College Sports

Hendon Hooker helps No. 23 Virginia Tech beat Boston College

Posted October 17, 2020 7:00 am

By JIMMY ROBERTSON

TrÃ© Turner, right, of Virginia Tech stiff arms Jason Maitre, left, of Boston College in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Blacksburg Va. Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020. (Matt Gentry/The Roanoke Times via AP, Pool) The Associated Press

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) - Hendon Hooker ran for a career-high 164 yards and three touchdowns and threw for a score in No. 23 Virginia Tech's 40-14 victory over Boston College on Saturday night.

Khalil Herbert added 143 yards rushing for the Hokies (3-1, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). They ran for 350 yards in bouncing back from a road loss to North Carolina.

Virginia Tech scored off of four of BC's five turnovers to pull away. The Eagles (3-2, 2-2) turned it over three times in the first half alone, with the most damaging coming when quarterback Phil Jurkovec overthrew an open Jaelen Gill deep in Virginia Tech territory. Devin Taylor intercepted the pass for the Hokies, and Hooker's 29-yard touchdown pass to Herbert made it 17-7.

Boston College cut it to 17-14 on a touchdown pass from Jurkovec to Hunter Long with 7:11 left in the third quarter, but the Hokies scored the final 24 points '“ 17 of those off BC turnovers.

Jurkovec threw for 345 yards and two touchdowns, but he also turned the ball over three times.

THE TAKEAWAYS

Boston College: Turnovers doomed the Eagles after they came in with just three turnovers in their first four games. BC drove inside the Virginia Tech 30 on its first two possessions and fumbled both times, squandering opportunities to grab an early lead and take control of the game.

Virginia Tech: After getting most of their primary players back on defense (COVID and injuries), the Hokies finally got a solid performance from that unit, which had allowed 24 points in each of Virginia Tech's first three games. Virginia Tech had forced three turnovers all season before forcing five against the Eagles.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Hokies should move up in The Associated Press poll after the victory and home losses by Tennessee and Louisiana-Lafayette, two teams ahead of them in the poll.

UP NEXT

Boston College: The Eagles return home to face Georgia Tech on Saturday.

Virginia Tech: The Hokies play at Wake Forest on Saturday.

Virginia Tech quarterback Hendon Hooker, left, scores in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Boston College in Blacksburg Va. Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020. (Matt Gentry/The Roanoke Times via AP, Pool) The Associated Press

Virginia Tech quarterback Hendon Hooker, right, stiff arms Deon Jones, left, of Boston College in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Blacksburg, Va. Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020. (Matt Gentry/The Roanoke Times via AP, Pool) The Associated Press

Boston College Running back Pat Garwo III, center, fumbles the ball while being tackled by Virginia Tech defenders Divine Deablo, left, and Devin Taylor, right, in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Boston College in Blacksburg Va. Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020. (Matt Gentry/The Roanoke Times via AP, Pool) The Associated Press

Jaelen Gill, right, of Boston College scores past Virginia Tech defenders Chamarri Conner, left, first half of an NCAA college football game in Blacksburg Va. Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020. (Matt Gentry/The Roanoke Times via AP, Pool) The Associated Press

Khalil Herbert, right, of Virginia Tech scores past Sam Johnson III of Boston College in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Blacksburg, Va. Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020. (Matt Gentry/The Roanoke Times via AP, Pool) The Associated Press

Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley and his team wait to take the field at the start of the first half of an NCAA college football game against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg Va. Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020. (Matt Gentry/The Roanoke Times via AP, Pool) The Associated Press

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