COLLEGE PARK, Md. (Interstat) — Ethan Grunkemeyer accounted for four touchdowns and Virginia Tech remained unbeaten with a 35-26 victory over Maryland on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, at SECU Stadium in a Football Bowl Subdivision game. The Hokies improved to 3-0. The Terrapins fell to 2-1. Virginia Tech led throughout and secured the road win behind a balanced offensive attack and timely defensive stops. Maryland was playing at home for the third straight game to open the season.

Grunkemeyer completed 31 of 39 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns and ran four times for 13 yards and a touchdown. The 6-foot-2, 207-pound quarterback from Lewis Center, Ohio, directed a Virginia Tech offense that produced 35 points. Luke Reynolds was his top target with 12 receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown. Ayden Greene caught four passes for 58 yards. Que’Sean Brown had five receptions for 23 yards. Davion Brown added a 27-yard catch. Benji Gosnell made two catches for 13 yards. Tyseer Denmark caught one pass for six yards. Ja’Ricous Hairston had a 2-yard touchdown reception. Jeffrey Overton Jr. rushed 12 times for 49 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 63 yards and another touchdown. Nathan Totten punted three times for 130 yards.

Maryland’s Malik Washington went 30 of 43 for 359 yards and three touchdowns. The 6-foot-5, 231-pound quarterback from Glen Burnie, Md., also ran four times for 16 yards and punted once for 34 yards. Chris Durr Jr. caught 12 passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Dorian Fleming had six receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown. Kaleb Webb added five catches for 98 yards and one tackle. Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding caught three passes for 52 yards. Iverson Howard rushed 11 times for 22 yards and caught one pass for 11 yards and a touchdown. Harry Dalton III ran six times for 26 yards. Jordan Scott caught one pass for nine yards. Jayden Kitchens had one reception for five yards. Ryan Manning caught one pass for three yards.

The Hokies opened the scoring in the first quarter when Grunkemeyer found Reynolds for a 14-yard touchdown with 8:15 remaining. Overton had a 29-yard run earlier in the possession. Grunkemeyer scored on an 18-yard run in the second quarter, but Love’s extra-point attempt failed. Maryland answered when Howard scored on a 2-yard run with 12:31 remaining, and Sean O’Haire kicked the extra point after a review upheld the call that the runner broke the plane. Grunkemeyer then hit Overton for a 49-yard touchdown with 9:14 left in the second quarter. Before halftime, Grunkemeyer connected with Hairston for a 2-yard touchdown with 16 seconds remaining, and Love kicked the extra point. In the third quarter, Maryland added a touchdown to cut the deficit to 27-14. Overton then scored on a 2-yard run with 7:29 remaining, and Grunkemeyer threw a successful two-point pass to Que’Sean Brown. In the fourth quarter, Washington found Fleming for a 2-yard touchdown with 12:36 remaining, but the two-point attempt failed. Washington later hit Durr for a 13-yard touchdown with 5:34 remaining, and the two-point try also failed.

Virginia Tech’s defense got six tackles each from Kaleb Spencer, Quentin Reddish and Keon Wylie. Spencer, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound defensive back from Gloucester, Va., also recorded a sack. Reddish, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound safety from Charlotte, N.C., added six stops. Wylie, a 6-foot-2, 218-pound linebacker from Philadelphia, finished with six tackles. Noah Chambers and Elhadj Fall each made five tackles. Kenny Woseley Jr., DQ Smith and Isaiah Brown-Murray finished with four tackles apiece. Woseley, a 5-foot-10, 167-pound cornerback from Philadelphia, had four stops. Jaquez White had three tackles. Aycen Stevens had two tackles and a sack. Curtis Jones Jr. and Tyson Flowers each made two tackles. Thomas Williams, Gerard Johnson III, Javion Hilson, Cortez Harris and Kemari Copeland each had one tackle. Joshua Clarke and Tyson Harley did not record a tackle.

Maryland was led by Daniel Wingate’s 12 tackles. Wingate, a 6-foot-4, 223-pound linebacker from Bowie, Md., paced the Terrapins. Messiah Delhomme added nine tackles. Delhomme, a 6-foot-2, 196-pound defensive back from Newport News, Va., finished second on the team. Carlton Smith had seven tackles. Trey Reddick finished with six. Nahsir Taylor registered five tackles and a sack. Jamare Glasker and Lavain Scruggs each made five tackles. Jordan Scruggs had four tackles, and Amari Jackson had three. Kaleb Webb also recorded one tackle.

Special teams also played a role. Nathan Totten punted three times for 130 yards for Virginia Tech. Malik Washington punted once for 34 yards for Maryland. John Love made extra points after Virginia Tech’s first and third touchdowns but missed one attempt. Sean O’Haire made an extra point for Maryland. Love also handled kickoffs for the Hokies.

Virginia Tech entered the game after a 44-21 win over Old Dominion on Sept. 12 and a 73-3 victory over Virginia Military Institute on Sept. 5. Maryland had beaten Connecticut 38-14 on Sept. 12 after opening with a 62-0 win over Hampton on Sept. 5. The Hokies next play at Boston College on Sept. 26. They then host Pittsburgh on Oct. 2, visit California on Oct. 10, host Georgia Tech on Oct. 17, visit Clemson on Oct. 24, visit SMU on Nov. 6, host Stanford on Nov. 14, visit Miami on Nov. 21 and host Virginia on Nov. 28. Maryland hosts UCLA on Sept. 26. The Terrapins then visit Nebraska on Oct. 3, visit Ohio State on Oct. 10, host Rutgers on Oct. 17, host Illinois on Oct. 31, visit Purdue on Nov. 7, host Wisconsin on Nov. 14, visit Southern California on Nov. 21 and host Penn State on Nov. 28.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected Maryland 26, Virginia Tech 25. Interstat’s ELO system gave Maryland a 70.2 percent probability to win. Maryland was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 2.5. The total of 61 went under the over-under line of 53.5.