Pry gets first win at Va. Tech; Hokies beat BC 27-10
Sep 10, 2022, 8:30 AM | Updated: 9:27 pm
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Grant Wells threw for 140 yards and a touchdown to lift Virginia Tech to a 27-10 victory over Boston College on Saturday.
The Hokies (1-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) also got a strong performance from their defense, holding the Eagles (0-2, 0-1 ACC) to 155 yards and sacking BC quarterback Phil Jurkovec six times.
The win marked the first for first-year Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry, a former Hokie graduate assistant in the mid-1990s.
“It’s awesome,” Pry said. “It just feels good to be 1-0. I’m just so happy for the players, for the staff, for the fans. You saw it. Students were there an hour before kickoff. The place was packed despite the weather. This was a good win for the entire program.”
Virginia Tech cornerback Armani Chatman intercepted Jurkovec on the second play of the game to set up Jalen Holston’s 1-yard run that gave the Hokies a lead they would not relinquish.
BC cut Virginia Tech’s lead to 17-10 in the third quarter on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Jurkovec to Jaden Williams, but the Hokies immediately answered, scoring on a 2-yard pass from Wells to Kaleb Smith for a two-touchdown advantage.
“We got a little bit of momentum,” BC coach Jeff Hafley said. “We cut the game to a possession, and then we gave it right back to go down 14. There’s a lot of little things. We’re not playing good enough, obviously. We’re not coaching good enough. We had 150 yards on offense, and we need to score points. We have to find ways to score points.”
Jurkovec finished with 135 yards passing to lead BC.
TAKEAWAYS
Boston College: The Eagles got nothing consistently going against Virginia Tech’s defense and missed starting left tackle Ozzy Trapilo, who did not play because of an injury. Jurkovec had little time to throw, and the Eagles established nothing on the ground. They’ll need to find production Saturday against Maine before a looming trip to Florida State.
“They were pressuring us every chance they could get,” Hafley said. “We didn’t have much time. … We didn’t do a good enough job of protecting him (Jurkovec). We didn’t do a lot of good things on offense.”
Virginia Tech: The Hokies bounced back from a dreadful loss at Old Dominion in the opener, but still left a lot to be desired on offense, finishing with 284 yards. Given their lack of speed and marginal talent on that side of the ball, they’re probably going to have to take care of the ball and rely on their defense this season.
WELLS BOUNCEBACK
Wells was intercepted four times in the Hokies’ season-opening loss to ODU, but completed an efficient 16 of 25 and did not turn the ball over against BC.
“He was great all week,” Pry said. “He was steady. He was confident. I thought he bounced back really well. Managed the game. Made good decisions. And he made some nice throws in some big moments. I think it’s a great game for Grant to build on.”
GARBUTT DOMINANT
Virginia Tech defensive end TyJuan Garbutt played the best game of his career, registering three tackles – all for loss – a sack, and he forced a fumble. In addition, he had four quarterback hurries.
“I’m very proud of him,” Pry said. “He’s been battling a minor injury, and his practice time has been limited. He’s a talented guy. He’s instinctive. He’s got good pass rush abilities. We’re going to need that from him moving forward.”
UP NEXT
Boston College returns home to play Maine on Saturday.
Virginia Tech will play at home Saturday against Wofford.
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