Huddle up! Here’s a look back at this weekend on the gridiron, with three key takeaways from the state’s football scene -- and a glimpse at what’s to come next week.
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Quarterback storm might be brewing for Hokies
There was a literal storm that plagued Virginia Tech’s game against Purdue on Saturday, with inclement weather causing a more than 5-hour delay before the game resumed and Purdue eventually pulled out a 24-17 win.
But what happened in the game might have given birth to another storm for the Hokies, that being a quarterback controversy.
After leading the Hokies to 17 unanswered points to end the first half, incumbent quarterback Grant Wells struggled in the second half.
On Virginia Tech’s final drive, he was replaced by backup Kyron Drones, who gave the Hokies a spark and drove them down to the Purdue 42-yard line with more than a minute left.
The drive stalled and Purdue ended up running the clock out after getting the ball back.
But the big issue for Hokies head coach Brent Pry is whether Drones will be worthy of more snaps, or perhaps a start on Saturday at Rutgers.
Drones barely played in the season-opener against Old Dominion, but fans might see more of him with Wells struggling and Drones more of a threat to run when plays break down.
James Madison caps off emotional day with upset of Virginia
The first meeting in 40 years between James Madison and Virginia was a wide range of emotions from beginning to end.
Before the game, the victims of the tragic shooting on Virginia’s campus last year were remembered in a ceremony.
It was somewhat of a return to normalcy for fans and players after the final two games of the season were canceled due to the shooting.
The game was then a back-and-forth affair that featured a weather delay in the fourth quarter.
Virginia held a 35-24 lead in the fourth quarter, but James Madison rallied to earn a 36-35 win, scoring the winning touchdown with 55 seconds remaining.
It was a gut punch loss for Virginia, but a memorable occasion for James Madison to knock off an in-state Power 5 program.
High school team breaks 4-year losing streak
Some wins mean more than others, and that was the case for the Blacksburg High School football team on Friday.
For the first time since 2019, Blacksburg was on the winning side of a football game, earning a 40-14 win over Floyd County.
The last time Blacksburg won a game was in October 2019.