1. The running game

In the first half, the Virginia Tech Hokies rushed for 138 yards and had two rushing touchdowns. Tuten finished the first half with 10 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown in the first half with a long run of 55 yards. Bhayshul Tuten finished the game with 141 rushing yards on 19 attempts and quarterback Kyron Drones had 9 rushing attempts for 52 rushing yards. The Hokies have something to be happy about, as Miami is giving up an average of 64.8 rushing yards per game against other teams this season.

2. Sales exploited

The Hokies scored 14 points off turnovers and gave the Hurricanes their first deficit all season before halftime. The Hokies forced a fumble and two interceptions on Cam Ward’s first drive of the game, one in the 2nd quarter and one in the 3rd quarter, which created easier scoring opportunities. Points the Hokies scored from those turnovers included a Kyron Drones passing touchdown and a Bhayshul Tuten rushing touchdown in the first and second quarters.

3. Converted on 3rd down

The Hokies converted on over 50% of their third down attempts tonight, the most they have scored on third down all season, and they did so against the seventh-ranked team in the country. The Kyron Drones stepped up and made some great runs and throws for the Hokies on third down, keeping them within scoring distance and allowing the Hokies to score the most points they have scored all season.

4. Bhayshul Tuten produced in big moments

Bhayshul Tuten had 141 yards on the ground and several plays where he broke away from the defense and made big plays for the Hokies. Tuten averaged 7.4 yards per carry in this game and this game was his best game of the season. He added a rushing touchdown and proved why this team is so reliant on running the football.

5. The Hokies looked like the team they were touted to be

Coming into this season, many people viewed the Hokies as a potential playoff team and tonight was the night they showed it. Scoring 34 points in a heartbreaking result against a top-10 team shows the potential of a potentially dominant Hokie team if they are consistent enough. The Hokies’ offense shot a season-high 64% on third down attempts in this game and held Miami under 40 points for the first time this season. Even though the Hokies lost, it still shows some optimism for the rest of the season as they came as close as they have to defeating a top-ranked conference rival.