BLACKSBURG, Va. — Virginia Tech is back where most of its fans figured it would be at this point in the season: leading the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Tyrod Taylor threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns and the No. 25 Hokies rolled to a 44-7 victory over Duke on Saturday, the sixth consecutive victory for a team that opened with two consecutive losses, including a stunning upset by James Madison.
“I do think we’ve got things to work on, but when you play well and you have success, it builds confidence,” Coach Frank Beamer said. “You can’t talk your way into it. You’ve got to build it. The last couple of games, we’ve taken steps where we want to go.”
Taylor was 13 of 17 passing and finished with 327 yards of total offense, putting him less than 100 away from becoming the school’s career leader.
Ryan Williams, a first-team All-ACC running back a year ago, returned after missing four games with a hamstring injury. He only played two series but scored on a 1-yard run in the first quarter as the Hokies (6-2, 4-0) opened a 27-0 lead by halftime.
Duke’s lone score came on Jay Hollingsworth’s 6-yard run in the third quarter. The Blue Devils (1-6, 0-4), who have lost six in a row, finished with just 208 yards of total offense.
The Hokies finished with491 yards of total offense and scored on eight of their first nine possessions in the game. They topped the 40-point mark for the fourth consecutive game.
In other games involving ACC teams, Maryland safety Antwine Perez had two interceptions and a fumble recovery, and Danny O’Brien threw for three touchdowns to lead the Terrapins (5-2, 2-1) to a 24-21 victory over host Boston College, sending the Eagles (2-5, 0-4) to their fifth consecutive loss. ... Andre Ellington rushed for a career high 166 yards and two long touchdowns as host Clemson (4-3, 2-2) ended a four-game losing streak to Georgia Tech (5-3, 3-2) with a 27-13 victory. ... Jacory Harris threw three touchdown passes to move into second place on Miami’s career list, Damien Berry ran for his fourth consecutive game of 100-plus yards and the Hurricanes scored 30 consecutive points to easily get past visiting North Carolina (4-3, 2--2) 33-10. Berry finished with 109 yards and a touchdown for the Hurricanes (5-2, 3-1). ... Marc Verica threwfor 203 yards and two touchdowns and punter Jimmy Howell also had a passing touchdown as Virginia (3-4) beat Eastern Michigan (1-7) 48-21 in Charlottesville, Va.
BIG EAST
Syracuse pulls a stunner
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Ryan Nassib threw a touchdown pass, Ross Krautman kicked four field goals and Syracuse scored nine points off turnovers in shocking No. 20 West Virginia 19-14.
Syracuse (5-2, 2-1) snapped an eight-game losing streak to West Virginia (5-2, 1-1). The Orange made a big turnaround on defense after being throttled at home by Pittsburgh 45-14 last week.
West Virginia entered the game with the nation’s fourthbest defense, but it was Syracuse that took advantage of itsopportunities.
Syracuse failed to reach the end zone four times after moving inside the West Virginia 15 in the first half. But those ensuing field goals turned out to be enough.
In other games involving Big East teams, Doug Beaumont returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown and Chris Philpott kicked four field goals to lead host Louisville (4-3, 1-1) to a 26-0 victory over Connecticut (3-4, 0-2). ... Jon Baldwin caught a 45-yard touchdown pass and set up two other scores with difficult catches, Tino Sunseri threw for three touchdowns and Pittsburgh (4-3, 2-0) overcome a series of first-half mistakes to beat visiting Rutgers (4-3, 1-1) 41-21.
CONFERENCE USA
East Carolina cruises
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Jon Williams ran for 111 yards and a touchdown to help East Carolina beat Marshall 37-10.
Dominique Davis threw for 208 yards and two scores for the Pirates (5-2, 4-0), who are off to their best start in league play since going 5-0 in 2001.
East Carolina shook off a sluggish start by scoring twice in the final 2 1/2 minutes of the first half to take a 20-10 halftime lead. The Pirates then scored on their first three drives of the second half to blow out the struggling Thundering Herd (1-6, 0-3).
In other games involving Conference USA teams, Ronnie Weaver ran for three touchdowns and freshman quarterback Jeff Godfrey passed for one and ran for another, leading Central Florida (5-2, 3-0) to a 41-14 victory over Rice (2-6, 1-3) in Orlando, Fla. ... Michael Hayes and Bryce Beall rushed for two touchdowns each as Houston (4-3, 3-1) defeated SMU (4-4, 3-1) 45-20 in Dallas.
Sports, Pages 39 on 10/24/2010