BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) -Virginia Tech looked as if it might have been over-ranked a few weeks ago.
The Hokies’ victory against Nebraska, after all, was made possible by an 81-yard completion with 1:11 left, a clear blown assignment by the Cornhuskers, and then Tyrod Taylor’s 9-second scramble that allowed him to throw the winning pass with 21 seconds left.
And even when the Hokies manhandled No. 9 Miami 31-7 to climb from No. 11 to No. 6, they were helped by brutal weather and some fortuitous bounces.
Last week, the Hokies again weren’t sharp in their 34-26 victory at Duke, giving up five plays that went for a combined 237 yards. Even though Taylor threw for a career-best 327 yards, the opponent tempered enthusiasm about that.
There’s not much question any more about Virginia Tech’s credentials.
The Hokies’ climb to No. 4 in the poll came after their best performance of the season, one that made them look like they truly belong in the national championship conversation.
“It was just our day,” coach Frank Beamer said after beating Boston College 48-14.
ia Tech (5-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) held B.C. (4-2, 2-2) to 28 yards on 34 plays through the first three quarters, before the Eagles scored twice against reserves. The Eagles managed just two first downs in the first 45 minutes and trailed 34-0.
On offense, the Hokies had everything working:
Ryan Williams ran for 159 yards and a touchdown on just 18 carries.
Taylor threw sparingly, but effectively, completing seven for 126 yards and two TDs, including his third scoring connection of the season to Jarrett Boykin, an emerging star.
Even backup quarterback Ju-Ju Clayton had an 80-yard scoring pass to Marcus Davis.
“You can tell that everything’s coming together,” Boykin said.
The key to it all is Taylor. He ran sparingly in nonconference games, likely because the team knew an injury to him would severely damage its ACC title hopes, but can change a game with one well-placed quarterback draw.
His progress as a passer, and as the unquestioned leader of a unit filled with freshmen and sophomore skill players, allows Beamer to watch with confidence from the sideline.
“I think he’s really in charge,” Beamer said. “He knows what he’s doing and where people are and what they are doing. … He’s playing efficiently and very, very well.”
ey showed at Duke their primary challenge.
On the plus side, though, they are having fun, especially on offense, in proving that the early season questions may have been unwarranted, or that the problems are solved.
On defense, coordinator Bud Foster’s insistence that the team uphold the Hokies’ tradition – they have finished in the top five defensively four times in five years – are working.
“The things that have gone on here will not go on here,” Foster said of sloppy play. “It’s their responsibility to live up to it, and the kids responded to the challenge.”
And in doing it, the Hokies simply reinforced their image as a tough team to beat.
“They’re Virginia Tech,” Eagles 25-year-old freshman quarterback David Shinskie said. “They’re the No. 5 team in the nation. They’re agile. They’re going to get to you.”
If they can do it six more times, beginning with next weekend’s visit to No. 19 Georgia Tech, the Hokies will find themselves in the hunt for college football’s biggest prize.
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