2005 Football Game Recap: Hokies Dominate Boston College, Win 30-10


Boston College (14).....  0  7  3  0 - 10
Virginia Tech (3).......  6 14  0 10 - 30

Scoring Summary:

1st Quarter
09:25 VT - Brandon Pace 26 yard FG
03:24 VT - Brandon Pace 32 yard FG

2nd Quarter
11:37 BC - Blackmon 29 yard pass from Porter (Troost kick)
06:51 VT - Royal 15 yard run (Pace kick)
00:33 VT - Morgan 3 yard pass from Vick (Pace kick)

3rd Quarter
11:14 BC - William Troost 26 yard FG

4th Quarter
13:13 VT - Brandon Pace 31 yard FG
03:16 VT - Hall 13 yard Interception return (Pace kick)

Quarterback Marcus Vick carried third-ranked Virginia Tech to a relatively easy 30-10 victory over #14 Boston College Thursday night in Lane Stadium. In a game that many thought Tech would struggle to control the line of scrimmage, the Hokies dominated the Eagles up front on both sides of the ball to move to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the ACC. With the victory, Virginia Tech remains atop the ACC Coastal Division standings.

For the second consecutive game, the Hokies narrowly missed gaining 500 yards of total offense, finishing with 492. Marcus Vick led the way for Tech, completing 22 of 28 passes for a career high 280 yards and one touchdown. Vick was also second on the team in rushing with 52 yards on 13 carries. Vick picked apart the Boston College secondary all night, completing passes to nine different receivers.

Coming into the game, Boston College ranked among the nation’s best in rush defense, allowing just 77 yards per game on the ground. The Hokies were able to grind out 212 yards rushing, led by Mike Imoh’s 60 yards on 16 carries. Cedric Humes returned to the lineup after missing one game with a fractured arm, carrying the ball 13 times for 40 yards. Redshirt freshman tailback Branden Ore had six carries for 30 yards.

After catching just four passes coming into the game, r-sophomore wide receiver Josh Hyman had a breaking game. Hyman led Tech in receiving, hauling in five receptions for 58 yards. David Clowney once again showed his ability to make big plays by catching three passes for 58 yards.

The Virginia Tech offense was very efficient on the night, converting eight of 16 third down conversions. They also held the ball for 39:05, compared to just 20:55 for Boston College.

Not to be outdone, the Hokie defense showed up to play as well. Going up against one of the biggest and most physical offensive lines in the nation, Tech held Boston College to just 27 yards rushing on 21 carries. Included in those totals were three sacks, two from Darryl Tapp and one from Xavier Adibi. The defense held Boston College to just 183 total yards.

The Tech defense also recorded two interceptions on the night, one of which was returned for a touchdown by Vince Hall. Justin Hamilton recorded his third interception in as many games, and now leads the team in interceptions with three.

Recap

After Boston College was forced to punt on the opening drive of the game, the Hokies drew first blood. Starting at his own 25 yard line, Vick began the drive by completing a 15 yard pass to wide receiver Eddie Royal. Following an offsides penalty on the Eagles, Vick found David Clowney for a 43 yard gain to the BC 12 yard line. The Tech drive sputtered after that, and the Hokies settled for a 26 yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead with 9:25 remaining in the first quarter.

After BC went three and out on the ensuing possession, Tech got the ball back on their own 22 yard line and easily moved the ball in Eagle territory. The Hokies were in the redzone and threatening to take a double digit lead when right guard Jason Murphy was flagged for holding on a seven yard run by Vick. The penalty pushed VT back to the BC 29 yard line, and Tech was facing a third and 20. Vick managed to complete a 15 yard pass to Jeff King, and Brandon Pace kicked a 32 yard field goal to put the Hokies up 6-0 with 3:24 left in the first quarter.

Following the Pace field goal, both teams traded punts. Boston College then took over on their own 20 yard line with 14:46 remaining in the second quarter. They embarked on an eight play, 80 yard touchdown drive. On second and 16 from their own 36, BC called a screen play to tailback L.V. Whitworth that worked to perfection. Whitworth took it 33 yards to the Tech 31.

Two plays later, Boston College quarterback Quinton Porter found Will Blackmon for a 29 yard touchdown pass. Blackmon was covered by Jimmy Williams, who had excellent coverage and could have easily intercepted the ball. However Williams turned around the wrong way, enabling Blackmon to make an easy catch for the touchdown. With 11:37 remaining before halftime, Boston College led 7-6.

As all national championship contenders should do, the Hokies answered in impressive fashion. Getting the ball back on their own 35 yard line, Tech began an 11 play, 65 yard drive that would take 4:46 off the clock and result in a touchdown. They faced only one third down situation on the drive, and only one play went for more than nine yards, that being Eddie Royal’s 15 yard touchdown run on a reverse. Following Royal’s score, the Hokies led 13-7 with 6:51 left in the first half.

The Tech offense would strike again before halftime. After the defense forced another Boston College three and out, the offense took over on their own 31 yard line. They moved down the field efficiently, once again needing to convert only one third down. The drive lasted 11 plays and took 4:04 off the clock, and ended with Marcus Vick found Josh Morgan for a three yard touchdown pass. The Hokies now led 20-7 left Boston College with just 33 seconds before halftime. The Eagles ran a draw with Andre Callender to end the first half.

The second half did not begin well for Virginia Tech. Josh Morgan bobbled the opening kickoff and Eddie Royal picked it up and returned it to the 13. Unfortunately for the Hokies, Brendan Hill was flagged for an illegal block in the back, forcing Tech to start at their own six yard line. The offense went three and out, and Boston College began their first possession of the second half on the VT 41 yard line.

The Boston College drive began with Quinton Porter completing a 23 yard pass over the middle to tight end Chris Miller. The Eagles were threatening to make a game of it once again, but the Tech defense stood firm, holding BC to a 26 yard field goal. With 11:14 remaining in the third quarter, the Hokies led 20-10.

Virginia Tech continued to move the ball very well on their next possession. The Hokies converted four third downs on the drive, and moved the ball all the way to the Boston College nine yard line where the faced second down and seven. Brandon Ore took the handoff and ran off the right tackle, gaining good yardage. However as he was tackled the ball came free and rolled into the end zone, where Boston College recovered for a touchback. It was a wasted opportunity for the Hokies, who still led 20-10 with 3:39 left in the third quarter. The drive had lasted over seven minutes and resulted in no points.

Unfortunately for Boston College, their offense could not take advantage of the turnover. Once again the Tech defense held them to three and out. Quinton Porter was so confused on the drive that he actually completed a pass to his left guard on third down. The Hokies declined the penalty, and BC was forced to punt. Eddie Royal fielded the punt at his own 25 yard line and returned it to the Boston College 46, setting his team up with great field position.

The Hokies would take advantage by adding another Brandon Pace field goal, this one from 31 yards. The drive ended with 13:30 remaining in the fourth quarter, and things looked bleak for Boston College, who would have to score two touchdowns to beat the Hokies. They would not respond, as they went three and out for the second consecutive possession.

The remainder of the fourth quarter would be a defensive war. Brandon Pace missed a 31 yard field goal with 8:41 remaining in the game, but the Tech defense would provide the last points needed to blow BC out of Blacksburg.

The Eagles got the ball on their own 14 yard line with 3:27 remaining in the game. On the first play of the drive, Quinton Porter dropped back to pass and was wrapped up by Darryl Tapp, who had created pressure from the left side. Instead of just taking the sack, Porter fired a wild pass to an area of the field where there were no Boston College receivers. The pass hit Tech linebacker Vince Hall directly in the hands, and he scooted 13 yards for the interception return for the touchdown. The Hokies now led 30-10, and that margin would hold up for the final three minutes of the game.

The victory over Boston College sets up the game that everyone has been waiting for: the showdown with #7 Miami in Lane Stadium for command of the ACC Coastal Division. If the Hurricanes defeat North Carolina on Saturday, they will be 6-1 overall, with a 3-1 record in the ACC. The game will be played on Saturday, November 5. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:45 and the game will be televised by ESPN.

 

STATISTICS 

                          VT          BC
                        ----        ----
First downs               26          10
Rushed-yards          53-212       21-27
Passing yards            280         156
Sacked-yards lost        1-8        3-18
Return yard              104         140
Passes               22-28-0     15-30-2
Punts                 4-38.5      7-45.4
Fumbles-lost             2-1         1-0
Penalties-yards         6-46        4-20
Time of possession     39:05       20:55

Att: 65,115

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS 

RUSHING-Virginia Tech, Imoh 16-60, Vick 13-52, Humes
13-40, Ore 6-30, Royal 3-25, Bell 2-5. BC, Callender 8-29,
Whitworth 8-9, Porter 5-(-11).

PASSING-Virginia Tech, Vick 22-28-280-0.
BC, Porter 13-24-158-1, Ryan 2-6-17-2 

RECEIVING-Virginia Tech, Hyman 5-58, Clowney 3-58,
Kinzer 3-20, Harper 2-53, Royal 2-27, King 2-24, Morgan 2-21,
Imoh 2-12, Humes 1-7. BC, Blackmon 4-52, Miller 3-31, Lester 3-25,
Whitworth 2-29, Callender 2-10, Marten 1-(-1).