NORFOLK, Va. – Despite Steven Peoples' career-best rushing performance, Virginia Tech struggled for much of the afternoon against in-state foe Old Dominion, and the No. 13 Hokies fell 49-35 to the Monarchs in a non-conference game at Ballard Stadium.
With the loss, Virginia Tech fell to 2-1 overall. ODU moved to 1-3.
Peoples rushed for 156 yards on 20 carries and scored on runs of 87 yards and 1 yard. Quarterback Josh Jackson threw two touchdown passes.
But the Hokies struggled against ODU's offense, led by backup quarterback Blake LaRussa. The 5-foot-11 LaRussa completed 30 of 49 for 495 yards and threw touchdown passes of 14, 4, 25 and 29 yards. He also rushed for a touchdown on a day in which ODU's offense finished with 632 yards.
The Hokies led 28-21 after a 72-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to Damon Hazelton with 32 seconds left in the third quarter, but ODU scored on its next two possessions, taking a 35-28 lead on a 15-yard Jeremy Cox touchdown run with 9:57 to go – its first lead of the game.
Things got worse for Tech, as Jackson went down with a lower leg injury on the first play of the ensuing drive. Backup quarterback Ryan Willis led the Hokies on a 75-yard march that ended with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Willis to tight end Chris Cunningham with 7:15 remaining, tying the game at 35.
But the Hokies simply had no answer for ODU. LaRussa polished off a 75-yard drive with a beautiful 29-yard fade pattern to Jonathan Duhart for a touchdown with 5:11 left that was the game winner. Jeremy Cox's 40-yard touchdown run with 1:34 remaining sealed the win.
GAME NOTES
• Peoples' rushing performance marked the fourth 100-yard rushing performance by a player in head coach Justin Fuente's tenure.
• Peoples' 87-yard touchdown run tied for the fourth-longest touchdown run in program history.
• Jackson's 72-yard touchdown pass to Hazelton was the longest completion of his career.
• Hazelton has caught a touchdown pass in each off the Hokies' three games and is averaging 25.7 yards per catch this season.
• Cunningham has caught 17 passes in his career – six for touchdowns.
• Offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw and safety Divine Deablo missed the game because of injuries.
QUOTE TO NOTE
(Head coach Justin Fuente on Tech's preparations)
"It's easy to say that after you get embarrassed, but we had a couple of days in there when I'm trying to remind them … as a staff, we're trying to remind, but we were preparing like a young football team. I told them, 'I liked you guys a lot better when everybody told you that you were terrible. Everybody told you that you didn't have a chance to win the first game, and all you did was work your tails off.'
"And then now, we get to feeling all good about ourselves, and we get brought back down to earth. We got what we deserved."
UP NEXT
The Hokies open ACC play next Saturday when they take on Duke in Durham, North Carolina. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
