Colton Joseph's big day carries Old Dominion to 45-26 upset of Virginia Tech

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BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Colton Joseph threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns to lead Old Dominion to a 45-26 victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday.

Joseph completed 16 of 22 passes and also rushed for 63 yards and a score for the Monarchs (2-1), who registered the program's first road win over a Power 4 opponent.

“We feel confident pretty much every week,” Old Dominion coach Ricky Rahne said. “Our guys are confident in their abilities. They’re confident in who they are, and our guys played really well.”

The Monarchs, who entered the game as 6.5-point underdogs, converted two first-half Virginia Tech turnovers into touchdowns and jumped out to a 28-0 halftime lead. They moved the ball at will against the Hokies defense in the first 30 minutes, amassing 334 yards and going on scoring drives of 93, 97, 88, and 77 yards.

“We stayed aggressive, kept the foot on their neck and didn’t let up,” Joseph said. “Teams that let up, that’s when big comebacks happen, so we just went out there and tried to execute every play. Even though we were up, we acted like the score was 0-0.”

Trequan Jones added 101 yards rushing and a score. Old Dominion finished with 527 total yards, including 250 on the ground.

Kyron Drones threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns for Virginia Tech (0-3), which fell to 0-3 to start a season for the first time since 1987. The Hokies have lost four straight dating to last season.

“Incredibly disappointed,” Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry said. “Not the direction I saw our team going tonight. … Clearly, it starts with me. Coaches and players are accountable here. We’ve got to get back to the basics and find a way to get closer to the team we can be.

“We clearly didn’t play well enough at all, not to even be in the game.”

ODU: The Monarchs, who have now beaten Virginia Tech three times in this series, played arguably their best game in Rahne’s six seasons. They could be a sleeper in the Sun Belt Conference race.

Virginia Tech: Can Pry survive the season? That may be the biggest question in Blacksburg these days. The Hokies are now 16-24 under Pry and have been especially abysmal the past two games, getting outscored 89-46 and allowing 1,017 yards.

Behind Joseph, Old Dominion finished with 10 plays of 20 yards or more, including six passing plays. He completed passes of 44, 38, and 36 yards.

“Everyone was just doing their job,” Joseph said. “That’s all it takes. If everyone just does their job, then I feel like we’re unstoppable.”

Much of Virginia Tech’s Lane Stadium emptied at halftime for the second straight game, a jarring scene for a once-proud program. Pry was booed during pregame introductions, and the team was loudly booed at the end of the first half.

“I get it. I’m frustrated, too, so I understand where they’re coming from,” Pry said. “The expectations at this place are to win. … We had a great crowd tonight - and we let them down.”

ODU will host Liberty on Sept. 27.

Virginia Tech will host Wofford on Saturday.

___ AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football