VMI finished Saturday with -4 yards rushing. Virginia Tech finished with 619 total yards and 18 tackles for loss, the most in a Hokies game since at least 1987.

That's the problem with grading this game. Virginia Tech beat VMI 73-3 in head coach James Franklin's debut, its largest margin of victory since Oct. 28, 1922. But the Keydets had lost to Idaho State 38-10 a week earlier, and SP+ projected 68-0 before kickoff. These grades are curved. What's measurable is whether Virginia Tech did what a Power Four team should to an overmatched opponent, and where it didn't.

"I feel like it was an OK performance," said wide receiver Que'Sean Brown. "Still got work to do."

Quarterbacks: A-

Ethan Grunkemeyer went 17 of 20 for 224 yards and two scores. Bryce Baker followed at 10 of 12 for 127 yards and one touchdown. No interceptions. Grunkemeyer also missed two deep shots to Brown before the two connected for 51 yards. The accuracy was real. The degree of difficulty wasn't.

Running Backs: A+

Virginia Tech ran for 268 yards and six rushing touchdowns, and its first four offensive possessions all ended with a running back in the end zone. Jeffrey Overton Jr. carried nine times for 104 yards and two scores, both firsts as a Hokie. Marcellous Hawkins Jr. added 69 yards on 12 carries and three touchdowns, tying his career high. Between them, 173 yards on 21 touches.

Wide Receivers: A-

Brown, the Duke transfer, went for 109 yards on six catches. Virginia Tech didn't have a 100-yard receiver across 12 games last season. Chanz Wiggins turned his first career reception into a 40-yard touchdown. The Hokies' leading receiver last year, Ayden Greene, caught three passes for 23 yards.

Tight Ends: B+

Luke Reynolds, the Penn State transfer, caught five passes for 50 yards and a 21-yard touchdown. Offensive coordinator Ty Howle coaches this room, and he has coached four tight ends to the NFL at Penn State. The room also did a nice job in the run game, helping create gaps for Hawkins and Overton to run through.

Offensive Line: B+

Overton's 50-yard opening-drive score came through a crease the line built, and Virginia Tech gave up no sacks. That's exactly the stat line you want to see against a weak FCS school.

"It was an odd front, so we knew how the blocking was going to turn out," Overton said. "The line did a great job, opening the holes, getting that crease."

The room committed several pre- and post-snap penalties, which is why the grade isn't higher. But between the whistles, the offensive line did exactly what it needed to do.

Defensive Line: A

Five sacks against 13 VMI pass attempts, and a front that held an option offense to negative rushing yardage. Cortez Harris recorded the first sack and first blocked punt of his career. Aycen Stevens had 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Mylachi Williams got his first career sack. All in all, a really successful day for the defensive line.

Linebackers: A-

Captain George Ballance led the defense with six tackles in his first game wearing Frank Beamer’s No. 25. Curtis Jones Jr., Noah Chambers, and Keon Wylie added four apiece. Against a triple-option offense, disciplined linebacker play is essential. The Hokies’ linebackers stayed assignment-sound, filled their gaps, and consistently put themselves in position to make plays.

Secondary: B+

It's hard to grade a secondary against a team that threw just 13 times, but the Hokies' backfield did a good job in the limited time their numbers were called upon. Senior cornerback Thomas Williams' interception was his first of his collegiate career, and Virginia Tech's first takeaway of 2026.

Special Teams: A-

wo blocked punts, the first since Nov. 18, 2017 against Pitt. Tyson Flowers got one, Harris the other, and Knahlij Harrell scooped the second up in the end zone. John Love went 10 for 10 on extra points, tying a program single-game record. Virginia Tech never punted in the first half.

The blemish: true freshman Davion Brown, not the primary punt returner, let a second-half punt hit him. VMI recovered and turned the short field into the only points it scored. Everything else in this phase was excellent.

What the Hokies need to work on going into next week

Eleven penalties, 93 yards. That won't work against better opponents. Old Dominion visits Lane Stadium on Saturday at noon, a rematch of last year's 45-26 loss, part of the 0-3 start that cost then-head coach Brent Pry his job.

"We'll wake up tomorrow morning and get back to work," Franklin said.