Virginia Tech Stuns Clemson Late; Tigers Head to Florida State Next

Late touchdown decides it

Virginia Tech scored a touchdown with 1:44 remaining and held on to beat Clemson 20-16 on Oct. 24 at Memorial Stadium, ending the Tigers’ unbeaten start in Atlantic Coast Conference play. Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer found tight end Luke Reynolds for a five-yard score on fourth-and-1 to put the Hokies ahead. The Associated Press reported the win was Virginia Tech’s first over Clemson since 2007. ^{[1] [2]}

Clemson had moved in front during the third quarter. Freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds ran 16 yards for a touchdown, then the Tigers added a field goal to take a 16-10 lead into the fourth. Virginia Tech answered with John Love’s 47-yard field goal before the decisive drive. The official Clemson recap said the Hokies covered 69 yards in 11 plays, and the late touchdown was their second scoring pass of the night. ^{[1] [2]}

Clemson had one last chance after the kickoff. A long completion to Bryant Wesco Jr. initially appeared to move the Tigers inside the Hokies’ 25-yard line, but officials overturned the third-down conversion after review. Tait Reynolds was sacked on fourth down, ending the comeback attempt. Clemson’s own recap said its defense held Virginia Tech to 234 total yards, but the Tigers could not turn that effort into a home win. ^{[1] [2]}

What comes next

The result leaves Clemson 4-3 overall and 2-2 in ACC play, according to the school’s postgame report. The Tigers now have consecutive road games: they visit Florida State on Saturday, Oct. 31, then travel to Syracuse on Nov. 7. Clemson’s schedule lists the matchup with Florida State as the next game, while the ACC schedule confirms the league slate. Kickoff times for those two games were listed as to be announced on Clemson’s schedule at the time of publication. ^{[1] [3] [4]}

Clemson’s 2026 schedule had been announced earlier in the year, and the school’s published slate shows no change tied to the Virginia Tech result. For fans looking ahead, the immediate test is an Oct. 31 road game against Florida State, followed by another ACC trip to Syracuse on Nov. 7. The schedule lists kickoff times for those matchups as to be announced. ^{[1] [3]}