Sep. 7—The power chords of “Enter Sandman” will once again rock Lane Stadium as Virginia Tech (0-1) expects a rebound against visiting Marshall (1-0) Saturday afternoon.
In a battle between two teams headed in opposite directions after the season’s opening week, Tech is primed to regain its’ footing after a shocking 34-27 overtime loss at Vanderbilt. Marshall is not only looking to extend a winning streak over Virginia Tech but also hoping to triumph again after a 54-3 season-opening romp over Stoney Brook.
Virginia Tech, which narrowly missed being included in the pre-season Top 25, fell behind 17-0 in Nashville before hammering home 27 of the next 30 points scored to take a 27-20 fourth quarter lead before falling to the Commodores.
The Hokies were hampered by key penalties, including having two players on the field with the same number late in the contest, and a defensive lapse when Vanderbilt tied the game in the fourth period on a 70-yard drive orchestrated by quarterback Diego Pavia.
Vanderbilt nearly won in regulation before missing a field goal as time expired.
Marshall had little trouble working over Stoney Brook, rolling up 549 yards in total offense and the Thundering Herd tacked up 21 fourth-quarter points to win going away. Three quarterbacks including transfers Stone Earle (2), Braylon Braxton (2) and Cole Pennington (1) combined for five touchdowns and 290 yards on 21-of-32 passing over over-matched Stoney Brook.
A.J. Turner had a stellar rushing effort, with 119 yards to lead the Herd ground game.
Marshall Coach Charles Huff told the media, “I am not sure who will start at quarterback against Virginia Tech. Those three guys have numbers that are so close together.”
Meanwhile, in one of the opening week’s biggest upset, the Hokies stumbled through a listless first half before recovering after the break and…
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