On a day marked by steadily falling rain, Tech poured on the points. It served as a nice way to wash out a disappointing, hard-fought loss to Syracuse last week. “We know we didn’t play up to expectations on the defensive side of the football [against Syracuse]” head coach Brent Key said. . The defense did a better job of answering those expectations by holding the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Keydets to 104 yards in the 59-7 win.
To be blunt, this is a game Tech was expected to handle. Even ignoring the fact that the Keydets have not beaten Tech since 1950, the Jackets were favored heading into the matchup. The game started off slowly with both teams exchanging three-and-outs. On the Keydets next drive, the Jackets defense shook things up. Redshirt junior cornerback Ahmari Harvey delivered a thunderous hit to force a fumble that Tech recovered to set up the offense.
After the fumble recovery, Tech marched down the field and scored their first points of the game. Redshirt sophomore kicker Aidan Birr nailed a 28-yard field goal, making the score 3-0. On the Jackets’ next drive, the offense showed their big play ability. The Jackets struck fast — sophomore Eric Singleton Jr. ran for 15 yards before redshirt junior quarterback King found redshirt junior Malik Rutherford. The receiver did the rest, slicing through the defense and making his way into the endzone for Tech’s first TD of the afternoon. The Jackets’ barrage continued with redshirt sophomore quarterback Zach Pyron pushing to score his second touchdown of the season. Pyron was set up by Singleton Jr, who hauled in a 50-yard reception from King. The Jackets ended the first quarter up 17-0.
Tech’s defense dominated throughout the first quarter only allowing 11 yards on 12 plays alongside the one turnover. The offense sliced through VMI for 168 yards.
The second quarter was much of the same for the Jackets. Notably, four minutes and 59 seconds into the second quarter, VMI secured their first first down of the day. Their victory was short-lived as Tech forced them to punt three downs later. The Jackets scored 21 more points before halftime while holding the Keydets to zero, Tech led 38-0 at the break. The scoring was highlighted by senior tight end Avery Boyd who scored his second touchdown of the year on a 33 yard catch and run. Singleton Jr. and Pyron scored the other two touchdowns for the Jackets.
The 38-0 lead was the sixth largest halftime lead in program history. King led the way with 275 yards passing and three touchdowns. The game was in such a state that the coaches agreed to shorten the third and fourth quarters to 10 minutes instead of the normal 15 minutes.
The lead gave Tech the opportunity for some players to get some important game time with many of the starters not seeing the field after the break. “It’s not as much getting the guys rest… [but] it’s getting the other guys the experience to be able to add to the depth and have experienced depth,” Coach Key said.
Despite the new personnel, the Jackets continued to score. On the first drive of the second half, freshman running back Trelain Maddox scored his first touchdown as a Jacket, extending the lead to 45-0. Pyron set Maddox up with his 23 yards rushing. The quarterback continued his dominance, when later on in the quarter, he connected with redshirt junior Leo Blackburn, who has struggled with injury during his time at Tech, for a 24 yard score. The Jackets led 52-0 at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, VMI would put up their first points of the game to make the score 52-7. Freshman quarterback Aaron Philo, Georgia high school football’s all-time leading passer, entered the game for the first time as a Jacket. Philo made his presence felt by connecting with redshirt freshman receiver Chris Elko for a 41 yard gain on fourth down. The Jackets punched the ball in to make the score 59-7. Redshirt junior quarterback Brody Rhodes then came in to run out the clock. Tech dominated from start to finish and won 59-7.
The Jackets defense only allowed five first downs, which is the second fewest allowed in program history and last achieved in 1964. VMI only notched 104 yards of total offense while giving up three sacks. Freshman linebacker Tah’j Butler set a new career high with five tackles. However, the team does not view this as a one-time occurence. “That’s the standard. That’s what we have to do all year and it has to be consistent” redshirt junior Romello Height said.
Tech moved the ball at will on the offensive side. King posted 275 passing yards and three touchdown passes in only two quarters. Tech’s 382 total passing yards ranks sixth in program history and is the most since 2001. Maddox rushed for 53 yards in his collegiate debut along with a touchdown. Singleton Jr. notched 117 all-purpose yards leading the team in total yards. Despite his proficient collegiate career, Singleton Jr. ‘s 102 receiving yards was just the second career 100-yard receiving game as a Jacket.
The Jackets’ win moved their record to 3-1, the program’s best start since 2017. Next, they travel to Louisville, Ky. to take on the No. 19 Louisville Cardinals in hopes of preserving their momentum. The Jackets are hoping to avenge their 39-34 loss to the Cardinals last season and recapture a place in the rankings.