Collegiate Times

You have to give it up for the Hokies. Less than a month ago, not many thought they could rebound from consecutive losses at Boston College and Florida State, let alone go on to repeat as ACC Coastal champions.

Things didn't look any less grim two weeks later when the Hokies lost a supposedly must-win game at Miami. But with some lucky breaks and key wins, Tech maneuvered itself back into the driver's seat of the division and did not lose control of the wheel for the last two weeks of the regular season.

"Even after the Miami game I know a lot of us thought we were really out of it," said senior cornerback Victor "Macho" Harris. "But Coach Beamer said some things have to happen in order for us to win but the main thing that we have to do is control what we can. If we can do that and have faith, all the pieces of the puzzle are going to fall in place."

And they did. In a season during which nothing came easy for the Hokies, Tech had just enough faith and ability to punch its ticket to Tampa.

Saturday's win over UVa epitomized the entire season in many ways. Tech faltered at times and there were several mistakes made, such as a 22-yard field goal attempt missed by senior kicker Dustin Keys in the second quarter and several missed tackles on Virginia acting-quarterback/cornerback Vic Hall's numerous runs.

And much as the last two weeks of the season, Tech made a late run to come out on top. The Hokies did just enough to squeak by the Cavaliers in the game and, in turn, squeak by the Yellow Jackets in the standings.

"We always believed since day one that we knew we could get to this point," said sophomore quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

There was very little talk of a national championship-type season in August. But the Hokies did what was needed this season -- they built a foundation and slowly began to find a formula for success that could and will be carried over into next fall.

The fact that most of Tech's top performers this Saturday will return in 2009 confirms the achievement of such an objective. Defensive end Jason Worilds had seven tackles and a sack.

Redshirt junior rover Dorian Porch came up with a big-time interception in the UVa end zone, denying the Cavaliers of a go-ahead touchdown. Freshmen wide receivers Jarrett Boykin and redshirt Danny Coale both had career highs in receptions. Redshirt junior tight end Greg Boone was implemented into the offense in a variety of ways and scored his first-ever rushing touchdown. And then there was Taylor.

In what he called his greatest performance of his young career, Taylor rushed for 137 yards while passing for 137 as well. This came less than a week after Taylor was widely criticized and removed from action after he had two passes intercepted and two fumbles recovered by Duke.

This time around, Taylor was the biggest difference maker in the game. There were no defensive trips to the end zone this game; every score was created offensively.

Taylor played as the quarterback the Hokies needed him to be on a consistent basis this season and his 73-yard run early in the third quarter was the turning point in the victory. Boone would finish off the drive as he punched the ball into the end zone two plays later and subsequently tied up the game after being down 14-7 at the half.

"I believe in Tyrod," Beamer said. "He is an accurate thrower. I think he is going to be a fantastic quarterback before he leaves here. He is good now, but he is going to be real good when he leaves here."

What a difference a week makes. After last week's debacle, many were already looking forward to the future guidance of this year's standout-recruit quarterback Joseph "Ju-Ju" Clayton while writing Taylor off as a bust.

Taylor may never live up to the expectations that were bestowed upon him when he first stepped foot on Tech's campus, but his performance against UVa proved that he is still capable of being an outstanding college football player and an above-average quarterback.

While Taylor seemed to almost completely redeem himself in the eyes of the Hokie fans who were present at the last home game of the season, redshirt senior quarterback Sean Glennon could have found a much worse way to go out in his final collegiate home game.

Though Glennon was widely disapproved of at many points of his collegiate career, he received a standing ovation from the crowd during the Senior Day introductions before the start of Saturday's game.

"Some of the guys on the sidelines were joking with me and said that it took to the end of my senior year for the fans to really appreciate me," Glennon said. "I guess it's better late than never. It was definitely a good feeling. I know things haven't always gone my way with the fans."

Glennon was worked into the game for a little while in a move that was speculated to be based purely on the fact that it was the senior's farewell. He went 3-for-9 for 39 yards, with one interception that held no importance on the outcome of the game.

But few paid any attention to his statistics and there was a bittersweet sense of closure when the senior -- whose relations with the Hokie faithful these past four years have been a long series of ups and downs -- ran to slap hands with all the front row fans in the south end zone after time expired.

Although it was a chance for seniors including Glennon and Harris to say goodbye to the fans, the UVa game was, most importantly, the end to a long, drawn-out transition period that was the Hokies' 2008 regular season. Through all the growing pains and all the position changes, Tech found a way to achieve success.

Do they have enough to beat Boston College this time around? Who knows. But the fact that a team that lost 12 starters had enough muscle to get back to the ACC Championship speaks volumes by itself.