Virginia Tech (21) ... 14 13 3 6 - 36 Maryland.............. 0 3 0 6 - 9 Scoring Summary: 1st Quarter 10:48 VT - Williams 1 yd rush (Waldron PAT) 04:55 VT - Smith 3 yd pass from Taylor (Waldron) 2nd Quarter 14:57 MD - Ferrara 36 yd FG 11:37 VT - Roberts 10 yd pass from Taylor (Team rush failed) 08:06 VT - Boykin 64 yd pass from Taylor (Waldron) 3rd Quarter 03:08 VT - Waldron 21 yd FG 4th Quarter 14:17 VT - Waldron 28 yd FG 11:25 MD - Harrell 0 yd fumble return (Pass failed) 05:52 VT - Waldron 33 yd FG
College Park, MD – Virginia Tech beat up on Maryland on both sides of the ball on Saturday afternoon, earning a 36-9 victory in College Park. The Hokies dominated statistically on offense and defense, and they also got some big plays from punt returner Jayron Hosley. Tech is now 7-3 on the season, with a 4-2 mark in ACC play. Maryland dropped to 2-8 overall and 1-5 in the ACC.
Tyrod Taylor had a big game through the air and on the ground. The junior quarterback finished 13-of-23 for 268 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. All three of his touchdown passes came in the first half.
Taylor almost had four touchdowns passes, but his first to Jarrett Boykin was reviewed and ruled down inside the Maryland one yard line.
Taylor was also able to make plays with his feet on scrambles and option plays. He ran for 81 yards on just eight carries, and that includes two sacks.
Ryan Williams had another great day at tailback, finishing with 23 carries for 126 yards and a touchdown. He now has 11 rushing touchdowns on the season, which ties the freshman record set last year by Darren Evans. For the season, Williams has 1,235 yards, and he’s averaging 5.8 yards per carry.
Two Tech receivers came up with big games. Jarrett Boykin finished with three catches for 118 yards and a touchdown, while Dyrell Roberts added three receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Andre Smith also caught a three yard touchdown pass from Taylor.
Overall, it was one of Virginia Tech’s best offensive performances of the season. The Hokies ran for 216 yards and passed for 268. They were very balanced, gaining 484 yards of total offense.
The Tech defense limited Maryland to just 236 yards. 129 of that came on the legs of quarterback Jamarr Robinson, who was making his first career start in place of the injured Chris Turner. Robinson scrambled for some big yards, but he was also sacked six times, and was just 12-of-32 for 104 yards through the air.
Robinson didn’t have much help. His offensive line performed poorly, as expected. Other Maryland players combined for just three yards rushing, and the Terps were out of sync all day.
Jake Johnson didn’t start, but he got plenty of playing time behind Lyndell Gibson. Johnson led the Hokies in tackles with seven, and in sacks with two. His two sacks came on back-to-back plays in the second quarter.
For the game, the Tech defense finished with 10 tackles for loss and six sacks. Nekos Brown, Cam Martin and Steven Friday had one sack apiece, while Chris Drager and Demetrius Taylor had half-a-sack each. One of the stars of the game was true freshman punt returner Jayron Hosley. He finished with six punt returns for 86 yards, and he constantly put the Tech offense in good field position.
Recap
It didn’t take Virginia Tech long to begin the rout. The Hokies scored on their first possession, going 71 yards in 10 plays and taking 4:07 off the clock. Tyrod Taylor hit two big passes on the drive, first connecting with Danny Coale for a 16 yard gain to the Maryland 31 for a first down.
After a no gain by Josh Oglesby, Taylor struck again down the left sideline to Jarrett Boykin. Boykin crossed the goal line, and the play was originally called a touchdown on the field. However, a review showed that his knee was down at the Maryland one, and the Hokies got a first and goal. One play later Ryan Williams broke a couple of tackles and scored the first touchdown of the game, giving Tech a 7-0 lead.
The Hokies went three and out on their next possession, but struck again for another score on their third possession. Two big 27 yard gains sparked the drive. First Ryan Williams broke off a 27 yard run to the Maryland 33, and two plays later Taylor completed a pass to Dyrell Roberts for a 27 yard gain to the Maryland four yard line.
Taylor tossed an incompletion to a wide open Kenny Jefferson in the end zone on first down, but he made a very good throw to Andre Smith in the back of the end zone in traffic on second down. Smith hauled the pass in, and Tech went up 14-0 with 4:55 remaining in the first quarter. As it turned out, those 14 points were already enough for the win.
Maryland finally got on the scoreboard on their next drive. The drive was aided by a bad pass interference call on Kam Chancellor in the corner of the end zone, which gave the Terps a first down at the Tech 12. The Hokie defense toughened up in the red zone, with Demetrius Taylor and Chris Drager combining for a sack to stop the drive on on third and 15. The Terps were able to connect on a 36 yard field goal, and the score was 14-3 Virginia Tech with 14:57 left in the second quarter.
That’s as close as Maryland got the rest of the way. The Hokies poured on two more touchdowns before halftime. The ensuing kickoff after Maryland’s field goal was short, and a 26 yard return by David Wilson gave the Hokies a first down in excellent field position at their own 44.
Tyrod Taylor scrambled for a gain of 10 yards on the second play of the drive, and gained 17 more yards on the very next play. However, the drive was almost undone by a holding penalty by Kenny Jefferson. On third and 16 from the Maryland 34, Taylor made perhaps his best pass of the game. Taylor scrambled to his right and hit a sliding Jarrett Boykin for a 24 yard gain to the Maryland 10. Taylor put the ball where only Boykin could catch it, and the Hokies had another first and goal.
After a no gain by Ryan Williams, the Hokies went with a screen pass to the left to slot receiver Dyrell Roberts. Roberts got a great block on the outside, and dove past two Maryland defenders into the end zone for the touchdown. The extra point was botched, and holder Brent Bowden was tackled in the backfield, but the Hokies held a 20-3 lead with 11:37 left in the second quarter.
Maryland was forced to punt again on their next drive, and the Hokies went for the jugular on their ensuing possession following an 18 yard punt return by Jayron Hosley. Tyrod Taylor hit Jarrett Boykin deep over the middle, and Boykin successfully broke two tackles and sprinted to the end zone to put Tech up 27-3 with 8:06 left in the second quarter. The Hokies held that 27-3 lead for the remainder of the half.
The Tech offense stalled for awhile, but they got things going on their second possession of the second half. Taylor hit Dyrell Roberts for a 41 yard gain on the first play of the drive, and the Hokies advanced the ball all the way to the Maryland four. However, Taylor’s third down pass to Danny Coale was incomplete, and Tech settled for a 21 yard field goal by Matt Waldron to make the score 30-3 with 3:08 left in the third quarter.
Maryland promptly went three and out on their next possession, and the Hokies took advantage once again. Ryan Williams broke free for a 28 yard run on the second play of the possession, and Tech marched it all the way to the 10. The drive stalled in the red zone for the second straight possession, and Matt Waldron came on for a 28 yard field goal which made the score 33-3 with 14:17 remaining in the game.
At that point, the game was practically over. Maryland got their only touchdown when Tyrod Taylor was sacked and stripped in his own end zone, and the Terps fell on the ball for the touchdown. The Terps went for a two point conversion, but it failed, and Tech still led 33-9. The Hokies later got another field goal from Matt Waldron, and they walked out of College park with a big 36-9 victory.
Virginia Tech did get some bad news on Saturday. As a result of Georgia Tech’s 49-10 blowout of Duke, the Yellow Jackets have clinched the ACC Coastal Division. VT will not be heading to a BCS Bowl this season.
The Hokies return to action next Saturday in Lane Stadium. The TV networks exercised their six-day option for this game, so kickoff time and TV coverage will be announced on Sunday.
STATISTICS
VT MD
---- ----
First downs 20 14
Rushed-yards 49-216 31-132
Passing yards 268 104
Sacked-yards lost 2-8 6-28
Return yards 162 123
Passes 13-23-0 12-32-0
Punts 4-38.8 9-44
Fumbles-lost 2-1 1-0
Penalties-yards 5-55 1-5
Time of possession 33:42 26:18
Att: 51,514
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING-Virginia Tech, Williams 23-126, Taylor 8-81, Wilson 6-19,
Oglesby 8-1, Roberts 1-(-5), TEAM 3-(-6).
MD, Robinson 24-129, Meggett 4-4, Campbell 1-3, Porzel 2-(-4).
PASSING-Virginia Tech, Taylor 13-23-268-0.
MD, Robinson 12-32-104-0.
RECEIVING-Virginia Tech, Boykin 3-118, Roberts 3-78, Coale 2-23,
Wheeler 1-6, Davis 1-15, Boone 1-11, Williams 1-4, Smith 1-3.
MD, Smith 4-55, Jackson 2-12, Dorsey 1-13, Cannon 1-12, Watson 1-7,
Williams 1-5, Galt 1-3, Douglas 1-(-3).
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