This past Saturday was our annual Military Appreciation game! Hokie fans followed the “White Effect”, veterans were recognized, and the Highty-Tighties joined the Marching Virginians for our halftime show! The Hokies played Wofford College, a private college from Spartanburg, SC (and previous employer of our men’s basketball coach, Mike Young!). Despite an 11 AM kick-off — the earliest in Hokie football history — Lane Stadium was filled with 62,043 fans ready to cheer on the team!
1st Quarter
The Hokies take the field! (source: HokieSports)
While jumping to Enter Sandman, the fans and student sections sounded a bit more awake and ready for Hokie football! After the early-morning kick-off, the Hokies and Terriers pushed back and forth for the majority of the quarter. The Hokies averaged 5.6 yards per play on first downs, forcing the Terriers to continuously fall back. Towards the end of the quarter, the Hokies eventually got within range to go for a field goal on a fourth down, putting them in the lead. The score at the end of the first quarter was Wofford 0 – VT 3.
2nd Quarter
#2 Jadan Blue making a legendary catch! (source: HokieSports)
The second quarter allowed the Hokies to showcase our wide receiver, #2 Jadan Blue! Blade made three separate memorable catches over the course of the game, sending the crowd into hysteria! Blue also made his first touchdown as a Hokie during the second quarter, helping the Hokies put up a 17-point quarter! The Terreirs couldn’t handle the pressure put on them by our quarterback, #6 Grant Wells. The score at the end of the second quarter was Wofford 0 – VT 20.
Halftime
A tank formation as the band performs the Army hymn (source: HokieSports)
The Highty-Tighties (source: HokieSports)
The Marching Virginians opened our performance with Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the U.S.A. We then began our Armed Forces Medley, a collection of the anthems for each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. Starting with Wild Blue Yonder, the Air Force’s anthem, we formed a plane on the field; Anchors Aweigh, the anthem of the Navy, was performed from the form of an anchor; the Marine’s Hymn was performed from a spell-out of the word “Marines”; Semper Paratus, the anthem of the Coast Guard, was performed in the form of a boat and the letters “C” and “G”; and The Army Goes Rolling Along was performed from the form of a tank". We then performed our national march, The Stars and Stripes Forever, and invited the Highty-Tighties onto the field to help us complete the form of the United States. Cadets in the Air Force ROTC unfurled a large U.S. flag in the middle of the set, and the combined bands received grateful applause! The combined bands ended our halftime performance with every Hokie’s favorite song, Tech Triumph!
The Marching Virginians and the Highty-Tighties form the United States (Source: HokieSports)
3rd Quarter
The Lunch Pail Defense (source: HokieSports)
When the MVs returned to the stands, the Hokies Lunch Pail Defense had its time to shine! Thanks to our star linebacker #4 Dax Hollifield, the Hokies allowed a mere 1.52 yards per run from Wofford, bolstering the Hokies defense as one of the strongest in the ACC at the moment! The score at the end of the third quarter was unchanged: Wofford 0 – VT 20.
4th Quarter
The fourth quarter opened up the opportunity for another first touchdown as a Hokie for running back #22 Bryce Duke. That many Hokie touchdowns wouldn’t have been possible without QB Grant Wells putting up 314 throwing yards! Much to the Hokies disappointment, however, the dreams of the game being Wofford’s third consecutive shutout were ended with less than ten minutes left in the quarter, as Wofford made a 3-yard touchdown run. While the touchdown put a slight damper on the mood, the Hokies still kept pushing through to the very end! The final score was Wofford 7 – VT 27. The Hokies record currently stands at 2-1 overall.
#4 Connor Blumrick and the team sing to Tech Triumph (source: HokieSports)
Check back next week for when the Hokies take on West Virginia at home for the Black Diamond Trophy!
All information referenced is courtesy of HokieSports, ESPN, and Bill Roth of the Virginia Tech Sports Network.