\

Atlanta, GA — Virginia Tech wasn’t playing for much in the Chick-fil-A Bowl against Tennessee on New Year’s Eve, just pride and the continuation of the Hokies 10-win season streak, which now stands at six after the Hokies (10-3) ran roughshod over the Volunteers, 37-14. Apparently, pride was a big motivating factor for Frank Beamer’s team.

“The players and the coaches deserve a lot of credit for bringing the team back in that second half when we lost the momentum in the first half,” Beamer said. “The way we came back and won this thing says a lot about our players. We won four games after things didn’t look so good. We had two tough losses [Georgia Tech and North Carolina] and then we come down here and beat a really good Tennessee team.

Ryan Williams, the Hokies’ phenomenal first-year running back, rushed for 117 yards on 25 carries and scored two touchdowns before leaving the game with a tweaked ankle in the third quarter. He could have returned, but it wasn’t necessary as the Hokies had the game well in hand. Williams, not surprisingly, was named the offensive player of the game.

The redshirt freshman from Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassa, Va., broke Tech’s single season rushing record set by Kevin Jones (1,647) in 2003. Williams finished with 1,655 yards… as a freshman. He also set the ACC record for rushing touchdowns in a season (21) and total touchdowns in a season (22). Oh, and he also set the Tech record for the most 100-yard rushing games in a season with 10. Not a bad season.

The Hokies looked unstoppable in the first quarter and a half, bolting out to a 14-0 lead thanks to Williams’ two rushing touchdowns, one of which was set up by a Rashad Carmichael interception. But the Vols got back in the game immediately after Tech’s second score. The Hokies defense faltered, giving up three big plays of 40, 15 and 20 yards, that led to 4-yard rushing touchdown for Tennessee.

Both teams went three-and-out on their next possession, but on the Hokies next possession, Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw an interception that Janzen Jackson returned to the Tech 48 yard line. The Hokies’ defense again gave up a big play – a 47-yard pass to the 1 yard line. Vols’ running back Montario Hardesty scored his second TD of the game and we were tied at 14 with nine seconds to play.

It seemed obvious that Beamer would just take a knee and get out of the half tied at 14, but he surprised everyone, including the Tennessee defense. Taylor took the snap, dropped back and heaved a 63-yard pass (all of it in the air) to Jarrett Boykin, who had slipped behind the Vols’ highly touted secondary. Boykin finished with four catches for 120 yards.

The catch put the Hokies at Tennessee’s 4 yard line, but it appeared as though time had expired. Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin hurried his team off the field, but the officials reviewed the play and determined that the play was dead with two seconds left on the clock. The Vols had to come back onto the field. Tech kicked a 21-yard field goal to take a 17-14 lead into the break and more importantly, steal the momentum away from UT.

The second half was all Hokies as they shut out the Vols. It was the fifth straight game in which Tech’s defense held its opponents scoreless in the second half. The Hokies reached the end zone twice more in the second half including a Taylor 1-yard rushing TD and 3-yard run by reserve running back David Wilson. Redshirt senior kicker Matt Waldron added two more field goals, including a career-long 46-yarder, to give the Hokies their 37-14 win.

The Hokies defense, which struggled at times this season, sacked UT quarterback Jonathan Compton six times, which is impressive when you consider that he’d been sacked a total of 12 times all season.

“Today, it was just a great team effort,” said whip linebacker Cody Grimm, who was named the bowl’s defensive player of the game after having seven tackles – three for a loss – and one sack. “We didn’t accomplish everything we wanted to this year, but to go out with a win over an SEC school that was hot at the time … and not only winning, but how we did it. We dominated the game, I thought. You can’t say enough about the team.”

The win was a milestone for the Hokies. Unbelievably, it marks the first time in Hokies’ history that they’ve won back-to-back bowl games. Beamer’s bowl record at Tech now stands at 8-9. The win also ended a four-game ACC losing streak to SEC teams in the bowl game.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Box Score | Highlights

Blacksburg, VA — The 15th-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies (5-2, 8-3) forced four turnovers to win their third straight game following a decisive 38-10 victory over N.C. State (1-6, 4-7). On senior day in Blacksburg, Va., the Hokies got career performances from senior linebacker Cody Grimm, redshirt freshman running back Ryan Williams and sophomore wide receiver Jarrett Boykin.

Grimm tied an NCAA record with three forced fumbles in his first four defensive plays while Williams scored a career-high four touchdowns and broke Tech’s and the ACC’s freshman single-season rushing record with 1,355 yards.

Williams still has one more regular season game and presumably a bowl game to add to his totals. The Virginia Tech single-season rushing record (1,647 by Kevin Jones in 2003) is still within reach for Williams.

Boykin also had a career game with six receptions for 164 yards and a touchdown catch. He becomes the first Tech wide receiver to have three games with more than 100 yards receiving in a season since Andre Davis did it in 2001.

The Hokies got off to an encouraging start before the opening kickoff. For the first time all season, Tech won a coin toss and it paid off. On the Wolfpack’s first play of the game, Grimm got to N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson from the backside and stripped the ball out of his hands. Grimm recovered the loose ball and the Hokies settled for a field goal to take the early lead, 3-0.

Grimm went right back to work on the second play of State’s next possession. Wilson completed a pass to Darrell Davis along the sideline, but Grimm was there to strip the ball loose again. Tech senior cornerback Stephan Virgil recovered the fumble and returned it three yards to State’s 25.

“We work on it [forcing fumbles] in practice,” Grimm said. “If you’re the second person there, try to rip the ball out, but if you’re the first, then concentrate on getting him down.”

Grimm leads the nation in forced fumbles with seven.

Williams capped a six-play, 25-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown to give the Hokies a 10-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

After two fumbles in their first three offensive plays, it would make sense that N.C. State would have gone out of its way to protect the ball on their third series. However, Grimm forced another fumble on the Pack’s fourth offensive play. This time, however, State was able to recover it, and then marched 81 yards to score its first points of the game on a Wilson pass to Owen Spencer, cutting Tech’s lead to 10-7.

But the night belonged to the Hokies. On the ensuing kickoff, freshman running back and return manDavid Wilson ran the kick back 40 yards, giving Tech’s offense a short field at the State 49. Tech eventually scored on another short TD run by Williams, pushing the Hokies’ lead to 17-7.

State added a field goal in the second quarter, but the Hokies answered with a 74-yard drive capped by another Williams TD run, his third of the game, and the Hokies took 24-10 lead into the half.

Williams scored his fourth and final TD on the Hokies’ opening possession of the second half. The freshman, who has been named the ACC Rookie of the Week six times this season, literally dragged an N.C. State defender — clinging to Williams’ jersey — 10 yards into the end zone.

Williams, who had 120 yards in the game, now has eight 100-yard games this season, one shy of Kevin Jones’ record of nine, set in 2003.

Williams tied Tech’s freshman record for touchdowns scored in a game (4). “Touchdown” Tommy Edwards scored four against Pittsburgh in 1993. Williams also tied the ACC’s record for touchdowns in a season by a freshman with 16.

“He is strong, quick and powerful,” Tech head coach Frank Beamer said of Williams. “I think he’s a complete back.”

Boykin, who had racked up impressive receiving yards finally got in the end zone in the third quarter, scoring Tech’s final TD of the game and securing a 38-10 win for the Hokies.

While Taylor, Williams and Boykin stole the show on offense, Bud Foster’s defense deserves a great deal of credit for shutting down the ACC’s second best offense. The Hokies held the Pack to just 14 rushing yards and 259 total yards of offense.

The defense set the tone early thanks to Grimm’s incredible performance.

“That was big,” Beamer said. “You need to get up on those guys [N.C. State] because they can score in a hurry.”

N.C. State came into the game averaging 32.6 points per game, second in the ACC.

Popularity: 16% [?]

College Park, MD — Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw for a career-high three touchdowns while running back Ryan Williams broke Tech’s freshman touchdown record as the Hokies cruised to an easy 36-9 win over Maryland.

Tech scored touchdowns on four of its first five possessions and its defense held Maryland’s offense to 236 yards and a field goal. The Terps sole touchdown came on a Tyrod Taylor fumble in his own end zone that was recovered by Maryland’s Jared Harrell.

Taylor completed 13 of 23 pass attempts for 268 yards – an average of more than 20 yards per reception. Taylor, who had two touchdown passes in all of 2008, has 12 so far this season.

“He didn’t have any mental errors except for the one in the end zone,” Ryan Williams said. “He ran the ball well and threw the ball well. He made very good reads. He played a heckuva game. He’s had some good games, but this was one of his best.”

Williams rushed for 126 yards on 23 carries and scored the games first touchdown in the first quarter. The freshman phenom, who was named a Doak Walker Award semifinalist earlier in the week, broke Virginia Tech’s freshman record for touchdowns in a season with 12 (11 rushing, 1 receiving). He is still tied with teammate Darren Evans, who is out this season with a torn ACL, for rushing touchdowns in a season by a freshman with 11.

The game marked the seventh time this season that Williams has rushed for more than 100 yards in a game – also a school record.

For the second time this season, a Virginia Tech wide receiver went over the century mark. Jarrett Boykin had three catches for 118 yards including a 64-yard touchdown catch that put the Hokies up 27-3 in the second quarter. Boykin is the only Tech wide receiver to have more than 100 yards receiving in a game this season. He had 144 yards in a 34-26 win over Duke.

Virginia Tech’s tight ends also stepped up and apparently love playing against Maryland. Andre Smith’s 3-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter marked the first receiving touchdown by a Tech tight end since Greg Boone caught one against Maryland last season – a 14-game drought.

The Hokies came out and played one of the best halves of football as they’ve had all season. Their first three drives were sustained, methodical, time-killing drives.

1st scoring drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 4:07, Ryan Williams 1-yard TD run | 7-0 VT

2nd scoring drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 2:37, Andre Smith 3-yard TD catch | 14-0 VT

3rd scoring drive: 8 plays, 64 yards, 3:11, Dyrell Robers 11-yard TD catch | 20-0 VT (missed PAT)

4th scoring drive: 1 play, 64 yards, :11, Jarrett Boykin 64-yard TD catch | 27-0 VT

Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer appeared to take the foot off the gas in the second half as the Hokies appeared less aggressive and scored only three Matt Waldron field goals.

The No. 21 Hokies improved to 4-2 in the ACC and 7-3 overall while Maryland fell to 1-5 in the ACC and 2-7 overall.

Tech has two regular season games remaining beginning with a final home game next Saturday against N.C. State (1-5, 4-6) before wrapping up the 2009 campaign on the road against in-state rival, the Virginia Cavaliers (2-4, 3-7).

Popularity: 20% [?]

Greenville, SC — Despite Virginia Tech’s struggling offense, freshman running back Ryan Williams decimated East Carolina’s defense for a career-high 179 yards, leading the Hokies to a 16-3 win over the Pirates in Greenville, S.C.

The Hokies’ defense held the Pirates to 277 yards and a field goal, thanks in large part to only having to be on the field for 25 minutes. Tech’s offense, despite only scoring one touchdown, controlled the clock for nearly 35 minutes. The win broke a two-game losing streak for the Hokies that knocked them out of the national championship picture.

Williams, whose first rushing fumble of the season led to North Carolina’s last-second game-winning field goal the previous week, bounced back against ECU. He now has 1,109 rushing yards this season and needs only 156 yards to break Darren Evans‘ freshman record of 1,265, set last season.

“Even now, just thinking about it, it still makes me sick to my stomach because I hate turning the ball over,” Williams said after the game. “I hate turning it over in video games. But things happen. I can’t be perfect – but I’m going to try and be as close to it as I can.”

Evans’ record of 11 touchdowns as a freshman is also in jeopardy. Williams has 11 total TDs this season – 10 rushing and one receiving – and needs one more to break the freshman record of 11 total TDs and two more rushing TDs to break the freshman record for rushing TDs in a season.

Williams isn’t the only Hokie on the verge of breaking records. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor rushed for Tech’s only touchdown, a 13-yard run in second quarter, giving him 17 for his career – putting him in sole possession of second place in school history. He had been tied with Michael Vick and now trails Bob Schweikert, whose 22 rushing touchdowns is a record for a Tech quarterback.

While Williams ran roughshod over the ECU defense, redshirt senior linebacker Cody Grimm terrorized the ECU offense in one of the most impressive individual defensive performances the Hokies have seen in some time. Grimm had 12 tackles, a sack, a forced a fumble and recovered a fumble.

In the second quarter, ECU quarterback Patrick Pinckney completed a pass to Rob Kass at the Virginia Tech 25, but Grimm stripped Kass of the ball and then fell on it. The turnover disrupted an impressive drive by the Pirates and nearly led to a Tech touchdown, but Taylor fumbled the ball just short of the goal line and the Pirates got the ball as a result of a touchback.

Tech’s offensive rankings:

• Total offense – 70th
• Passing offense – 103rd
• Rushing offense – 21st
• Scoring offense – 47th
• Sacks allowed – 85th (23 sacks, 2.56 a game)
• Tackles for loss allowed – 99th (248 yards on 62 TFL)
• Third down conversions – 76th
• Fourth down conversions – 91st

Tech’s defensive rankings:

• Total defense – 23rd
• Passing defense – 8th
• Rushing defense – 69th
• Scoring defense – 47th
• Sacks – 72nd (16 sacks, 1.78 a game)
• Tackles for loss – 45th (209 yards on 56 TFL)
• Third down conversions – 22nd
• Fourth down conversions – 99th

Popularity: 9% [?]

Atlanta, GA — Virginia Tech’s defense showed its youth and its offense couldn’t get anything going until the final minutes as the No. 4 Hokies fell on the road to No. 19 Georgia Tech, 28-23.

The Yellow Jackets’ triple option offense was too much for Bud Foster’s defense, though the Hokies did stuff Georgia Tech (6-1, 4-1) in the first half, holding it to less than 90 yards, 51 of which came on a pass play that set up GT’s only score of the half.

Virginia Tech’s offense, which had exploded in the last three games, seemed to revert back to its predictable and overly conservative ways. It wasn’t until the final eight minutes the offense was able to sustain a drive and move the ball against the Jackets’ 82nd ranked defense.

Tyrod Taylor, the Hokies junior quarterback, was 10 of 14 passing for 159 yards and one touchdown. He threw two interceptions, but one was a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage and the other was a hail Mary pass on the last play of the first half.

Despite the crushing loss, which essentially knocks the Hokies (5-2, 3-1) out of the national championship hunt, there were a pair of bright spots for Frank Beamer’s team.

Redshirt freshman running back Ryan Williams, the ACC’s leading rusher, tied one school record and broke another. Williams rushed 14 times for 100 yards. It was the fifth game this season that Williams has rushed for at least 100 yards, breaking Darren Evans’ freshman record of four set last season.

Williams tied the school record for touchdowns by a freshman (11), with a pair of touchdowns – one rushing and one receiving. The record was set last season, also by Evans, who is out for the entire 2009 season with a torn ACL.

The other bright spot was the Hokies kick return game. Dyrell Roberts had two returns for 86 yards. Coming into the game, he was the ACC leader in kick return average and was second in the nation, averaging 39.8 yards per return. After tonight’s game, his average ticked up to 40.5. Roberts also had three catches for 66 yards.

The Hokies took a 3-0 lead in the second quarter, but Georgia Tech answered late in the first half with a 51-yard pass from Josh Nesbitt to Demaryius Thomas – the Yellow Jackets only pass completion of the game. That set up a Nesbitt 1-yard touchdown run. Georgia Tech led 7-3 at the half.

The Hokies booted the second half kickoff out of bounds giving Georgia Tech the ball at their own 40 yard line. The Jackets needed six plays and three minutes to go 60 yards for a touchdown, another Nesbitt one-yarder to push the lead to 14-3.

Dyrell Roberts returned the ensuing kickoff 56 yards to the Georgia Tech 26. But the Hokies continued to struggle to move the ball and on 4th and three, instead of attempting a 35-yard field goal, Frank Beamer decided to go for it. The Hokies came up short and gave the ball back to Georgia Tech.

The Jackets, however, gave the ball right back to the Hokies when Nesbitt tried to go deep, but got picked off by Virginia Tech’s Dorian Porch at his 34 yard line.

Williams needed just one play to rush 66 yards for the Hokies’ first touchdown of the game and narrowing the score to 14-10.

Georgia Tech responded on its next possession with a 12-play, 86-yard drive that killed nearly eight minutes off the clock. Virginia Tech’s defense could not stop the Jackets as they marched down the field for another touchdown and a 21-10 lead.

The Hokies scored touchdowns on its final two drives. Taylor picked up his first rushing touchdown of the season with 7:19 to play to pull the Hokies with in five, 21-16, after the 2-point conversion failed.

Georgia Tech scored on its next drive, again running time of the clock and wearing down the Hokies’ defense. Nesbitt rushed for his third touchdown of the game with three minutes left to put the Jackets up 28-16.

The Hokies came right back with a five-play, 61-yard drive that ended with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Taylor to Williams, and the Hokies closed the gap to 28-23.

Virginia Tech attempted an onside kick, but Georgia Tech recovered and ran out the clock to seal its first home win against a top-five team in its last 18 attempts.

The Hokies are off next weekend, but return to Blacksburg to host the North Carolina Tar Heels on a Thursday night ESPN game.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Blacksburg, VA — Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer was unusually hard on his team in practice the week leading up to today’s game against Boston College.

He was tired of losing to the Eagles in the regular season and wasn’t about to allow Boston College to win its fourth straight against his Hokies. And they didn’t.

Not only did the Hokies win the game, they dominated the Eagles from the opening drive in a 48-14 win.

“I thought we had them disrupted a little bit,” Tech head coach Frank Beamer said. “I know that kid [Shinskie, Boston College's quarterback] had made some nice throws the past couple of weeks. They were having trouble running the football on us, and any time you can make them one-dimensional, I think that really helps you and we had that going. We got them into passing situations and we had them disrupted in the passing game. That’s what really pleased me.”

This was supposed to be a tough game for the No. 5 Hokies, who had lost three of their last four games against the Eagles.

Everything went right for Virginia Tech in this game. The running game that stalled last week against Duke kicked into high gear and the ACC’s leading rusher Ryan Williams led the Hokies with 182 total yards – 159 rushing, 23 passing – and a touchdown.

Williams has nine touchdowns on the season, just two shy of Tech’s freshman record of 11 set by Darren Evans last season. Evans tore his ACL in the preseason and will miss all of 2009.

Junior quarterback Tyrod Taylor had another solid passing game completing 7 of 10 passes for 126 yards and two touchdown passes. Taylor has thrown eight TDs to one interception this season. Last year, he threw two TDs to seven interceptions.

Virginia Tech scored on its first four possessions in the first half to sprint out to a 24-0 lead. Boston College was never in the game. Tech made it 31-0 when Rashad “Rock” Carmichael returned an interception 22 yards for a touchdown. The Hokies added a second quarter field goal to take a 34-0 lead into the half.

Bud Foster’s defense, which has been inconsistent this season, stepped up and took out its collective frustration on Boston College. The Eagles managed just three yards in the first half. At one point in the second quarter, they had -7 yards.

Boston College’s two touchdowns came in the fourth quarter against Tech’s second and third team defenders.

Redshirt freshman backup quarterback Ju-Ju Clayton threw his first career touchdown pass, an 80-yard bomb to Marcus Davis who picked up his first college touchdown.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Virginia Tech head football coach Frank Beamer has never been known for having a pass-first offense. You wouldn’t have known that watching the Hokies methodically pick apart Duke’s secondary today, while at the same time watching their running game struggle.

Junior quarterback Tyrod Taylor set a career high for passing yards with 327. It was the first time a Tech QB had passed for more than 300 yards in a game since Sean Glennon threw for 339 in a 38-27 loss to Georgia Tech in 2006.

Taylor wasn’t the only player having a career day. Sophomore wide receiver Jarrett Boykin caught a career-high 144 yards on six catches and a touchdown. It was the first time a Tech wideout had more than 100 yards receiving in a game since Eddie Royal had 147 yards in a 33-21 win over Virginia in 2007.

Why the sudden success in the passing game? Another well-called game by offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring. The word is out about Tech redshirt freshman running back Ryan Williams – he’s the nation’s sixth leading rusher and three-time ACC Rookie of the Week. So, Duke’s game plan was clear – stuff eight and nine men in the box and force the Hokies to beat the Blue Devils through the air.

“They were loading the box, bringing their linebackers up,” said Taylor after the game. “They were rotating the safeties. Coach [Bryan Stinespring] did a good job of stretching the ball [down the field] instead of running the power. That open things up and we were able execute it. This builds confidence for our offense and for the passing game.”

The first two offensive possessions did not amount to much, just 27 yards. Tech tried to establish a running game, but Duke crowded the line of scrimmage and denied any running room for the Hokies.

On Tech’s third possession however, Stinespring decided to take to the air. Duke had just scored a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead, but on the ensuing kickoff, the ball went out of bounds giving the Hokies excellent field position at their own 40.

The first play was a 3-yard run by Taylor. Second down was a 17-yard pass to tight end Andre Smith for a first down inside Duke territory. On first down, the Hokies went back to the run for a 4-yard gain by Williams. Then, on second and 6 from the Duke 36, Taylor found Danny Coale over the middle in the endzone for the equalizer. It was Coale’s first career touchdown. He also had a career-high 94 yards on three receptions.

Taylor threw for two touchdowns against the Blue Devils; the first to Coale and the other a controversial play in the end zone involving Boykin. With Tech leading 10-7 midway through the second quarter, Taylor threw to Boykin in the right side of the end zone where Boykin and a Duke defensive back both went up for the pass. It appeared that Duke had an interception, but Boykin ripped it from his hands on the way down and the official ruled it a Virginia Tech touchdown. After a lengthy review, the play was upheld and the Hokies led 17-10.

“The play they [the coaches] called and the coverage that they [Duke] gave us, I knew it was going to be a jump ball situation,” said Boykin. “As we were coming down, we were both fighting for it, and I guess he gave up on it at the end. I was still fighting for it and I ripped it out. I couldn’t let him take it from me.”

While the Hokies struggled early on the ground, the success of the passing game eventually set up the running game. Williams finished with 83 yards and second stringer Josh Oglesby, a redshirt sophomore, had 59 yards rushing and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Williams picked up the majority of his yards in the fourth quarter as well.

Box Score from Virginia Tech’s 34-26 win over Duke.

Popularity: 9% [?]

The No. 6 ranked Virginia Tech Hokies got off to a slow start on the road against Duke and struggled to 34-26 win.

The final score is not indicative of how close the game actually was. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Hokies only led 20-16, but Virginia Tech’s depth eventually wore the Blue Devils down on both sides of the ball.

The Hokies scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to take a 34-19 lead, but the Blue Devils used a 14-play, 90-yard drive in the final two minutes to score a late touchdown to pull within a dozen, 34-26. The onside kick failed and the Hokies ran out the clock to secure a tougher-than-expected road win.

Read more…

Popularity: 3% [?]

Virginia Tech freshman running back Ryan Williams scores a touchdown in the Hokies’ 31-7 win over Miami.

Box Score | Pictures

So much for the “swagger” being back at the “U”. Or, perhaps it just didn’t make the trip to Blacksburg with the No. 9 ranked Miami Hurricanes. All of the “experts” on ESPN picked the Canes in the day’s only matchup between top 25 teams. No one seemed to think the Hokies could beat a Miami team with a pair of impressive and dominant wins over ranked teams. That was just fine with the Virginia Tech players.

The Hokies dominated Miami today, with the exception of Miami’s opening drive in the second half, which led to their only points of the game. Other than that, Virginia Tech dominated. On offense. On defense. On special teams. All-World redshirt freshman running back Ryan Williams led the Hokies with 150 rushing on 34 carries and a pair of touchdowns.

Williams, who has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Rookie of the Week twice this season, has eight TDs in the first four games of the season and is on pace to destroy the freshman record (11) set by Darren Evans just last season. Williams, the ACC’s leading rusher and scorer, was a work horse against Miami and seemed to get stronger as the game went on.

“I’m impressed with that guy,” said Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer of Williams. “He runs hard. He can make a guy miss. He’s got speed, and he hurts those guys when he’s running. I like watching him.”

The offense as a whole played its best game of the season. The offensive line created gaping holes for Tech’s running backs and gave Tyrod Taylor plenty of time the few times the Hokies attempted a pass. Taylor made excellent decisions in the game. Though he only attempted nine passes, he connected on four of them and had one dropped. Considering the weather conditions, it’s not surprising the Hokies kept the ball on the ground. And why pass when your running game is grinding out an average of five yards per play?

From a coaching perspective, I have to give offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring a lot of credit for calling a good game. There was a good mixture of inside/outside runs; enough passes to keep the Canes honest; and a perfectly executed shovel pass. It was probably the best called game by Stinespring in a couple of seasons against a quality opponent.

The Hokies opened the scoring after Tech strong safety Dorian Porch sacked Miami QB Jacory Harris forcing a fumble, which Porched recovered. The Hokies needed just four plays before Williams punched it in for the game’s first touchdown giving Tech a 7-0 lead.

Virginia Tech scored again on its next possession capping a seven-play, 89-yard drive with a 48-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Jarrett Boykin. The Hokies went up 14-0.

The Hokies third score of the first half came in the second quarter on the team’s first blocked punt of the season. Miami was punting deep in their own end when Jacob Sykes came clean off the edge to block the punt, which rolled to near the goal line. Matt Reidy picked it up at the one and stepped into the end zone for the touchdown – 21-0 Virginia Tech at the half.

The second half didn’t start well for the Hokies. Miami came out fired up returning the second half kick off 55 yards to the Tech 46. From there, the Canes methodically knifed through Tech’s defense and in just five plays they marched into the end zone to cut the Tech lead to 21-7.

The Canes marched down the field again on their second possession of the third quarter, but tight end Jimmy Graham dropped two passes to stall the drive deep in Tech territory. Miami went for it on fourth down, but Tech’s defense stepped up and stopped Miami.

Tech added a field goal on its next possession, which ran off nearly five minutes from the clock. That gave the defense time to regroup, rest and then come out to shut Miami down the rest of the way.

The Hokies scored their final touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter after Rashad Carmichael intercepted a Jacory Harris pass and returned it to Miami’s 25 yard line. Five plays later Williams ran it in for his second TD of the game.

Some injury notes: Sergio Render is a warrior. The guy left the game twice with apparent shoulder injuries but came back each time, fighting through the pain to protect Taylor. Also, Blake DeChristopher left the game with an ankle injury – not sure how serious the injury is, but we’ll know more on Thursday when the injury reports come out.

Alright, that’s all for now. I’ll have more tomorrow, including video highlights. A great win for the Hokies. And more importantly, it’s the second straight nationally televised game in which we won a big game against a good team. [Updated] With losses by No. 4 Ole Miss, No. 5 Penn State, No. 6 California and No. 9 Miami, expect the Hokies to move back into the top 10 – they could conceivably move up to No. 7.

Read the HokieSports.com recap.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Virginia Tech freshman running back Ryan Williams celebrates a TD against Nebraska, his sixth of the season. Photo courtesy Gary Cope, VTHokiefans.com

Blacksburg, VA — Tyrod Taylor and the Virginia Tech Hokies’ offense struggled the entire game, but when they needed it most, Taylor completed a pair of difficult passes, the second of which won the game for the 13th ranked Hokies.

Heartbreaking doesn’t begin to describe the loss for the No. 19 Nebraska Cornhuskers. They had the game won, leading 15-10 with less than two minutes to play and the Hokies with no timeouts.

The Huskers’ defense, led by All Big 12 defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, had held the Hokies to less than 200 yards of offense and hadn’t given up a single second-half point. In fact, until the final drive by Virginia Tech, the Hokies had managed only 57 yards total offense. Nebraska fans were ready to leave Blacksburg with a win. But Tyrod Taylor and Danny Coale had other plans.

Facing a 2nd and 6 on their own 16 yard line with time running out and no timeouts, Taylor danced in the pocket looking for an open receiver. Then, he stepped up with purpose and delivered a perfect pass down the right sideline to a streaking and wide open Coale, who sprinted 81 yards before being tripped up by Nebraska safety Matt O’Hanlon at the three yard line.

Hokie fans were going crazy, but on 1st and goal from the three, Taylor’s protection collapsed immediately after the snap and he took an eight-yard sack, giving Tech a 2nd and goal from the 11 yard line. On second down, Taylor was forced out of the pocket and scrambled to the near sideline where he threw a pass out of the back of the end zone. This set up a 3rd and goal with :33 seconds left in the game.

Taylor rolled left on a designed play, then when he couldn’t find an open receiver, he rolled back right, frantically pointing his receivers to open spots in the endzone, then, with Suh clinging to his back, Taylor fired a pass to Dyrell Roberts who made the catch with a Husker draped all over him.

Lane Stadium errupted into a wild celebration. Nebraska coach Bo Pelini removed his headset calmly and then threw it in disgust over the heads of several players.

Nebraska still had time to attempt a miracle comeback of their own, but quarterback Zac Lee threw a Hail Mary pass deep in to Tech territory, but Rashad Carmichael intercepted the pass and ran the clock down to zero before falling down to end the game and seal one of, if not the most dramatic wins ever in Lane Stadium in Blacksburg.

The Hokies only other touchdown of the game came on the first offensive possession of the game after a 76-yard opening kickoff return by Roberts. Ryan Williams rushed over the right end for a 1-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Virginia Tech lead.

Tech’s defense didn’t give up a touchdown. Once again, Bud Foster’s bend-but-don’t-break defense did not allow a touchdown and instead held the Huskers to five field goals.

The Hokies (2-1) complete a series sweep of Nebraska, having beat the Huskers 35-30 last season in Lincoln.

Box Score | Game Highlights | Detailed Recap

Popularity: 6% [?]