Collegiate Times

Staff Writer

?Nail-bitters are nice when you come out on top, but I would much rather win by a big margin,? said Virginia Tech senior quarterback Bryan Randall, after the Hokies dismantled the Florida A&M University Rattlers by a margin of 62-0.

The Hokies, who improved their record to 5-2, came into the Homecoming game heavily favored over the Division I-AA Rattlers (2-5) and their ?Gulf Coast? style of offense. This was the first time FAMU had been shut out in regular season play since the University of Miami did it in the 1992 season.

The Hokies made plays early by forcing two fumbles on the Rattlers? opening drive. After the Hokies recovered on the second fumble, Randall and sophomore David Clowney hooked up on a 16-yard pass, giving the Hokies a 7-0 lead on Tech?s first offensive play of the game.

Randall and company continued to pour it on with three more Randall touchdowns through the air, a Mike Imoh touchdown scamper and two Brandon Pace field goals. After that, the coaching staff decided it was time to pack it in and Randall was pulled from the game with more than six minutes left in the second quarter. When Randall left the game the scoreboard showed a commanding 41-0 lead ? the romp was in progress.

The fast start by the Hokies was helped by the dominating play of junior defensive end Darryl Tapp who had a sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery and interception in the first eight minutes of the game. Tapp was not the only Hokie lineman to get an interception; senior defensive tackle Kevin Lewis also hauled in an ill-thrown pass by Rattler quarterback Ben Dougherty.

Overall, the Hokie defense forced eight fumbles (recovering two), tallied three interceptions, piled up five sacks and scored the final touchdown of the game when Blake Warren took an interception 46 yards downfield for the score. Tech?s lunch pail defense allowed just 200 total yards offense ? only 27 of those were in the first half.

Randall was not the only starter to be pulled mid-game. The Hokies took advantage of the blowout and let most of the second and third string players gain some valuable playing experience.

?I think we dressed 80 guys and played 80 guys ? We really tried to play backups the whole second half, they got some experience and that?s good for us,? said Tech head coach Frank Beamer.

Backup freshman quarterback Sean Glennon came in and led two touchdown drives and his only incomplete passes were dropped by his receivers.

Late in the game, fourth-string tailback John Candelas entered the game and proceeded to grind down the Rattlers front seven. Candelas averaged six yards per carry on fourteen carries.

The only miscues on the day for the Hokies were two penalties that cost the Hokies huge touchdown plays. One was a block in the back call on a 68-yard Randall touchdown run that made the Hokies have to settle for a Pace field goal.

The second was a flag on a Jimmy Williams punt return for a touchdown that was called back for having 12 men on the field.

The next time the Hokies will be in action is when they travel to Atlanta, Ga. to take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in a Thursday night Atlantic Coast Conference match-up Oct. 28.