Kyle Maxey/SPPSTech freshman linebacker Jake Johnson tries to chase down Western Kentucky wide receiver Wenquel Graves during Saturday afternoon's game at Lane Stadium. The Hokies held the Hilltoppers to just 95 passing yards.

"I said earlier in the year that I think every game is going to be a dogfight for us," said sophomore quarterback Tyrod Taylor. "You can't ever let your guard down; every team is going to play us hard."

Yet, with a young team, progress has to be made. At what point does this team say it's turned a corner? Many believed it was against Nebraska, especially in terms of offense. But now those people must reevaluate after what they saw Saturday.

The fact is Tech's offense, the same crew that seemed to be on the rise with its performance in Lincoln, took a major step back Saturday.

What people saw was a team struggling at times against an opponent that is considered to float leagues below the Hokies. One could sense a bit of concern in Lane Stadium when the Hilltoppers came within two scores of the Hokies early in the fourth quarter.

Please take note of the opponent.

Western Kentucky is a program that is currently transitioning into Division I-A. Its two wins this season have come against non-FBS schools -- Eastern Kentucky and Murray State. It is the same team that Kentucky and Alabama walloped by a combined total of 82-10 in September.

"It's somewhat frustrating," said cornerback Victor "Macho" Harris. "That goes to show you that we can't take any team lightly. We have to come with our 'A' game everyday."

The performance is a bit more unsettling when one takes into account the 13 penalties for 113 yards that were committed by the Hilltoppers. Continually, the Hokies were given second chances through those penalties.

On Tech's first drive of the day, a Hilltopper defensive back committed consecutive penalties for 24 yards and single-handedly brought the Hokies into field goal range. In the first play of the second quarter, a fake-punt pass by Western Kentucky would have been a touchdown had an illegal block not been called. Instead, it settled for a field goal.

The Hilltoppers held the Hokie offense to fewer than 300 yards of total production and they're the fourth team this season to do so. Many were hoping that unflattering statistic was a thing of the past after Tech manufactured 377 yards against the Cornhuskers.

Out of 120 Division I-A teams, Tech is one of 14 that have averaged fewer than 300 yards of total offense this season. Western Kentucky also falls into that category and only produced 50 yards fewer on offense than Tech did Saturday afternoon.

The numbers for Taylor, at least, look fairly nice on paper, as he went 10-for-15 for 125 yards and a touchdown -- his first passing touchdown this season in 63 attempts. But head coach Frank Beamer was unsatisfied with the overall passing performance.

"For whatever reason, our passing game wasn't as good as we'd like it to be down the stretch there," Beamer said.

Taylor gave an explanation that was eerily similar to past explanations in earlier games this season.

"I think it's a combination of young receivers and just everyone not being on the same page yet," Taylor said.

But at what point in this season does the offense get on the same page? Western Kentucky seemed like a golden opportunity to do just that before Tech goes toe-to-toe with some of the best defensive teams in the country.

Perhaps the Hilltoppers were closer to Tech's class than most imagined. Either way, the Hokies will not be facing another team with the statistics of Western Kentucky for a while.

Tech's next two opponents, Boston College and Florida State, nationally rank 10th and third respectively in total defense. Neither defense has allowed more than 278 yards of total offense in any of their games this season. It is hard to say that the Hokies will confidently roll into Chestnut Hill and Tallahassee after this offensive performance.

Once more, Tech has to face those defenses without Kenny Lewis Jr., who is out for the season with a ruptured Achilles' tendon. Lewis currently ranks second on the team in touchdowns and third in overall rushing.

"That's a tough loss for us," Beamer said. "We've lost a guy on offense who is very positive and who has put so much in this."

There was also an issue with the defense as well. Although Harris had a 49-yard interception against the Hilltoppers, the Tech defense could not seem to stop the opponent's running game at times. Western Kentucky's top two rushers averaged nearly seven yards per carry on 22 runs. I'll give you one guess as to what two teams currently rank second and third in the ACC in rushing offense.

At least Beamer and the Hokies can remain content with where their record stands at this point.

"If you would've given me the choice to start the season 5-1, I would've taken that in a heartbeat, especially considering how young this team is," Beamer said. "Five-and-one is pretty good but we still have our work cut out for us."

The North Carolina and Nebraska games were eye-openers and consecutive solid performances by the Hokies against decent teams. Notice that the Tar Heels clobbered Connecticut by 26 on Saturday.

The Western Kentucky game could have been confirmation that the Hokies can do some real damage and further assert their legitimacy as major contenders for the ACC crown. Instead, halfway through the season, there is still much to wonder about where this 2008 team stands.

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