ROANOKE, Va. – Virginia Tech fought to the end but it simply wasn’t enough as Rutgers outlasted the Hokies for the 35-16 victory.
The game started off rough for the Hokies as they fumbled the ball on the opening possession. Just one play later Kyle Monangai turned that into a 19 yard rushing touchdown to give the Scarlet Knights the 7-0 lead.
Kyron Drones got the nod as the starting quarterback after Grant Wells wasn’t quite ready after suffering an injury during the Hokies loss to Purdue. He led the Hokies on a 15 play, 57 yard drive that ended with a Jordan Love field goal to make it a 7-3 ball tame.
But Rutgers scored 14 unanswered to hold a 21-3 lead at halftime. In the second half, the Hokies mustered up a comeback attempt. It started late in the third quarter as Drones hit Da’Quan Felton for a 39 yard touchdown. Felton led the team with 6 catches for 84 yards.
That scoring drive was followed up with another 7 play, 45 yard drive that was capped off by a Bhayshul Tuten rushing touchdown. Drones’ two-point conversion attempt was no good so the score sat at 21-16 but that’s as close as Virginia Tech would come.
Rutgers would turn to Monangai to finish this game and he did just that. A 55 yard touchdown run with 10 minutes remaining in the game, then a 12 yard touchdown run that left 3:20 on the clock sealed the deal. Monangai finished with 143 yards on 16 carries and 3 scores.
The Scarlet Knights defense also created pressure, which proved to be successful against the Hokies offensive line. As a result, Rutgers finished with 4 sacks and 6 tackles for loss.
Virginia Tech falls to 1-2 this season and will look to rebound on the road at Marshall on September 23, a noon kickoff.