Collegiate Times

Victor Harris' 100-yard kickoff return gave the Hokies a 24-3 lead in the first half of Saturday's game against Clemson.

Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer's special teams units have garnered the affectionate nickname "Pride and Joy." Saturday night in Death Valley, they had many reasons to be proud.

Despite an offense that struggled to consistently move the ball, the Hokies put up 41 points in the victory over Clemson University, largely due to outstanding special teams play and timely defense.

Tech's offense collected only 219 total yards on 55 plays while the special teams units amassed 278 yards on eight returns. Tech's defense and special teams scored three touchdowns while the offense only managed two, and the non-offensive scoring started early.

Before the offense even stepped on the field, the Hokies found themselves with a 7-0 advantage thanks to their big play defense. Senior safety D.J. Parker intercepted a pass and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown on the first possession of the game, marking the third defensive touchdown of the season for Bud Foster's bunch.

"That (touchdown) was real important just to get points on the board and to set the tone," said senior linebacker Xavier Adibi. "We just had to match their intensity and that's what we did."

Tech's defense certainly set the tone early, holding Clemson's offense without a single first down until a shade over 20 minutes into the game.

The Hokies offense hadn't been faring much better, but like the defense, the Hokies special teams made their presence felt early, relieving some of the pressure on the offense.

After holding Clemson to a three-and-out, Eddie Royal - who is currently fourth in the nation in punt return average - returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown.

"They had to stay in there and protect so long that I think it opened up seams down the field," Beamer said.

The return tied for the third longest in school history and marked the second consecutive game Royal in which returned a punt for a score. He also sits only 97 yards shy of becoming the ACC's all-time punt return leader.

It didn't take the special teams unit long to strike again.

With 6:59 left in the first half, Victor Harris fielded a kickoff three yards deep in the end zone and returned it 100 yards for the special teams' second touchdown of the night and third in the last two games. The 100-yard return tied the all-time long in school history.

"It's kind of a situation where ... you just want to do whatever you can to help the team," Harris said. "The kickoff return team did a great job blocking for me. I told them before the play, 'lead me to the promised land,' and that's what they did, they led me to the promised land."

Harris' touchdown gave the Hokies a three-touchdown lead, though the offense had yet to find the end zone.

The offense struggled throughout the game. The Tigers ran 90 total plays in the game; Tech managed just 55 and lost the time of possession battle by over five minutes.

Despite the struggles, Beamer remained optimistic about where the offense is heading.

"You keep seeing flashes; we've just got to get more consistent with (Tyrod Taylor) and with our offense and the whole deal," Beamer said. "I think we're close ... I see a light at the end of the tunnel."

For now, though, the Hokies will rely on their stellar special teams and defensive play to lead them to victory.

"Our offense is close, but especially defense and special teams really make a team a team," Harris said. "We're waiting for our offense now, but sooner or later we're gonna be clicking on all cylinders."