No. 21 Virginia Tech beats No. 22 West Virginia 31-24
West Virginia quarterback Will Grier (top) is tackled by Virginia Tech safety Terrell Edmunds as he rushes the ball in the first half of Sunday’s game in Landover, Md.
LANDOVER, Maryland — Josh Jackson passed for 235 yards, ran for 101 and accounted for two touchdowns in his first start for Virginia Tech, and the No. 21 Hokies made a last-second stand to beat No. 22 West Virginia 3124 on Sunday night.
The 52nd meeting between the Appalachian region rivals was the first since 2005. It ended up being a classic at FedEx Field, which turned into Lane Stadium northeast at the end. Hokies fans screamed along to “Enter Sandman” after Virginia Tech held the Mountaineers out of the end zone on two last plays from the 15. After 11 years, the Hokies get to bring the Black Diamond Trophy back to Blacksburg. Patrick Semansky / The Associated Press
No. 21 Virginia Tech 31, No. 22 West Virginia 24.
Jackson, the redshirt freshman who won a three-way competition for the job, was up and down with his passing, but showed off some nifty moves running in the opener for both teams. His 46-yard keeper up the middle set up Travon McMillian’s 3-yard touchdown run that put Virginia Tech up 31-24 with 6:30 left.
West Virginia’s new quarterback looked good, too. Florida transfer Will Grier, who left Gainesville after being suspended by the NCAA for failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs in 2015, pass for 371 yards and three touchdowns.