September 3, 2019

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September 3, 2019

An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903

WEEK IN REVIEW

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PAGE 2 September 3, 2019

opinions collegiatetimes.com

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Chop it all off: Changing your hair is therapeutic

W

For many, hair makeovers can be a coping mechanism through personal struggles and are undeserving of criticism.

hen I was a freshman, I went through the stage almost every girl goes through where overflowing emotions and stress lead to a sudden, drastic hair change. Except, I did it six times.

So, when my friends found a tweet that read “idk who needs to hear this right now, but if you’re going through a rough time right now ... leave your hair alone,” they sent it to me.

I’ll admit they were all justified in doing so; my ends are split, my wallet is empty and my hair stylists are just one bottle of bleach away from cutting off all of my hair because it’s going to fall out anyways. I won’t deny that. However, what is healthier than leaving your hair alone is leaving me alone and minding your own business.

There are far worse coping mechanisms than taking a bottle of dye to your hair that are more deserving of your criticism. Rather than vanity I could have turned to vices, given how prevalent they are on college campuses. I can’t just walk into Oak Lane and grab a cup of jungle juice when I’m sad. Instead, it’s a process.

First, I have to practice what to say in my phone call to a trusted, color-certified stylist to set an appointment in my head at least five times. Then, I have to actually call. In the chair, I have to explain what I want to the stylist. I have to hope that they don’t laugh in my face when I tell them I want to dye my jet black, combination hair that I’ve used heat on every day of my life since the sixth grade and bleached

ALEX NAGELI / COLLEGIATE TIMES Donya frequently changes her hair style to cope with life’s challenges, Sept. 1, 2019.

more times than I can count to a color all the way on the other side of the spectrum.

Whether they agree or not is always a toss-up, but even in the occurrences where they’ve had to suggest a less damaging alternative, I still have to sit in the salon chair for at least four hours for the dye, cut and blow-dry to be completed. Yes, I need the blow-dry too.

The cut can be equally unpredictable. Though I may have my mind set, what it really comes down to is whatever I blurt out when I’m in the chair and the stylists asks me how to cut. Some days I’ll underestimate just how small an inch is and end up not getting enough cut. Some days my hands will have a mind of their own and point to a length far shorter than I expected and I’ll leave the salon feeling like Johnny Depp’s Willy Wonka. I fear

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one day I might accidentally shave my head like Britney Spears circa 2007.

No one knows more than me that my hair needs to be left alone. Yet I refuse to. Making the effort to take care of my hair and save my money

just well enough so that I can do it all again a couple months later is worth the comfort. Self-care at its finest is doing something that makes you feel your best. For me and many others, that means changing my hair. Sure, there are clear drawbacks. However, when my stylist turns me around in the chair to reveal the look that they spent the last four hours perfecting as we bonded over family, love and the prime Starbucks drink, I see a new me that can overcome whatever challenges life throws at me. So, to those telling people to leave their hair alone, just like I say to the drivers on I-81, stay in your lane.

DONYA MOMENIAN • opinions editor • junior/economics science

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news

September 3, 2019 PAGE 3

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Beto O’Rourke hosts town hall at Virginia Tech O’Rourke held a town hall in Hancock Hall as a part of his national campaign to gain support for his candidacy.

TAHREEM ALAM ALLEN MURFEE news editor news staff writer

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke visited Virginia Tech for a town hall meeting as a part of his presidential campaign Friday, Aug. 30.

The event, which took place in Hancock Hall’s auditorium, was a part of his larger national campaign through local towns, businesses and colleges across America.

His three other stops in Virginia include Bland, Roanoke and Charlottesville.

O’Rourke is a politician from El Paso, Texas. Previously, he launched a 19-month campaign for the Texas senate seat in the U.S. Senate Elections in March 2017.

O’Rourke set a national record for the most votes cast for a Democrat in Texas history.

Before then, he served as a congressman in the House of Representatives representing Texas’ 16th district, a position he held for six years, from 2013–2018. He was elected to sit on the El Paso City Council in 2005 and served two terms before his first run for Congress.

Issues O’Rourke discussed on Virginia Tech’s campus included college tuition, mental health, the opioid epidemic and gun control policy.

College tuition O’Rourke said his policies on education include making sure that the first two years of higher education are free. His plan is to ensure that “at a minimum, every American is guaranteed the ability to earn an associates degree, or the first two years toward a bachelor’s degree or higher education.”

Moreover, he plans to make sure four year degree programs are debt free for middle- and lower-income students, which includes the full cost of tuition, books, room and board. For those who have already taken out loans, O’Rourke is looking to lower interests rates on repayment.

Additionally, his plan is to “completely change” the public service debt forgiveness program.

“If you commit to teaching school, or working at the VA and serving a veteran –– or any public service role, in local county, state or federal governments –– that (this is given) as a reward or incentive to provide public service,” O’Rourke said.

Mental health When asked about mental health, O’Rourke tied in his idea of universal healthcare, stating that everyone should have access to mental healthcare with no copay costs for primary care visits and medication.

He spoke on Texas County Justice being the number one mental health care provider in his home state and shared stories of people he had spoken to that would purposely go to jail for treatment.

“I cannot tell you how many meetings like this one I’ve been at across Texas where someone stands up and says, ‘My brother, my sister, my son gets arrested on purpose to treat their schizophrenia or their bipolar disorder or their clinical depression’ — at a cost of 110 bucks a night to keep them locked up and fed and clothed and prescribed the psychotropic medication they are temporarily able to get, if they are able to get them,” O’Rourke said.

Opioids, marijuana, incarceration O’Rourke stated that he did not fault those addicted, but the companies who created such drugs, as patients are many times not warned of the addictive properties. O’Rourke said that the recent lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson was a step in the right direction, but much further action is still necessary.

In addition, O’Rourke took a strong stance on marijuana and its relation to incarceration and racism.

He stated, “there are 2.3 million people behind bars right now –– that’s the largest prison population on planet earth, the United States of America –– and (it) is disproportionately comprised of people of color, many there for nonviolent drug crimes, including possession of marijuana, a substance that is legal in most

states in the union today.”

He plans to remove all those convicted of marijuana-related offenses out of the system if he is elected president, stating that this is a solid step to dismantling the systemic racism within prisons across America.

Gun control At the event, O’Rourke called for universal background checks and said he would take executive action as far as he constitutionally could to promote gun control, including declaring gun violence as a public health emergency.

“We lose the lives of nearly 40,000 of our fellow Americans to gun violence, every single year,” he said. “But, we know that this is a human-caused problem, with

a human solution.”

His policies include having universal background checks that close all loopholes, red flag laws which say say if some who has a firearm is showing violent tendencies toward themselves or others, to take the firearm before it’s too late, ending the sales of assault weapons like AK-47s and AR-15s, and supporting the firearm buyback system. He also said that, ultimately, “the answer has to be all of us.”

“It’s going to take ... mass mobilization, and to the degree I can be helpful by going everywhere, not just as a candidate, but as president, to mobilize that kind of direct action to force our representatives to act in our interests, and no other interests,” he said.

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BETO: O’Rourke discusses gun control at town hall from page 3

In addition, during his talk on gun control policy, O’Rourke mentioned the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, stating that it reminded him of the shooting

tragedy in El Paso, Texas, earlier this month.

“In the wake of the shooting on Aug. 3, there was a memorial constructed right outside of that moment where the shooting took place, 22 white crosses on every

ALEXYS RIVERS / COLLEGIATE TIMES Audience members hold up advocacy signs as presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke speaks in Virginia Tech’s Hancock Hall auditorium, Aug. 30, 2019.

single one of them,” O’Rourke said. “This willingness to talk about how we use this trauma and this pain and this experience (is how we) inform what we do going forward.”

Finally, O’Rourke said what would stay with him about Virginia Tech was the April 16 memorial and hearing the students’ and faculty’s stories in turn.

“In the way that that one act did not define this campus or Blacksburg or this country, but instead the way that everyone chose to ... transcend that in the life that they’ve lived since then and in the work that they’re doing right now, to make sure that we reduce this epidemic of gun violence in America,” he said.

Delegate Chris Hurst, who is running for re-election in the 12th district, also made an appearance at the campaign town hall. Like O’Rourke, Hurst supports reforming gun control laws and challenges the current administration. He expressed his support for O’Rourke at the event.

“We can actually achieve this mission ... to be able to get our country back on the track that’s inclusive, welcoming for all

Americans,” Hurst said. “And we need strong leaders who are able to make principled stands and call things up for what they are, like racism coming out of the White House, and I’ve been delighted to watch and observe what this congressman has been able to say, calling it for what it is each and every step along the way.”

@Tahreem_Alam @AllenMurfee

Grubhub to serve as the new campus dining app After Grubhub aquired Tapingo, Virginia Tech students and faculty will have to use a new app to preorder food to go.

MACKENZIE WILLIAMS news reporter

With the start of the new semester, Grubhub is introducing Tapingo as one of its own on college campuses. The mobile food ordering app loved by many Virginia Tech students for its convenience and efficiency is now owned and operated by the food delivery app Grubhub.

Following Labor Day weekend, Tapingo services will no longer be available on the original app and instead will transfer over to the Grubhub app, which is available for download on either the Apple App Store or Google Play.

“With Grubhub Campus Dining, we’re excited to offer college students wider dining options with a more efficient ordering experience through pickup and delivery,” said Grubhub spokesperson Yera Ha in an email to the Collegiate Times. “Students can order from their phones, skip the line and pick up their food when notified instead of waiting in long lines at the dining hall or on-campus

restaurants.”

Grubhub Campus Dining will provide on-campus pickup and off-campus delivery. Both amenities offer their traditional services they are commonly known for, now combined.

Off-campus food delivery will connect local restaurants around Blacksburg like PK’s Bar and Grill and Benny’s Pizza to students’ fingertips, while on-campus pickup will provide in-advance food orders in Virginia Tech dining halls.

The merge occurred in November 2018 to fuse together both companies’ objectives: get meals to students quickly and efficiently.

Matt Maloney, Grubhub’s founder and chief executive officer, expressed his enthusiasm for the merge, stating, “We are excited to add Tapingo, a company that shares our vision of bringing greater convenience to diners and improving the restaurant ordering and pickup experience through technology.”

To install on-campus pickup, direct yourself to the “My Grubhub” tab inside

the Grubhub app, choose “Settings” on the top right, find “Campus Dining” and follow the instructions for Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Grubhub payment options will continue to use Virginia Tech campus cards as well as any other forms of electronic payment.

The convenience fee will remain the same at $0.49 per order for on-campus pickup, and off-campus delivery fees will depend on restaurants’ own fee preferences.

The merging of Tapingo and Grubhub was also determined by student feedback among many college campuses that use Tapingo services. Grubhub’s surveys, which were taken to reveal top meal orders among college students, showed that items like campuses’ bacon cheeseburger became 283% more popular and 168% for the chicken sandwich after both companies merged, according to the press release. These results along with others trends for breakfast, lunch and dinner helped determine which onand off-campus dining options would be available to their customers.

Like many new changes on campus, Tapingo and Grubhub strive to grow with them. The new influx of students, preexisting overcrowding in dining halls and difficulty in finding meals quickly have been the main concerns of Virginia Tech students. Time can only tell if the new partnership can alleviate these issues.

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lifestyles collegiatetimes.com

September 3, 2019 PAGE 5

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Rest in peace to the Hokie Grill squirrel: We’ll miss our furry friend Brettan O’Beirne attempted to rescue the creature, but it didn’t make it through the night.

EMILY CARTER lifestyles editor

Every week there seems to be a new animal of interest at Virginia Tech; the otter, the HokieBird and now, a squirrel.

A female squirrel outside Hokie Grill ingested something poisonous Thursday, Aug 29. Brettan O’Beirne, a junior in animal and poultry sciences was on her way to Hokie Grill when she spotted a crowd near the dining hall.

“I was actually heading to Hokie Grill to eat. There was a guy who was already there trying to keep people from stepping on the squirrel,” O’Beirne said. “He was trying to call the local vets to see if they could help. When I saw her on the ground, I literally couldn’t help but step in, because I’m a pre-veterinary student, and I’m super guilty of feeding the campus squirrels.”

O’Beirne said while calling the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center, the man shielding the public from the squirrel filled O’Beirne in.

“He mentioned that she had kind of been wobbling around but collapsed right before I got there,” O’Beirne said. “There was also a slight bit of foam in her mouth.

I also noticed that based on the state of her nipples that she was both female and had given birth recently.”

After taking the now unconscious squirrel to Roanoke, O’Beirne was told by the wildlife center that the squirrel was dehydrated and would eventually be healed.

The concern for the “Hokie Grill squirrel” has been all over Facebook and Twitter.

That evening, O’Beirne posted on both platforms that the squirrel died that night

due to too many toxins in her body.

And for her babies? O’Beirne also said in the post that she wants people to message her if they’ve seen any squirrel babies near Hokie Grill so she can give them proper care.

“I want to invite people to be aware of the wildlife around them and how we affect living creatures in our daily lives,” O’Beirne said. “I was asked to keep an eye out for baby squirrels that have fallen from nests, because if they’ve fallen, it means they haven’t been fed in a while, so they get restless and ultimately fall.”

O’Beirne also wants to let others know there are ways to get rid of small animals and rodents with materials other than traps and poison.

“I want to take this opportunity to tell people to consider pest control methods other than rat poisoning...because they

are inhumane and cause a lot of unnecessary suffering,” O’Beirne said. People might assume that rat poison kills very quickly, but depending on how much is ingested, the animal can die very slowly and painfully.”

The next time you’re craving a sandwich or coffee, keep an eye out for baby squirrels. Until we find a new animal on campus to become our new mascot, please be mindful of your furry friends.

@Emilynic_12

VTU Kickoff Concert starts the semester off on the right tune Kate Bollinger, Daddy’s Beemer and Fordson Labs performed on the Drillfield Friday night.

BRYCE NOLAN

lifestyles staff writer

Friday was a hot, dry day on the Drillfield, the grass still yellow and straw-like from the summer weather.

The heat was holding at a steady 80 or so degrees, a far cry from the cool overcast days that dominated the week, and I was genuinely afraid that it would be too hot to enjoy a concert in an open field. The stage for the 2019 Welcome Home Kickoff Concert was set, and the wind was right for two solid hours of music.

At first it almost seemed like attendance would be sparse since the space in front of the stage was mostly empty, and one usually expects a crowd to form long before the concert even begins. However, when accounting for everyone who was actually within earshot of the stage, there was a substantial audience already waiting for things to kick off. When the event finally began, the crowd formed in earnest.

This year’s lineup included the groups Fordson Labs and Daddy’s Beemer followed by Kate Bollinger, with each act bringing something unique and interesting to the stage set in the shadows of Burruss Hall. Fordson Labs gave the audience more than a few rapid fire breakdowns backed by a trumpet and even an impromptu rendition of “Enter Sandman” in honor of the upcoming football season.

Daddy’s Beemer rocked out like there was no tomorrow, performing as a power trio consisting entirely of a drummer, bassist and guitarist. By the time Kate Bollinger got up to the stage with her band, the sun had set just enough to provide the last leg of the night with the right atmosphere for some slowed down grooves as the air from a blistering day cooled to perfection.

And all the while, the student staff of the Virginia Tech Union and other volunteers, in their orange t-shirts, ran around making this all run smoothly.

“My job is putting out fires,” said

Tyler Blankenship, director of concerts for the VTU, by way of explaining his role in planning and running the Kickoff Concert. “Everything from making sure the acts have their dressing rooms ready to placing the trash cans as effectively as possible goes into making an event like this happen.”

Even then there are plenty of things that can’t be controlled like weather and heat. Blankenship himself could be seen running around the crowd with armloads of water bottles, making sure his staff was properly hydrated on what ended up being a very humid day, as summer was just not quite ready to call it quits yet.

The Kickoff Concert is an important event in our campus culture; it’s a way of pumping up students for the new semester, and it provides some much needed accessible entertainment to a potentially huge part of the student body. Deciding to hold the event outdoors on the Drillfield was an excellent way to maximize the audience for the event and project out to as many

listeners as possible. Live music is a way to bring people together, and the huge semicircular crowd that gathered at the event was a testament to that.

All things considered, the event was a smash, and the perfect beginning to the semester. An open field concert that could be heard clear across campus is a fantastic introduction to the new academic year, and the mix of musical styles ensured that there was something for everyone to enjoy. Hopefully this event marks the beginning of an exceptionally good year here in Blacksburg.

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PAGE 6 September 3, 2019

Game day is upon us: The reality of tailgating in Blacksburg Downtown, Center Street and parking lots, oh my! How to make the most out of your college football experience.

BRANDON ALIMANESTIANO lifestyles staff writer

People sliding around in the mud created by spilt beer and wrestling matches. Fourteen music sources blaring at once. Balconies displaying logos of all kinds. A scene reminiscent of the last big urban riot –– or a music festival.

Something like that.

Those are some of the things we think about when we imagine donning our Hokie gear once again and heading out to Center Street — a land with few laws and many good memories. To others, it may sound like a scene out of Woodstock, or perhaps even a category three hurricane, and in a way it kind of is.

Virginia Tech football is known for its massive turkey legs and consistently beating our arch-nemesis, UVA. Despite the glamour of our football team and high ranking entrance to “Enter Sandman,” we

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also have an amazing tailgating scene.

In the area surrounding Lane Stadium, there are thousands of people enjoying the pregame festivities — from innocent cheeseburgers to depraved, beverage-fueled stunts.

I’d like to think there are two sides to tailgating a football game at Virginia Tech: the Town of Blacksburg and the rest of us.

The Town of Blacksburg Football games are when Blacksburg transforms from a quiet mountain town into a city with no mercy for the tired.

Traveling through the town on gameday, you will find a massive number of residents, alumni and Hokie families setting up awnings, grilling burgers and loving life.

As you get closer to Lane Stadium, more and more tailgaters line up their trucks to make a huge ecosystem of red

Hokie fans celebrate as they defeat Marshall in Lane Stadium, Dec. 1, 2018.

meat, cornhole games and some of the most hardcore Virginia Tech fans out there. In the highly congested parking lots surrounding the stadium, you may realize just how special college football really can be for people.

The rest of us (Center Street) Behind the woods that line the edge of campus and the east side of Lane Stadium lies a truly unique place — Center Street, or “Center.” This is a place almost devoid of consequences on gameday and is one of

of students.

Center Street is a seemingly lawless land, a place of mystery to those new to such an image. For starters, there is no cell service at all, assumingly because of the volume of people, so everyone is essentially stuck in the 1980s. That’s not necessarily a bad thing — it’s actually kind of fun. Then there’s the sheer amount of people. It’s not uncommon to see the occasional street brawl or perhaps a 20-foot bamboo shoot sticking out of the crowd, ripped out of the ground by someone. The

“It becomes a sea of people all having

an iconic time in the hours (and sometimes night) before Virginia Tech football games.

”

the main attractions at Virginia Tech for students.

Center Street is a neighborhood comprised of a few streets that take on a new light on gameday. It becomes a sea of people all having an iconic time in the hours (and sometimes night) before Virginia Tech football games. The grass turns to mud, there is music, sometimes live, blasting and hordes of people in one massive all-day party hosted by thousands

TAYO OLADELE / COLLEGIATE TIMES

police do have a presence there, but unless there is a serious public disturbance or crime, they generally let us all have our fun. After all, it’s gameday.

Through the mud and crowded streets with stolen signs, you may wonder if there is any advice to surviving such a fun ordeal, and there are a few things to look out for.

Advice Your clothes and shoes will get dirty, so don’t wear your Sunday best on a Saturday.

You will have a hard time keeping all your friends together, and it can be frustrating, so have a designated meeting spot. Be prepared to run into literally everyone you know, even if you are really bad at names. Be prepared to get soaked in spilled beer. Finding your way to Lane Stadium may get progressively harder, so leave early. Many people don’t even make it to the game. Finally, always stop by your parents’ or family friends’ tailgate to grab some food before.

Center Street is an unofficial staple of Virginia Tech, a mystery land embedded in the heart of tailgating country. A place you will talk about to your friends long after college is over. A place where your friends become best friends. So, in a word, enjoy it while you can, just like everyone tailgating in the parking lots once did.

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sports collegiatetimes.com

September 3, 2019 PAGE 7

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The bar is set high for men’s soccer this season Virginia Tech goalie and scorers return from last year, making the team a top contender for the ACC title.

CLAIRE CASTAGNO assistant sports editor

After coming off a season with a historic Sweet Sixteen tournament run, the current men’s soccer team has a big act to follow. Fans will be expecting an exciting season, and head coach Mike Brizendine is ready to bring it to them.

Historically, Virginia Tech has been viewed as an underdog in a strong ACC conference, but Tech has recently become a skilled team to watch out for, and opponents will be seeking the resume-building win.

The Hokies are ranked No. 16 in the United Soccer Coaches poll along with six other ACC teams. Tech will get chances at redemption against No. 6 North Carolina and No. 10 Duke this season, who both handed Virginia Tech losses last season.

Virginia Tech returns most of its goals and saves from last year’s team. Nine of the 12 goal scorers remain with the Hokies, including ACC second-team player Kristo

Strickler. He led Tech in goals last season with 10 and helped the Hokies rank second in the ACC in 2018 in scoring with 37 goals. By the looks of it, the squad may rank very highly in that category again.

Key goalie Mathijs Swaneveld is back for his second season. In 2018, Swaneveld led the ACC in saves with 95. However, Brizendine hopes that Swaneveld will not have to face as many shots this season.

Many players that will take the field already have vast experience playing against high-level teams, and Brizendine has a lot of depth and freedom to work with many players in his lineup.

The Hokies have a very difficult schedule ahead of them and have already faced top talent in No. 13 Georgetown on Aug. 24 for their third exhibition game.

That resulted in Tech’s first loss of the season, 0–3, but the Hokies are powering forward. Tech won its first regular season game against Loyola Marymount, 2–1.

Strickler scored a game-winning goal in the 89th minute of play to stun the Lions

ANTHONY WU / COLLEGIATE TIMES Rory Slevin (16) shields the ball from Longwood’s Jeremy Jaquier as he attempts to steal. The Hokies win 5–1 against Longwood, Sept. 18, 2018.

and prevent an upset. The Hokies stay on the west coast for their second game this season to take on UC Santa Barbara on Sept. 1. September through the end of the season is full of big games that could make a great case for Virginia Tech to slide into

the top 10 if wins are secured.

@CTSportsTalk

Women’s soccer tames the Auburn Tigers in Bulldog Classic victory to continue win streak The Hokies took down the Tigers 3–1 on the road to improve to 4–0. It’s Tech’s best start to a season since 2016.

DAVIS CARBAUGH sports editor

The Virginia Tech women’s soccer team remained undefeated after sweeping both matchups in the Bulldog Classic. The Hokies defeated Georgia 2–0 on Friday night and knocked off Auburn 3–1 on Sunday afternoon; Tech improves to 4–0 on the season.

The Tigers got off to a hot start, putting up two shots and a corner kick attempt within the first 10 minutes.

Senior midfielder Bri Folds fired a shot that ricocheted off the right goal post in the fourth minute.

Despite the slow sta r t, Tech midfielder Emmalee McCarter scored

in the 12th minute to give the Hokies an early 1– 0 lead. The sophomore recorded her first goal of the season and her first career collegiate goal.

Sophomore Molly Feighan assisted the goal for her third career assist.

The Hokies struck again late in the first half as senior midfielder Mikayla Mance scored her third goal in four games this season. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native has been unstoppable this season and leads the team in goals. McCarter gained another point by assisting Mance’s 33rd minute goal; she now has three assists on the season.

The Hokies and Tigers ended a highly contested first half with the score 2–0 in favor of Virginia Tech.

Despite the two-goal deficit, Auburn matched Tech in shots with five and gained three corners to Tech’s two.

Both teams played aggressive first halves as the Hokies tallied four fouls while the Tigers totaled two.

The Hokies added an insurance goal early in the second half (52nd minute) as Kelsey Irwin netted her first goal of the season. The senior defender already has two assists this season.

The Tigers scored their first goal of the game in the 57th minute as Folds converted a penalty kick. The Auburn penalty is the first goal allowed on the season by goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn and the Hokies. Tech’s lead was cut to 3–1, but the Hokies were able to

maintain an advantage throughout the rest of the game.

The Hokies held on to the lead and finished the game with a 3–1 advantage, winning their first four games to start the season.

Virginia Tech returns home for a night game against Alabama at Thompson Field on Sept. 5. The matchup will be aired on the ACC Network through ESPN.

@CTSportsTalk

PAGE 8 September 3, 2019

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Virginia Tech’s 5 turnovers prove costly, lose opener to Boston College at Alumni Stadium Quarterback Ryan Willis turned the ball over four times, Grimsley fumbled and Boston College capitalized off turnovers.

ROBBY FLETCHER sports editor

In what felt like a game straight out of Tech’s miserable 6–7 season last year, the Hokies simply couldn’t get out of their own way on the offensive side of the football, losing 35–28 at Alumni Stadium to ACC opponent Boston College.

After a slow start by both sides on their opening drives, the two opposing offenses got cooking soon after, with Boston College opening up the scoring with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Anthony Brown to Zay Flowers. The Eagles’ no-huddle offense was in full effect on the drive as the team marched down the field with a five-play, 67-yard drive in just over a minute.

“We were prepared for [the no-huddle], but early on we panicked a little bit,” said defensive coordinator Bud Foster.

The Hokies managed to get lucky after a missed 38-yard field goal, giving them an opportunity to get a long drive of their own with junior Hezekiah Grimsley scoring the first touchdown of the season courtesy of a gorgeous 55-yard bomb from incumbent starting quarterback Ryan Willis.

Willis followed the drive up with another impressive drive to start the second quarter, connecting with freshman wide receiver Tayvion Robinson for a 20-yard touchdown on his first career reception that put Virginia Tech up 14–7.

Willis was cooking on the drive, going five-of-six for 77 yards along with the touchdown strike.

Boston College would later respond and dominate for the rest of the half, courtesy of Brown’s arm and stud running back A.J. Dillon’s power on the ground. Tech handled Dillon as well as it could for most of the half, but he was ultimately too much to handle, and his 17-yard touchdown run off a second-effort after contact would tie the game back up.

Turnovers would then prove costly as Tech turned the ball over three times in its next four drives, which resulted in two Boston College touchdowns. The first was a strip-sack on Willis on a third-down drop back, which resulted in another touchdown pass from Brown, this time to redshirt junior Kobay White. The team

finished with five turnovers to Boston College’s one.

“I need to take care of the ball better,” Willis said after the game. “Hats off to Boston College. They’re a good team, and we’re going to get better next week.”

The second turnover was a muffed punt from Grimsley that led to Brown scoring on a 28-yard designed run call that put the Eagles up 28–14.

The third was an interception in the end zone by Willis that left the Hokies emptyhanded going into the half down by two scores.

The third quarter was a surprisingly promising one for the Hokies, particularly for the defense, as they held the Eagles offense to zero yards of offense for the entire quarter. Despite a bad interception from Willis that was forced into double coverage, he responded well with a 10-yard touchdown to James Mitchell, his first career touchdown, to make the score 28–21 late in the third quarter.

“We can’t be a 30-minute football team. We’ve got to be a 60-minute football team,” coach Foster said of their defensive effort.

The momentum did not carry over into the fourth quarter, however, as another costly Willis interception, his third of the game, killed a chance for Tech to take advantage of good field position.

Though Jermaine Waller eventually forced an interception from a Boston College trick play that saw White throw a deep ball toward the end zone, Tech couldn’t get out of its own side of the field and had to punt it back to Boston College with great field position at its own 44-yard line.

The Eagles then scored what would end up being the finishing blow with a 1-yard score from running back David Bailey after he and Dillon pounded the rock for a combined 47 yards off nine carries during the 10-play drive. The score would be 35–21 with just 7:53 left to go.

Tech did score another touchdown to make it 35–28 after Willis led an 18-play drive capped off by a nice diving touchdown reception by redshirt freshman Kaleb Smith, but it was too little, too late as Boston College ran the clock out on the following drive to take down Virginia Tech.

Despite the high rate of turnovers, there were positives to be found. For starters, Smith and fellow true freshman Robinson were very good in their first collegiate game, with both getting their first career touchdowns as well as snagging a few nifty catches.

The run defense was also strong, holding Dillon to just 81 yards on the ground and a touchdown.

One of the more concerning factors from the game were the high number of injuries. Tré Turner, Zachariah Hoyt, TyJuan Garbutt and Jovonn Quillen all left the field due to an injury at different points in the game. Damon Hazelton also did not play because of a lingering hamstring injury that’s kept him out of practice.

Tech will have its home opener Sept.

7 against Old Dominion at noon. Boston College will look to carry the momentum of this win into its next home game against Richmond on Sept. 7 at 3:30 p.m.

@CTSportsTalk

CHARLIE ALEXANDER / COLLEGIATE TIMES Virginia Tech’s Ryan Willis (5) is tackled by Boston College’s Brandon Barlow (44) after fumbling the ball, Aug. 31, 2019.