Hooker leads No. 23 Hokies past BC
Quarterback Hendon Hooker rushed for three touchdowns and 164 yards Saturday night as No. 23 Virginia Tech pulled away from Boston College in the second half for a 40-14 Atlantic Coast Conference victory.
Making his first start of the year, Hooker also completed 11 of 15 passes for 111 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown to Khalil Herbert on a perfectly executed screen pass with 2:49 left in the first half that lifted the Hokies to a 17-7 lead at the intermission.
Herbert, the transfer from Kansas who entered the night as the top rusher in FBS, gained 143 yards on the ground — the fifth time in as many games he has topped the century mark. Herbert carried 18 times as Tech (3-1, 3-1) pounded out 350 yards rushing.
For Boston College (3-2, 2-2), Phil Jurkovec completed 28 of 51 passes for 345 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Eagles also lost three fumbles, two of which stalled promising first quarter drives.
Brian Johnson initiated scoring for the Hokies with a 41-yard field goal late in the first quarter. Jurkovec soon gave BC its only lead by connecting with Jaelen Gill on a 12-yard touchdown pass, but the lead was short-lived.
Just two minutes later, Hooker erased BC’s advantage by dashing seven yards off right tackle to give Tech the lead for good, 10-7. And with 2:49 left in the first half, the Hokies extended the lead to 17-7 when Hooker found Herbert with a 29-yard touchdown pass.
The Eagles drew within 17-14 midway through the third quarter when Jurkovec found tight end Hunter Long for a 20-yard scoring strike.
Herbert ripped off a 57-yard run, one of six runs of 20 yards or longer that the Hokies created on the night. Hooker cashed it in four plays later with a 5-yard run and Tech had a 24-14 cushion.
Johnson connected on a 27-yard field goal later in the quarter, and Raheem Blackshear ended the game’s competitive phase with a 28-yard touchdown run early in the fourth period.
–Field Level Media
