Virginia Tech’s upset bid of No. 16 Louisville ran into a second-half reality check.
The Cardinals scored 21 unanswered points after halftime to erase a nine-point deficit and pull away for a 28-16 win against the Hokies at Lane Stadium on Saturday.
Isaac Brown ran for 130 yards, Keyjuan Brown added 94 and two rushing touchdowns and Caullin Lacy had a momentum-changing 63-yard punt return to spur on the second-half comeback for Louisville (7-1, 4-1 ACC), which is one of five one-loss teams behind ACC leader Virginia.
The Hokies (3-6, 2-3) got an Isaiah Cash interception that set up an early touchdown and a blocked punt by P.J. Prioleau that was knocked out of the end zone to build up a 16-7 lead at the break, their first halftime lead since the NC State game.
It quickly unraveled in the second half.
Miller Moss connected with Lacy for a 24-yard touchdown early in the third quarter to pull the Cardinals within 16-14.
Things swung on the next possession. Facing third-and-10, Tech dialed up a deep ball, with Kyron Drones putting the ball on the money to Donavon Greene, who’d gotten behind the defense up the left sideline. It glanced off Greene’s fingers, however, for a critical drop.
That loomed large. The Hokies punted it away and Lacy returned it 63 yards, darting through the Tech coverage team to get to the 5-yard line. Two plays later, Keyjuan Brown powered his way into the end zone from 2 yards out to put the Cardinals up 21-16.
A Louisville defense that allowed just 99 yards after the break made sure it held up.
The Hokies had a shot with just under six minutes left, facing a fourth-and-3 at the Louisville 38. Tech tried to sneak tight end Ja’Ricous Hairston out of the backfield to the right for a short pass but the Cardinals had it covered. Drones kept the ball and tried to dart forward but was stuffed two yards shy of the sticks for a critical turnover on downs.
Louisville put things away after that, overcoming a 15-yard penalty for blocking below the waist with consecutive runs of 20 and 17 yards by Keyjuan Brown. The sophomore put an exclamation point on the win by busting up the middle nearly untouched for a 24-yard score, giving the Cardinals a 28-16 lead with just over two minutes left.
Tech got a passing and rushing touchdown from Drones, though the quarterback struggled to a 11-for-24 passing day for 76 yards.
Drones ran the ball effectively, piling up 85 yards. Marcellous Hawkins added 45. The Hokies struggled to sustain drives, however, going 4-for-15 on third downs and failing on all three of their fourth-down attempts.
It looked like it might be a blowout early, with Isaac Brown ripping off a 52-yard touchdown run on Louisville’s opening drive. After allowing 39 rushing yards all of last week against Cal, Tech gave up 62 on the ground on the first possession.
The Hokies counterpunched, however. Cash, their nickelback, put them in business by picking off a Moss pass across the middle and returning it 18 yards to the Louisville 37. Nine plays later, Drones powered his way into end zone for a 3-yard touchdown run to knot the game at 7. It was his eighth rushing touchdown of the year.
Virginia Tech took the lead on the next drive after forcing a three-and-out. Prioleau got a free run off the edge and blocked Carter Schwartz’s punt. The ball bounced out of the back of the end zone for a safety, putting the Hokies up 9-7. It was Prioleau’s second career blocked punt. He had one that was recovered for a touchdown at Pitt in 2022.
A 68-yard punt by Tech’s Nick Veltsistas that was downed at the Louisville 2-yard line flipped the field and gave the Hokies excellent field position after the Cardinals punted it back.
Tech marched 54 yards in eight plays, running the same quick pass out wide off an RPO twice in a row to Cam Seldon, who went 9 yards and then 5 to power his way into the end zone, giving the Hokies a 16-7 lead with 8:25 left in the half.
Hokies defensive tackle Kody Huisman came up with a couple of big run stuffs on third- and fourth-and-1, the second a drag down of Louisville backup quarterback Deuce Adams to force a turnover on downs at the Tech 22, keeping the score 16-7 going into halftime.
Box Score: No. 16 Louisville 28, Virginia Tech 16
