– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND — The only thing stronger than the torrential downpour that that left the Virginia Tech football team waterlogged throughout the second half were the legs of quarterback Kyron Drones, who ushered the Hokies out of 2023 with a victory and now leave many wondering the potential for the squad going into the offseason.
Drones threw for two touchdowns while running through the heavy rainfall to the tune of 176 rushing yards and another score, leading Virginia Tech to a 41-20 victory over No. 23 Tulane in the Military Bowl inside Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Wednesday afternoon. The Hokies ran for 362 yards as a team on the day, with Bhayshul Tuten producing his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season with 136 yards and two second-half touchdown runs.
After a 1-3 start to the season, which included a three-game losing streak to Purdue, Rutgers and Marshall, the Hokies rallied to win six of their final nine ball games, with today’s victory marking the first time in four tries that Virginia Tech has defeated a Top 25 team under second-year head coach Brent Pry.
“Any time we’ve had success this year, really, we’ve been able to run the ball,” Pry said. “That’s who we need to be. That’s who we want to be.”
Drones became the first player since 2017 to rush for at least 150 yards and throw for two touchdowns in an FBS bowl game, joining former Louisville star and current Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who accomplished the feat during the 2017 Gator Bowl against Mississippi State.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Wednesday afternoon’s contest, with photos taken by ALOST staff photographer Yusuf Abdullah. After clicking on the first photo to enlarge the picture, make sure to press the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the rest of the pictures. There are 22 pictures in total.
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