Monarchs reign on No. 13 Hokies
NORFOLK, Va. — This was supposed to be a relatively easy road trip for Virginia Tech. Cross the state, connect with some of its fans and maybe a few recruits, and pick up a routine victory against Old Dominion.
But the Monarchs and their backup quarterback turned the Hokies’ first visit to their campus into maybe the biggest victory in school history — in any sport.
Blake LaRussa came off the bench to throw for 495 yards and four touchdowns to lead Old Dominion, which restarted its football program in 2009, to a 49-35 upset of No. 13 Virginia Tech yesterday.
LaRussa, who entered the game on the team’s second series, completed 30-of-49 passes and rushed for a touchdown to lead the 28Apoint underdog Monarchs (1-3) to a stunning victory against the ACC’s Hokies (2-1). Virginia Tech started the season with a decisive victory as an underdog against Florida State but was on the receiving end of perhaps the biggest upset of the season.
“I told (my players), ‘I liked you guys a lot better when everybody told you you were terrible,’ ” Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente said. “Now we get all feeling good about ourselves and we got brought back down to earth. We got what we deserved.”
Jeremy Cox’ 40-yard touchdown run with 1:34 remaining sealed the biggest win in program history. Fans stormed the field after the game.
Longtime Old Dominion coach Bobby Wilder called it “one of the biggest moments in Hampton Roads sports history.”
Virginia Tech beat the Monarchs 38-0 in Blacksburg last year. This was the second meeting of a scheduled 13 in 14 seasons, including six in Norfolk.
The Hokies led 28-21 after a 72yard touchdown pass from Josh Jackson to Damon Hazelton with 32 seconds left in the third quarter, but Old Dominion scored on its next two possessions, taking its first lead 35-28 on a 15-yard touchdown run by Cox with 9:57 remaining.
Things got worse for Virginia Tech, as Jackson went down with a lower leg injury on the first play of the ensuing drive. Backup quarterback Ryan Willis led the Hokies on a 75-yard march that ended with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Chris Cunningham with 7:15 remaining, tying the game at 35.
But the Hokies simply had no answer for LaRussa, who helped the Monarchs pile up 632 yards.
“At night when you dream about this game, this is what you picture,” Monarchs wide receiver Travis Fulgham said.
“Very disappointed in how we competed,” Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster said. “I just didn’t think we competed for balls. We played just poor technique. We weren’t ready to play is the bottom line, and I take full responsibility for that.”