Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor tries to stiff-arm Virginia cornerback Vic Hall in the Hokies' 17-14 win. With the victory, Tech claimed the ACC Coastal Division and earned a place in the ACC Championship game.
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."
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