Rutgers tried to give up the game in the fourth quarter.
After trailing 23-7, Virginia Tech scored two touchdowns and a two-point conversion on consecutive attacks, and the Scarlet Knights offense took the field with 4 minutes, 35 seconds left and needed to get into field goal range.
It only took one play for Ian Strong to achieve this goal.
Strong received a screen pass from Ahsan Kaliakmanis 63 yards to the Virginia Tech 12-yard line. Three plays later, Jai Patel booted a 24-yard field goal to put Rutgers ahead again.
Robert Longerbeam was a standout defensive player in the game, deflecting and intercepting a Kyron Draughns pass to secure a 26-23 win in Blacksburg, Rutgers’ first-ever win at Lane Stadium.
Rutgers (3-0) got into the red zone six of its first eight attempts, but mistakes and gaffes kept Virginia Tech (2-2) in the game.
The Scarlet Knights took a 14-0 lead at the half on touchdown runs by Kyle Monangai and Sam Brown. The Hokies scored after Patel missed a field goal and Kenny Fletcher fumbled inside the Virginia Tech 5-yard line.
Brown’s second touchdown run of the afternoon opened the second half and put Rutgers ahead, 23-7. DJ Jabome induced a fumble for the Hokies on their first possession of the third quarter, but the drive was thwarted on fourth down.
Kariakmanis threw a pass that couldn’t be recovered, but finished with 269 total yards on the afternoon, the second-highest of his career. Strong had four catches for 110 yards and Dimere Miller had five catches for 98 yards.
Early on, Rutgers appeared to find something by using Fletcher in the passing game off of Kariakmanis’ option passes. Fletcher recorded seven receptions for 61 yards for a Scarlet Knights team that has lacked tight ends in recent years.
It was far from perfect — the Scarlet Knights didn’t allow any points and the Hokies caught up in the closing seconds — but the fact remains that Rutgers found a way to go into enemy territory and win a football game.
