BLACKSBURG- For the first time in five seasons, Virginia Tech football is 2-0 to start its season. After pummeling VMI 73-3 in their season opener Sept. 5, the Hokies swooped past Old Dominion in a 44-21 victory at Lane Stadium Saturday. Here are the three players I think rose their stock the most from Saturday's victory:
Thirty-one of Grunkemeyer's 42 pass attempts were caught, the second-most completions in a single game since at least 1970, per the HokieSports stats database. Grunkemeyer threw for a career-high 327 yards and two touchdowns, marking the junior's first career 300-yard passing performance.
Grunkemeyer was nearly flawless in the Hokies' 73-3 rout of VMI, completing 17-of-20 passes, but Saturday provided a considerably greater test of his ability to lead Virginia Tech 's offense. He responded by completing nearly 74% of his attempts while spreading the ball around; five Hokies finished with at least four receptions.
Through two games, Grunkemeyer has now completed 48-of-62 passes for 551 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. There will be tougher defenses ahead - Maryland awaits in College Park this week - but his first two starts have provided little reason to question Virginia Tech's decision to entrust him with the offense.
Both of Grunkemeyer's touchdown passes went to junior tight end Luke Reynolds, who hauled in eight passes for 108 yards and two scores - all career-highs.
Reynolds arrived in Blacksburg with plenty of intrigue after following Grunkemeyer and James Franklin from Penn State , but his receiving production with the Nittany Lions was relatively modest. Across two seasons, Reynolds caught 35 passes for 368 yards and one touchdown.
Reynolds has already accumulated 13 receptions for 158 yards and three touchdowns this season, establishing himself as considerably more than another option within the Hokies' passing attack. Saturday especially showed what his ceiling could look like, with Reynolds becoming Grunkemeyer's most productive target and finding the end zone twice.
Williams, another transfer from Penn State, logged three solo tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks against Old Dominion while forcing a pair of fumbles. After the Hokies' defensive ends entered the year as one of the larger unknowns on the roster, Saturday represented an encouraging glimpse of what Williams could provide off the edge.
Old Dominion quarterback Quinn Henicle presented a considerably different challenge than anything the Hokies saw against VMI, possessing the mobility to escape pressure and create plays outside the pocket. Still, Virginia Tech's defense was an omnipresent fixture, sacking the quarterback seven times.
One game won't completely answer the questions surrounding the Hokies' defensive ends. Williams' showing against Old Dominion, though, certainly makes that position look a little less uncertain than it did two weeks ago.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/virginiatech as Virginia Tech Stock Report: Three Players Rising After Week 2's 44-21 Victory Over Old Dominion .
