Virginia Tech Battle Back To Defeat Marshall In Home Opener (9-7-24)

By: Joey Raymond

Headline Photo Credit: Team Raymond-LMS Network

Blacksburg, VA–After a disappointing loss to Vanderbilt the Virginia Tech Hokies are looking to bounce back in their home opener against the Marshall Thundering Herd. Marshall, coming off a dominant 45-3 victory over Stony Brook, enters the matchup with an inexperienced roster, while Virginia Tech hopes to shake off last week’s struggles in front of a sellout crowd in Blacksburg. With the 1999 Hokies roster returning to Lane Stadium and high expectations on their shoulders, this game presents a crucial opportunity for Virginia Tech to reset their season and make a statement. Let’s dive into this week’s game recap and break down what happened

First Quarter

Marshall won the toss and elected to defer, giving Virginia Tech the ball first. The Hokies came out aggressively, focusing on the passing game and working their way down to the Marshall 33-yard line. However, Marshall’s defense stepped up and forced a crucial turnover on downs. Both teams would then trade three-and-outs before Marshall found success through the air. They moved the ball deep into Virginia Tech territory but were held to a field goal attempt, which they missed, keeping the score at 0-0. The remainder of the quarter saw both teams locked in a punting battle, frustrating fans as neither side could establish an offensive rhythm. Late in the quarter, Virginia Tech’s special teams broke the stalemate as Jaylin Lane returned a punt 58 yards for a touchdown, giving the Hokies a 7-0 lead to close out the first.

Second Quarter

The second quarter opened with more defensive stops, as both teams continued to trade punts. Virginia Tech seemed to gain momentum, driving down to Marshall’s 2-yard line, only to be penalized for an illegal block, pushing them back to the 17-yard line. The Herd defense capitalized, holding the Hokies to a 42-yard field goal, which extended Virginia Tech’s lead to 10-0. Marshall and Virginia Tech’s next drives would result in a punt, and though Marshall’s next drive initially seemed stalled as well, a blocked punt by the Herd set them up on the Hokies 5-yard line. The Herd capitalized on this mistake, quickly scoring on their second play to make it 10-7. Both teams continued trading punts for the rest of the quarter, leaving the score 10-7 at halftime.

Third Quarter

Marshall received the ball to start the second half but was quickly forced to punt. With frustration growing among the fans and many leaving the stadium, Virginia Tech seized control of the game. Starting at midfield, the Hokies embarked on a 50-yard, 12-play drive that ended with a fourth-down touchdown, extending their lead to 17-7. A 70-yard run followed by an 18-yard touchdown pass from Marshall quickly answered, deflating the Hokies’ momentum and closing the gap to 17-14. Virginia Tech responded with an incredible 49-yard pass to Gosnell, placing them in the red zone. Shortly after, QB Kyron Drones ran it in for a 3-yard touchdown, pushing the score to 24-14. Marshall’s next drive faltered as they threw an interception, thanks to a tipped pass, allowing the ball to fall into Delane’s hands. This would give the Hokies control again as they drove deep into Marshall territory before the quarter ended at 24-14.

Fourth Quarter

Virginia Tech wasted no time at the start of the fourth, with Drones connecting with Felton for a 5-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 31-14. Marshall fought back, highlighted by a spectacular one-handed catch from Fitzpatrick for 20 yards, but they were stopped on a crucial fourth down in the red zone. The Hokies, despite getting a strong 20-yard run from Thomas, stalled on their next drive and were forced to punt. Marshall once again found themselves in the red zone shortly after, but Virginia Tech’s defense came up with another critical fourth-down stop. After getting the ball thanks to a turnover on downs, The Hokies then ran out the clock, sealing their victory with a final score of 31-14.

Final Thoughts and What’s Next

After another extremely disappointing first half of football, Virginia Tech fans are still left wondering with some questions. Why all the lateral movement and not vertical movement offensively? And more importantly, what do the conversations with Tyler Bowen and the team look like? The Hokies need some kind of change in the first half. This week looked a lot better but it’s still not what you’d expect with a team full of weapons in the receiver room. Not only that but you have an NFL-caliber running back who in their defense they gave it to a lot this week but in my opinion are not putting them into positions to be successful. As for what’s next, Virginia Tech will head down to Norfolk, Virginia to go head-to-head with the Old Dominion Monarchs. A place where everything that could go wrong went wrong for the Hokies last time they were there. They’ll hope for a different result this time around. As for Marshall, they’ll head on the road to Columbus, Ohio to take on the Buckeyes. Ohio State is the 2nd ranked team in the country so that should be an incredibly tough game for the Herd.