SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The hobbled Hokies got to overtime but left Syracuse with another overtime heartbreaker.
LeQuint Allen scored on a 9-yard touchdown run for Syracuse in overtime before Virginia Tech backup quarterback Collin Schlee lost a fumble on the ensuing possession in the Orange’s 38-31 win in the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday.
It was the second overtime loss of the season for Virginia Tech (5-4, 3-2 ACC), which had its three-game winning streak snapped.
The Hokies played without starting quarterback Kyron Drones and running back Bhayshul Tuten, who couldn’t go because of ankle injuries. With Schlee making his first start for the Hokies, they built a 21-3 lead in the third quarter but watched it evaporate in the second half.
Syracuse (6-2, 3-2) got 121 rushing yards and three touchdowns from Allen. The Hokies fell to 2-8 all-time in the Dome.
After the Hokies took a 31-24 lead on John Love’s 27-yard field goal with 5:16 to play, Syracuse got into the end zone moving 75 yards in 14 plays and scoring on a 1-yard Allen dive with 29 seconds left. The extra point tied the game at 31.
The Orange wasted no time in finding the end zone in overtime. Allen went in motion out of a trick formation and cut upfield after a handoff and gained 16 yards. On the next play, he kept his balance and spun into the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown to give Cuse a 38-31 lead.
Tech got a first down on its possessions thanks to a pass interference penalty, but a holding call backed it up to a first-and-20. Two plays later, Schlee kept the ball and got twisted down by the Syracuse defense. As he went down, Orange linebacker Marlowe Wax knocked out the ball. Defensive lineman Fadil Diggs fell on it to end the game, a crushing loss for a Hokies team that played shorthanded.
Tuten’s status was in question all week after suffering an ankle injury late against Georgia Tech last week. Drones’ absence, though, came as a surprise to most after the quarterback aggravated a left ankle injury last week. However, Hokies coach Brent Pry said Drones didn’t do much in practice all week. He went through warmups in uniform but was ruled out just before kickoff. Both players were in sweats by the second half Saturday.
Virginia Tech still got off to a fast start, though, with Schlee going 4-for-4 on the Hokies’ second drive, hitting on a 48-yard deep ball to Stephen Gosnell. On the next play, Schlee faked an option to the right and pitched to Jaylin Lane coming around the other way. Lane scooted seven yards for the score to make it 7-0.
Tech kept rolling on its next drive, with Schlee hitting Gosnell in stride up the sideline for a 44-yard pass to the Orange 3. Two plays later, Schlee plunged into the end zone on a 1-yard keeper to give the Hokies a 14-0 lead with 4:31 left in the first quarter.
Jackson Kennedy’s 44-yard field goal pulled Syracuse within 14-3 on the first play of the second quarter, but Tech halted the following Orange drive when Mansoor Delane picked off a Kyle McCord deep ball in the end zone for a touchback.
The Orange was driving just before the half when the cornerback came up big again. McCord hit wide receiver Darrell Gill Jr., but Delane stripped the ball loose. Linebacker Jaden Keller pounced on the fumble at the Hokies’ 18-yard line to prevent points and keep the score 14-3.
Over the last four games, Virginia Tech has outscored opponents 70-9 in the first half.
Tech came out slinging in the second half too, marching 76 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown when Schlee pulled it on an RPO and hit a diving Ali Jennings in the end zone for a 12-yard score to make it 21-3. It was Jennings’ first catch since injuring his hamstring at ODU in Week 3.
Syracuse struck back when receiver Justus Ross-Simmons slipped Delane after a catch near the sideline and zipped 55 yards down the sideline, just out-racing safety Mose Phillips for a touchdown that pulled the Orange within 21-10.
A 41-yard screen pass to Trebor Pena got Syracuse inside the Hokies’ 5 on the next drive. Allen plunged in from 1 yard out a few plays later. A successful two-point pass to Oronde Gadsden trimmed Tech’s lead to 21-18 late in the third quarter.
The Hokies gave the ball back after Jeremiah Coney coughed up a fumble at the Tech 39. Early in the fourth quarter, McCord connected with Ross-Simmons, who slipped a tackle in the secondary and coasted 28 yards for a touchdown. Antwaun Powell-Ryland blocked the extra point, keeping the Syracuse lead at 24-21.
Tech answered with a 75-yard drive that saw Schlee gets knocked out after coming away limping after a run in the red zone. Third-stringer Pop Watson took over at quarterback and handed his first snap to Malachi Thomas, who darted up the middle almost untouched for a 15-yard touchdown to make it 28-24 Hokies with 11:04 remaining.
Box Score: Syracuse 38, Virginia Tech 31 (OT)
