Collegiate Times

With no passing options available, quarterback Tyrod Taylor scrambles out of the pocket. Taylor went 16-for-33 with 188 yards on Saturday.

Virginia Tech's spring season concluded on Saturday afternoon with the maroon team edging the white team by a score of 13-7 in the annual spring game held at Lane Stadium.

While the game wasn't filled with the intensity of a mid-season ACC match-up and the Hokies still have months to go before they play a game that counts, the excitement of Tech football was definitely back on Saturday.

That excitement happened early on before the estimated 41,000 in attendance - the largest crowd to ever watch a Tech spring game.

In the first quarter, redshirt freshman quarterback Ju-Ju Clayton hooked up with redshirt freshman tailback Ryan Williams on a screen pass, which he took 56 yards through the white team's defense for a maroon touchdown.

Williams led the Hokies by rushing for 86 yards on 10 carries and reeling in two receptions for an impressive 66 yards and a touchdown.

The white team responded quickly, however, with a scoring drive led by junior starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

The junior capped a nine-play, 80-yard drive by hooking up with sophomore wide out Dyrell Roberts in the corner of the end zone for a three-yard touchdown.

Taylor finished the day completing 16 of 33 passes for 188 yards and a score. He also rushed for 39 yards on nine attempts.

Taylor and Roberts connected three times for 52 yards - including the touchdown - and gave fans hope for a possibly electrifying passing combination this year.

Roberts also returned a kick 41 yards in the first quarter and also had a nine-yard punt return, showing the quickness that Beamer has praised.

In the third quarter, though, the maroon team scored what would be the game-winning touchdown when redshirt freshman Antoine Hopkins picked up a fumble by freshman tailback Zac Evans and returned it 20 yards to put the maroon team up 13-7.

That was all the maroon team needed as the white team couldn't find the end zone in the fourth quarter despite a valiant effort by Taylor, who came just yards from tying the game as time expired.