Charlie Daniels says the Devil plays a mean violin...but that doesn't mean much when it comes to pigskin.
Saturday was deja vu. It was last week all over again. While it was a different high class, private ACC university from North Carolina, the result was the same...a big Tech victory.
As expected, the Hokies came out and dominated this game from the start. They beat Duke black and blue (pun intended) on all facets of the game.
Tyrod Taylor was almost flawless. He led the Hokies in both passing and rushing. He went 13 of 17 for 280 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air, while adding 54 yards on the ground. (I would like to point out that no Tech tailback had more than 9 carries, but Tyrod still had the highest yard-per-carry average with 7.8). Needless to say, the senior QB had a stellar day. He made it look easy too. If you didn't know better, you would think it was just day at practice for number five.
While it may look like Tyrod's just going for a stroll in the park, he's actually doing some serious work. Tyrod is quietly creeping up in the record books of both Virginia Tech and the ACC. He currently has the most rushing yards by any Tech quarterback, and is tied with the great Bob Schweickert for Most Rushing TD's by a QB and Career 100-yard rushing games by a QB. Taylor is second in Career Total Offense only to Bryan Randall, and he's less than 100 yards from owning that record. He sits fifth on the all-time passing list, but he's still got some throwing to do. From an ACC standpoint, Tyrod is third on the all-time list for rushing yards by a quarterback behind Georgia Tech's Jonathan Nesbitt and Clemson's Woodrow Dantzler. Taylor currently leads the conference in passing efficiency as well. The way Tyrod is playing, he's going to be the proud owner of multiple records when he leaves VPI. Not bad for a guy who was once Sean Glennon's back-up (insert uncontrollable sarcastic laughter here).
Back to the game. Darren Evans was his usual Punisher self. He rumbled for 36 yards and a score off of 8 carries. In this game, Evans put his own spin on a popular Van Halen Song. Instead of "Running With the Devil," He ran over the Devils. His hallmark from this game was when he almost completely hurdled a Duke defender. Wow deja vu again...Deron Washington anyone?
It was good to see Ryan Williams back on the field after taking a few games off to rehab his hamstring. He was a little rusty, but who wouldn't be? He came through when it counted though...in the red zone. He scored on a 1-yard run to ease back into his old self. He'll be back to Predator status in no time.
Logan Thomas got some much needed reps in on Saturday. He had a shaky start, but was looking good by the end of the game. He went 6 for 14 for 52 yards, but he could have had a lot more. Thomas threw two lasers that his receivers couldn't hang onto. The first was to back-up tight end Randall Dunn, who could only get one paw on the ball. The other was to Xavier Boyce, who dropped it after a defender wrapped him up. You can't really blame the receivers though. Thomas' passes have a little more pepper on them than the average pass does. He's got a cannon. He's got potential. The force is strong in this one.
Bud Foster's defense played lights out. The Blue Devils were averaging almost 400 yards a game coming into this one. Tech's D held them to just 208 yards. The secondary was swarming around back there. Both starting corners got interceptions. Jayron Hoseley picked off one and returned it 17 yards, while Rashad Carmichael scooped one and returned it 19 yards. The Hokies are starting to get more and more pressure, and that's a good thing. The D is getting closer to looking like a real Lunch Pail Defense, but look who we were playing. We'll see how they stack up against those pesky Yellow Jackets next Thursday.
You've got to give the Dukies credit though. They played tough, and pulled out all the stops trying to beat us. Going for it on fourth down on their opening drive was a stupid but brave move, and I commend them for that. They knew if they were going to have a chance that it was then. The onside kick to start the second half was a clever ruse, but it just ticked Frank off. I knew that when the cameras showed Beamer and he had his patented "Who Farted?" look on his face that Duke had made a grave mistake. Two Tech passing touchdowns later, the Blue Devils knew it too. Stick a (pitch)fork in 'em, they're done.
The Hokies have now won six straight games since the devastating 0 and 2 start, and have finally crept their way back into the polls.
Tech has been a focused and determined team ever since the second half of the East Carolina game. This game marks the fourth game in a row that the Hokies have put up 40 or more points.
The Hokies have now beaten Duke 10 consecutive times. The Blue Devils were formidable opponents in the past two contests, as the Hokies won by scores of 34-26 last year and 14-3 in 2008. They sure didn't have a chance in this one.
In closing I'll give Duke one valuable piece of advice: Athletes beat Mathletes every time.
No comments:
Post a Comment