RALEIGH, N.C. — Two games into his run as the Hokies’ interim coach and Philip Montgomery already managed something Brent Pry almost never could.
He won a one-score game.
John Love drilled a 49-yard field goal with 6:31 left, Virginia Tech’s defense clamped down (twice) and the Hokies managed to hold on, coming away with a gutsy 23-21 road victory against NC State at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday night to open ACC play.
Tech got a career-high 174 rushing yards from Terion Stewart, two touchdown passes from Kyron Drones and a spirted defensive effort to come from behind in the fourth quarter to get its first road win in nearly a year.
That’s two straight victories for the Hokies (2-3, 1-0 ACC) under Montgomery, who took over for Pry on an interim basis after Tech started the season 0-3. A big reason for Pry’s ouster? The coach’s 1-12 mark in one-score games, with eight straight losses in such situations.
That streak ended Saturday in a hard-fought victory against NC State (3-2, 1-2).
It started on the ground, with Stewart, who’d been nicked up the first few games and didn’t get a snap against Wofford last week to heal him up for the start of conference play, ripping off an 85-yard run late in the third quarter. The seventh-longest rush in Hokies history set up a 4-yard wide receiver screen to Cam Seldon, who powered his way into the end zone to give Tech a 20-14 lead.
NC State came back with a 10-play, 75-yard drive lasting four-and-a-half minutes and ending when running back Duke Scott spun out of a tackle and made a second effort to stretch the ball across the goal line for a 1-yard score. The extra point put the Wolfpack up 21-20 with 10:58 remaining.
The Hokies took the lead back on the next drive, however, getting a clutch third-down reception from tight end Benji Gosnell. NC State brought pressure on third-and-8, with Drones retreating to his right and throwing a ball off his back foot. Gosnell timed his jump perfectly, hauling in the throw over a defender for a 14-yard gain to the Wolfpack 34.
A third-down pass to Seldon came up two yards short of the sticks, leading to what looked like a 43-yard field goal by Love. Tech got a delay of game penalty, however. Pushed back to 49 yards, Love still drilled it, giving the Hokies a 23-21 lead with 6:31 left.
Unlike past instances with a late lead, this one held.
Virginia Tech got a three-and-out on NC State’s next possession, nearly forcing a fumble when the ball popped out of a receiver’s hands, a fumble that the Wolfpack recovered.
After NC State punted, the Hokies killed some clock but wound up in a fourth-and-1 at their own 40 with 1:42 left. They lined up to try to lure the Wolfpack offsides, but NC State didn’t bite. Tech punted it away.
Starting at its own 18 with 1:36 left, NC State only got as far as its 44. On fourth-and-1, the Wolfpack called for a quick pass to the outside. Christian Ellis jumped the route and made a diving pass breakup for a turnover on downs, sealing the win.
The teams traded blows in the first half, with Tech starting the scoring with a 40-yard field goal.
NC State responded by marching 75 yards on 12 plays, with CJ Bailey finding a wide-open tight end Dante Daniels on a late release from the line for a 4-yard touchdown to give the Wolfpack a 7-3 lead with 2:38 left in the first. Bailey began the game 7-for-7 in the air.
Drones made things happen on the Hokies’ ensuing drive. He retreated more than 10 yards on a third-down play, escaping from a heavy pass rush and throwing all the way across the field to an open Spencer, who went 14 yards to convert the third-and-6.
Down in the red zone, Drones stood in the pocket in the face of a third-down blitz, getting pummeled as he released a throw. He got the pass out to an open Marcellous Hawkins, who easily trotted into the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown to make it 10-7 Hokies with 9:28 left in the half.
Drones finished 20-for-34 for 177 yards and two scores.
Tech registered three of its five sacks on the night on the next drive — one by freshman linebacker Noah Chambers, one by defensive end Jason Abbey and one on an intentional grounding call when Isaiah Cash came untouched off the edge — to force a punt.
Despite bad field position, the Hokies got points out of the drive. Drones escaped pressure to his right and hurled a 32-yard pass to a sliding Ayden Greene on the sideline to get Tech into the red zone. Love’s 32-yard field goal made it 13-7 Hokies going into halftime.
The Hokies outgained the Wolfpack 230-121 in the first half, holding running back Hollywood Smothers, the ACC’s leading rusher, to 36 yards on nine carries.
Box Score: Virginia Tech 23, NC State 21
