14.

That followed a first half that was extremely choppy for both sides.

Though it sustained a three-and-out on its opening drive, Virginia Tech weathered 12- and 17-yard rushes by Boston College starting quarterback Mason McKenzie, forcing a turnover on downs. McKenzie’s 7-yard gain on fourth-and-9 came up two yards short. Though the Hokies couldn’t muster anything on the subsequent drive, Tech punter Nathan Totten’s boot settled down right at Boston College’s 2-yard line.

Battling winds that peaked at nearly 40 mph, Virginia Tech couldn’t string much together until its final drive of the half. In Virginia Tech’s first six drives off the half, it cobbled together only 69 net yards. In its final drive of the half, its 13-play, 48-yard drive — aided by a 16-yard completion to wideout Marlion Jackson — ended with a John Love field goal. The 45-yarder, which saw wind pick up right before the kick according to Virginia Tech Sports Network’s Evan Hughes, moved Love into fifth all-time in scoring in program history with 309 points.

Thanks to Love’s kick through the uprights, Virginia Tech took a narrow 3-0 lead into intermission. It was the fewest combined points in the first half in any Power Four game so far this season.

Virginia Tech quickly doubled its lead, forcing Boston College into a three-and-out thanks to an Aycen Sgtevens sack. It started its drive at the 10-yard line thanks to a 50-yard Que’Sean Brown punt return. It was Brown’s second punt return that went for over 40 yards following a 79-yarder against Old Dominion that settled at the 1-yard line.

As was the case against Old Dominion, Virginia Tech failed to capitalize on Brown’s field-flipping return. The Hokies went backwards on the ensuing possession, settling for a field goal that extended their lead to 6-0.

Boston College responded with two unanswered touchdowns, forcing Virginia Tech to mount a fourth-quarter comeback. The latter came on a 5-yard read-option keeper by McKenzie, who had set up the score with a 45-yard dash the play before.

Faced with its backs against the wall or the first time this season, Virginia Tech placed its hopes in an offense that had scored 13 points in its last five quarters entering the final frame.

And despite the turbulent effort, the Hokies came through. This coming Friday, Virginia Tech will have the chance to open its first five games with a 5-0 record for the first time since 2005. It accomplished Saturday’s win without two of its starting five offensive linemen, too; left tackle Justin Terry and right guard Montavious Cunningham were both absent, while guard Brody Meadows left the game midway through. Michael Troutman III made his first-ever collegiate start at guard as a result.

The contest wasn’t perfect by any means — entering the day with a 51.1% third-down conversion rate (No. 24 in FBS), Virginia Tech was 4-of-15 in such scenarios, only cashing in on one of its first nine third-down opportunities. Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer struggled at times, though he finished the day with 147 passing yards and a touchdown on a 22-of-35 clip.

But it was enough. The Hokies’ 15-point final frame — and Overton’s career-best effort, which included 159 second-half rushing yards — proved to be the difference.

The Hokies now venture back to Blacksburg looking to improve to 5-0 for the first time since 2005 when they host Pitt on Friday, Oct. 2. Kickoff for Friday’s affair is set for 7 p.m. ET, with coverage for the event live on ESPN.