Virginia Tech Beats Clemson 20-16 on Fourth Down Touchdown With 1:49 Left

Virginia Tech beat Clemson 20-16 on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina, winning on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Ethan Grunkemeyer to Luke Reynolds on fourth-and-1 with 1:49 left in the fourth quarter.

The Hokies trailed 16-10 after the third quarter. They scored all 10 points in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback and improve to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the ACC. Clemson fell to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the ACC.

The winning play

Virginia Tech reached the Clemson 5-yard line late in the fourth quarter and faced fourth-and-1. Head coach James Franklin kept his offense on the field. Grunkemeyer faked the run on play action and found Reynolds wide open in the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown. John Love kicked the extra point, and Virginia Tech led 20-16.

It was the second touchdown catch of the game for Reynolds. His first came on a 6-yard pass in the second quarter, at the end of a 17-play drive that gave the Hokies a 10-3 lead at halftime. The Greenville News called Franklin's decision to go for the touchdown on fourth down an incredibly gutsy call.

How the scoring went

Love opened the scoring with a 37-yard field goal in the first quarter. Clemson answered with a 34-yard field goal by Nolan Hauser in the second quarter, and Reynolds scored his first touchdown before halftime.

Clemson took control in the third quarter with 13 points. Hauser kicked field goals of 49 and 36 yards, and quarterback Tait Reynolds ran 16 yards for a touchdown. Clemson led 16-10 going into the fourth quarter, and Virginia Tech had not scored since halftime.

Love cut the lead to 16-13 with a 47-yard field goal with 11:57 left in the game. The Hokies then drove for the winning touchdown, and their defense finished the job.

The final drive

Clemson got the ball back with a chance to answer and reached about midfield. A 26-yard completion from Tait Reynolds to Bryant Wesco Jr. was overturned on review because Wesco did not maintain possession of the ball. On fourth down, Mylachi Williams sacked Tait Reynolds, and Virginia Tech took over to end the game.

Grunkemeyer finished 20 of 32 passing for 156 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran 16 times for 14 yards. Tait Reynolds finished 20 of 26 passing for 153 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions, and he ran 18 times for 63 yards and 1 touchdown.

What the result means

The game was the first coaching meeting between Clemson's Dabo Swinney and Franklin, and it was Virginia Tech's first visit to Memorial Stadium since 2012. Clemson had won the last seven games between the teams before Saturday.

Sports Illustrated reported before the game that a win would make Virginia Tech bowl eligible in Franklin's first season as head coach. The Hokies reached six wins with this result. Clemson plays next at Florida State on October 31 at 7 p.m. on ACC Network.