CLEMSON, S.C. — Ethan Grunkemeyer connected with Luke Reynolds for a 5-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal with 1:44 remaining, lifting Virginia Tech to a dramatic 20-16 comeback victory over Clemson on Saturday night before a crowd of 80,510 at Memorial Stadium.
The Hokies (5-2, 2-2 ACC) trailed 16-10 midway through the fourth quarter before rallying behind two clutch scoring drives and a ferocious defensive stand in the closing minute.
Clemson (4-2, 2-1 ACC) had an opportunity to answer after falling behind in the final two minutes. Quarterback Tait Reynolds quickly pushed the Tigers toward midfield, finding Bryant Wesco Jr. for 14 yards and Olsen Patt-Henry for six. But Virginia Tech cornerback Jaquez White — who posted a game-high 11 tackles — tracked down Reynolds for a 7-yard sack to stall Clemson’s momentum. Two plays later, a deep pass to Wesco that was originally ruled a 26-yard completion to the Virginia Tech 25 was overturned upon official replay review with 52 seconds remaining. Facing fourth-and-9 at the Clemson 49, defensive end Mylachi Williams surged into the backfield to drop Reynolds for an 8-yard sack, forcing a turnover on downs with 48 seconds left and sealing the victory.
The winning drive was an 11-play, 69-yard march orchestrated by Grunkemeyer, who overcame six sacks on the evening to deliver when it mattered most. Faced with a third-and-5 earlier in the possession, Grunkemeyer found Davion Brown for six yards, followed by a 7-yard strike to Tyseer Denmark. After Que’Sean Brown darted 10 yards to the Clemson 5-yard line, the Hokies were stopped on third down. Rather than opt for a game-tying field goal, Virginia Tech kept its offense on the field, and Grunkemeyer fired a pass to the left flat to Reynolds, who crossed the goal line for his second touchdown of the night.
Reynolds finished with seven receptions for 44 yards and two scores, while also completing an 8-yard pass on a fake punt earlier in the contest. Que’Sean Brown served as the primary playmaker for the Hokies, hauling in five catches for 69 yards and adding 22 yards on the ground.
Points were hard to come by early in a physical, defense-dominated clash. John Love opened the scoring for Virginia Tech with a 37-yard field goal late in the first quarter after a methodical 13-play, 46-yard drive. Clemson matched it in the second quarter when Nolan Hauser converted a 34-yard attempt.
Virginia Tech grabbed the momentum before halftime with a 17-play, 87-yard drive that chewed seven minutes off the clock. Grunkemeyer capped the sequence with a 6-yard touchdown strike to Reynolds with 1:24 left in the second quarter, sending the Hokies into the break up 10-3.
Clemson controlled the third quarter, scoring 13 unanswered points. Hauser drilled a 49-yard field goal to trim the margin to 10-6, and after the Tigers forced a three-and-out, Tait Reynolds sparked the offense with his legs. The Clemson quarterback scored on a 16-yard touchdown run at the 6:14 mark of the third to give the Tigers their first lead at 13-10. Hauser added a 36-yard field goal in the final seconds of the quarter to widen the cushion to 16-10.
Tait Reynolds led Clemson in both passing and rushing, completing 20 of 26 passes for 153 yards while rushing 18 times for 63 yards and a touchdown. Gideon Davidson added 62 rushing yards on 14 carries, and Tyler Brown caught eight passes for 62 yards.
Clemson outgained Virginia Tech 288 to 235 in total yardage, but seven penalties for 65 yards and a 3-of-14 mark on third downs proved costly for the Tigers. Virginia Tech held possession for 31:43 and went 2-for-3 on fourth-down attempts, converting the decisive one into the game-winning touchdown.
Virginia Tech Stuns Clemson on Dramatic 4th-Down Touchdown in Final Minutes