Hokies wide receiver Ayden Greene came to play on Friday in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. (Ivan Morozov)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hokies wide receiver Ayden Greene entered the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against Minnesota with 13 catches for 153 yards on the season.

Granted, he was the up-and-comer in Virginia Tech’s wideout room this year behind a quartet of veterans in Da’Quan Felton, Stephen Gosnell, Ali Jennings and Jaylin Lane. Just a sophomore, Greene was a factor in 2024 but didn’t necessarily blow anyone away with his play.

Until Friday.

With Felton and Lane opting out of the game to prepare for the Senior Bowl and the NFL Draft, Greene had an expanded role against the Golden Gophers and put on a show. He hauled in six receptions for 115 yards — nearly matching his entire season total — which included a career-long 67-yard catch-and-run in the first quarter that set up the Hokies’ lone touchdown of the game.

The Knoxville, Tenn., product had shown flashes over his two years in Blacksburg, but he finally put everything together in Bank of America Stadium in what head coach Brent Pry described as “the kind of game he needed to have.”

“His whole bowl prep was fantastic,” Pry said of Greene. “He’s had his moments. He had a great spring. He didn’t come out and start the season the way we hoped he would, but he’s come on. … He’s a guy that we’ll look to for leadership and playmaking ability certainly in the fall.”

On a night where Tech didn’t generate much offense, Greene did that and more. He had six of the team’s 10 catches and eight of the 18 targets. His receptions included gains of one, six, eight, 11, 22 and 67 yards.

It was the deep ball that truly showcased his skills. He provided a spark when the Hokies needed it at the end of the first quarter and used the offensive scheme to perfection.

On the play, Jennings ran over the middle and drew Minnesota’s deep safety out of position, opening the acres of space for Greene in front of the Tech sideline. Despite being under duress, quarterback Collin Schlee fired him a good ball, and Greene did the rest, racking up 46 yards after the catch and weaving his way down to the Gophers’ 3-yard line.

“The play is designed to do exactly what it did,” Greene said. “It worked very well. They busted coverage. It’s a very good concept that I think can pick defense apart and we executed it well.”

It was the kind of game Tech seemed to be waiting for from him. His talent has been on display a number of times this year, whether in the receiving game — like his touchdown catches against Miami or Clemson — or on gadget plays. He’s seen touches on a few reverses, and he took one 21 yards to the house at Duke in late November.

While consistency might’ve been a question mark in the regular season, he checked that box on a cold January night in the bowl game, emphaszing that he’s Tech’s future at that position.

“It’s just a start,” Greene said. “I don’t give myself no standard, no ceiling. I think I have the capabilities of being a very, very, very good receiver. Tonight was just a step into that, kind of showing what next season’s going to look like for me. And I still feel like I left some plays out there, some things I could have done. Never settled, but I am proud of how I played tonight.”

The outing didn’t surprise his teammates, who have seen him have similar performances on the practice field and know the kind of work he’s put in behind the scenes.

“He always impresses me,” Hokies cornerback Dante Lovett said of Greene. “That’s the thing about him. … That’s nothing new to me, I ain’t gonna lie to you. That’s nothing new. I’ve seen him do this in practice, I’ve seen him do this since high school, so this ain’t nothing new.”

Fifth-year senior Peter Moore went out with a bang, ending his Hokies career with a 69-yard punt, his longest to date. (Ivan Morozov)

Special teams sendoff

In his final collegiate game, Virginia Tech punter Peter Moore went out with a literal  bang.

What better way to cap off five years with the program than a career-long 69-yard punt on his final boot in college?

“That’s awesome,” Tech kicker John Love said. “Thrilled for him. … And then our last play together is a 60-yard field goal.”

Indeed. Moore, who was a three-time team captain with Tech, also served as the holder for field goals and extra points along with his punting duties. The last three of those years were with Love, who’s blossomed into quite the placekicker himself.

Moore (third team) and Love (honorable mention) both earned All-ACC honors this year after impressive campaigns. The former, who hails from Davidsonville, Md., averaged 44.6 yards per punt in 2024 — the best mark of his career and good for 19th in the country (and third in the ACC). Meanwhile, Love was a perfect 42-of-42 on extra points and his 16-of-18 mark (89%) on field goals ranked 15th in the FBS (and third in the league).

With Moore as the holder, Tech placekickers were 142-of-144 on point-after tries (99%) and 61-of-75 on field goal attempts (81%) since 2021. Moreover, the duo of Moore and Love were 88-of-88 (100%) and 38-of-43 (88%), respectively, and their final play together was the second-longest field goal in school history.

Against Minnesota, the Hokies got into enemy territory at the 42-yard line and opted for a 60-yard field goal with Love, who had a strong wind behind him and had hit from 57 earlier this season at Miami. It was a good snap from Christian Epling (who was recently placed on scholarship) and Moore did a nice job setting the table for Love, who barely snuck it over the uprights. Talk about ending the half with some momentum.