Virginia Tech Tops Maryland 35-26 For First 3-0 Start Since 2017

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Streaks are an enduring part of college football. Winning streaks, losing streaks, record-setting streaks and unwanted ones — eventually, almost all of them come to an end.

What category did Virginia Tech's 35-26 victory over Maryland Saturday at SECU Stadium fall into? The broken kind — and, for the Hokies (3-0), the good kind. The nine-point victory moved Virginia Tech to 3-0 for the first time since 2017 while snapping a 15-game losing streak against Power Four competition, a drought that dated back to that same season's opener against West Virginia.

Road DUB! 🔥#LetsGoHokies pic.twitter.com/dGHEutnjzx
— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) September 20, 2026

“I thought we played really good, complementary football,” said Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin.

As for a streak on the other end, Virginia Tech snapped Maryland’s nation-leading 20-game winning streak against non-conference opponents, handing the Terrapins (2-1) only their second loss in 24 such contests under head coach Mike Locksley.

“That team had the longest non-conference winning streak in the country — 20-0,” Franklin said. “We haven’t beaten a non-conference Power Four opponent since 2017. 2017! And we found a way to come on the road, get a win against a Big Ten opponent and represent the ACC. So, very proud of that.”

The start to the game was about as ideal as the Hokies could have hoped for.

Virginia Tech starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer was an unblemished 6-of-6 for 59 yards on his opening drive that ended with a 14-yard screen touchdown to tight end Luke Reynolds. Grunkemeyer, a junior who transferred from Penn State, displayed adept awareness in the pocket and rarely appeared flustered, escaping pressure to throw a 19-yard completion to wide receiver Ayden Greene on a critical third-and-7 play on the Hokies’ opening drive.

Originally, running back Jeffrey Overton Jr. had burst down the seam for a 29-yard house call — though the sequence was nullified after a holding call was assessed to Virginia Tech left guard Layth Ghannam. Still, Virginia Tech recovered and thanks to the 19-yard reception to Greene, the Hokies put seven on the board, continuing a trend of starting halves strong.

“One of the things I think has been significant is opening drives of halves for the season,” Franklin said. “[In that span, we’ve] got four touchdowns and two field goals, and our opponents have six punts.”

On the following Virginia Tech drive, the Hokies marched their way down to Maryland’s 1-yard line for a first-and-goal situation. They were then pushed back by an encroachment penalty on right guard Montavious Cunningham, a 7-yard sack of Grunkemeyer and false start penalties on Cunningham and center Kyle Altuner.

But facing a third-and-goal situation from the 18-yard line, Virginia Tech delivered. Grunkemeyer, facing pressure, remained unfazed, dashing through 18 yards into the end zone to elevate Virginia Tech’s lead to 13-0, though fifth-year kicker John Love’s kick was blocked for his first missed PAT in college. Love was 130-for-130 prior to the blocked kick.

Grunkemeyer finished the day with 314 passing yards on a 31-of-39 clip, throwing for three touchdowns and adding the aforementioned rushing score. His 314-yard output made him Virginia Tech’s first quarterback since Ryan Willis in 2018 to throw for 300 yards in back-to-back games.

"I think Grunk is doing a really good job," Franklin said of his starting quarterback. "A lot of times, you see these these college quarterbacks. It's one progression, and then they're running. This guy's going through his progressions, he's making adjustments to the protections. He's able to throw on the run. He's accurate."

On the subsequent drive, Maryland signal-caller Malik Washington found wide receivers Chris Durr Jr. and Kaleb Webb open for 15- and 44-yard completions, setting up an eventual 2-yard touchdown run from running back Iverson Howard. Webb’s 44-yard dash was initially ruled as a 45-yard touchdown before the ruling on the field was overturned.

It didn’t take long for Virginia Tech to answer, though. The following seven-play, 75-yard drive ended with the Hokies in the end zone again. Facing a second-and-10 play from the 49, Grunkemeyer dumped the ball off to an open Overton, who scampered home for the touchdown, elevating Virginia Tech’s lead to 20-7.

Maryland took advantage of Virginia Tech’s occasionally leaky coverage, though, with Washington finding Fleming open for 29- and 19-yard gains. The sophomore quarterback capped off the drive with a 12-yard toss to Durr Jr. near the right sideline, slicing Virginia Tech’s lead to six.

Operating in a 2-minute drill, Virginia Tech capitalized — the Hokies took advantage of a 14-yard pass interference call, with Grunkemeyer finding Reynolds, Davion ‘FatRat’ Brown and Benji Gosnell for completions to move up to Maryland’s 33-yard line. There, Grunkemeyer found Reynolds for a 14-yard gain, and Overton Jr. sliced down the middle for a 16-yarder.

Running along the line of scrimmage as part of a split-T play, Grunkemeyer darted to his left and found an open Ja’Ricous Hairston to score with 21 seconds left in the second quarter, placing the Hokies’ halftime advantage at 27-14. For good measure, Overton Jr. added a 2-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter, and Que’Sean Brown caught Grunkemeyer’s pass for the successful 2-point conversion.

"There's just so much great teaching and how we want to manage it, having all our timeouts available at the end of each half, so we can make sure that we're maximizing situational football in two-minute and four-minute situations, but our guys understand, right?" Franklin said. "Catch a ball outside the numbers, you get all you can and get out of bounds. Catch a ball inside the numbers, you've got to knife north-south and get first downs. You can't take sacks, you can't have penalties. You got to step up in the pocket... [Ethan] did a really good job of that tonight, driving up in the pocket, either running or hit [Ayden Greene] on a couple big crossing routes. So he's playing really good, confident football right now. They're having fun, which, God forbid, you have fun playing the game. Everybody talks about toughness and and all these types of things, but it's still a game. They should be having fun, and right now they are having fun."

Maryland didn't disappear quietly. Washington found Dorian Fleming for a 2-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and the Terrapins eventually sliced Virginia Tech's advantage to 35-26. The Hokies' offense, which had been so prolific throughout the first three quarters, was ultimately tasked with making one final play to put the game away.

It did. Facing fourth down with 2:54 remaining, Grunkemeyer rolled to his right and found Reynolds near the sticks. The tight end turned and extended the football beyond the line to gain, with the ruling surviving review. Maryland had already exhausted its timeouts, allowing Virginia Tech to kneel out the remaining clock and officially put an end to a pair of streaks nine years in the making.

That’s not meant to indicate that Virginia Tech’s third victory of the season was flawless. The Hokies’ defensive backs struggled at times against Maryland; Terrapins quarterback Malik Washington logged four completions of 17 yards or more in the first half against Virginia Tech — the highlight being a 44-yarder to Webb that originally was called a touchdown before being overturned. Washington finished with seven such completions in the game, going 30-of-43 for 359 yards and three touchdowns; Durr Jr. finished with 109 receiving yards on 12 catches.

Virginia Tech has navigated its 3-0 start, however, despite continued instability along the offensive line. Johnny Garrett remains out with a long-term injury. Justin Terry was taken off the field late in the first quarter and did not re-enter the game, with Oklahoma transfer Logan Howland manning his spot at left tackle. Howland finished with a 75.1 pass blocking grade on Pro Football Focus, third on the team only behind right guard Montavious Cunningham (86.8) and right tackle Aidan Lynch (81.9).

Still, there’s little Virginia Tech could have asked for beyond a 3-0 start to the James Franklin era. The Hokies have scored 106 points in the first halves of their first three games and have outscored their opponents 152-50 overall. Plus, their nine-point win came over a Maryland team that entered the affair ranked No. 39 in ESPN’s SP+ metrics — a cut far above Virginia Tech’s previous two opponents, VMI (No. 412) and Old Dominion (No. 96).

The Hokies found the end zone on five of their first six drives while converting eight of their nine third-down opportunities in the first half. Virginia Tech wasn't nearly as efficient after halftime, going 2-of-7 on third down while Maryland scored 12 fourth-quarter points, but the Hokies had already built enough of an advantage — and made the plays they needed late — to leave College Park unbeaten.

And while Grunkemeyer hasn't made much of an impact on the ground beyond the 18-yard touchdown scamper — he’s totaled a net minus-6 yards on 12 carries — his efficiency through the air has meant he hasn't needed to. Through three games, Grunkemeyer has completed 79 of his 101 passes for 865 yards, seven touchdowns and zero interceptions. Reynolds finished with a career-high 12 receptions for 107 yards Saturday.

"I think it's just his [own] confidence," Reynolds said when asked about what Grunkemeyer's defining factor as a quarterback is that gives the offense confidence. "... We all think he's a great player. He's super humble about everything. But he's got a confidence, a little swagger to him, offense kind of just feeds off that."

The Hokies found the end zone on five of their first six drives, though two of its last three resulted in punts. Though Virginia Tech yielded 12 fourth-quarter points to the Terrapins and it went 2-of-7 on third-down situations in the second half, it wasn’t enough to cost the Hokies.

Virginia Tech opens ACC play on the road in Chestnut Hill, Mass., against Boston College. The Hokies' ACC opener is set for Saturday, Sept. 26 at 12 p.m. ET. Coverage for the contest will be on either ESPN, ESPN2 or the ACC Network. After that, Pitt awaits at home on Friday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN).

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