Central Michigan .... 7 0 0 14 - 21 Virginia Tech ...... 7 17 7 14 - 45 Scoring Summary: 1st Quarter 09:15 CM - Harris 23 yd pass from Radcliff (Hogan kick) 08:33 VT - Taylor 72 yd run (Hazley kick) 2nd Quarter 13:33 VT - Evans 6 yd run (Hazley) 10:54 VT - Hazley 30 yd FG 07:11 VT - Smith 7 yd pass from Taylor (Hazley) 3rd Quarter 02:16 VT - Taylor 15 yd run (Hazley) 4th Quarter 14:15 VT - Wilson 68 yd run (Hazley) 10:45 CM - Harris 8 yd pass from Radcliff (Hogan) 04:55 VT - Hosley 80 yd punt return (Hazley) 01:22 CM - Poblah 19 yd pass from Radcliff (Hogan)
Blacksburg, VA – Virginia Tech got big plays from the offense and special teams in a 45-21 win over Central Michigan on Saturday afternoon. The Hokies are now 4-2 on the season, and still hold a 2-0 record in ACC play. Central Michigan dropped to 2-4 on the year with the loss.
Tyrod Taylor played an excellent all around game. He was 13-23 for 161 yards and a touchdown, and would have piled up even more yardage were it not for several key drops by his wide receivers. The Hokies ran a lot of option against the Chippewas, and Taylor made all the right decisions. He finished the game with nine carries for 127 yards and two touchdowns. It was his second consecutive 100 yard rushing game.
Tech’s tailbacks didn’t get a lot of work because Taylor had so much running room on the option plays. David Wilson had seven carries for 84 yards and a touchdown. He had a 68 yard touchdown run to the outside in the second half. Darren Evans had seven carries for 35 yards and a score, as well as one catch for 14 yards.
Only one Tech player caught more than one pass. That was Jarrett Boykin, who continued to look like a future NFL receiver on Saturday. The junior caught eight passes for 117 yards, and was easily the most reliable wideout for the Hokies. Andre Smith hauled in Tyrod Taylor’s only touchdown pass.
Overall, the Tech offense struggled thanks in part to the dropped passes. They finished with 394 yards, but 72 of that came on one Tyrod Taylor touchdown run, and 68 more came on David Wilson’s touchdown. The Hokies were 0-of-8 on third down conversions.
The Tech defense played well for the most part, but yielded too many big plays yet again. Central Michigan quarterback Ryan Radcliff was just 21-of-48, but he threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns. He also threw an interception to Davon Morgan when his arm was hit by Jeron Gouveia-Winslow, who was coming on a blitz from his whip position.
Central Michigan tailback Paris Cotton finished with 21 carries for 105 yards. Tech held Cotton in check for most of the day, but he broke off one 43 yard run that helped his average quite a bit.
Mike linebacker Bruce Taylor led the team with 12 tackles, including two tackles for loss and one pass broken up. Defensive end J.R. Collins had 1.5 sacks, the first sacks of his career. Defensive end James Gayle also added a sack for the Hokies.
The Tech defense dropped several interceptions in this game. Overall, the Hokies didn’t hold onto the ball very well on offense or defense.
Tech’s final score of the game was on an 80 yard punt return for a touchdown by Jayron Hosley. Hosley hasn’t had much success in the return game all season, but he finally broke loose against the Chippewas.
Recap
This game didn’t get off to the start the Hokies were hoping for. Central Michigan converted three third down plays to keep their first drive alive, and finally Ryan Radcliff hit Jerry Harris on a 23 yard corner route for the touchdown. The extra point was good, and Central Michigan led 7-0 just under six minutes into the game.
Tyrod Taylor struck quickly on Tech’s first possession. After completing a pass to the outside to Jarrett Boykin for six yards, the Hokies ran the option to the left. Taylor found room and kept the ball himself, and he outran the Chippewa defense for a 72 yard touchdown. The extra point was good, and the game was tied at seven.
Tech’s defense clamped down for the rest of the first half, but the offense had two three and outs in the first quarter. They finally got it together on their first drive of the second quarter with a six yard touchdown run by Darren Evans, but the drive was aided by two pass interference penalties on Central Michigan, as well as an offsides penalty. Tech led 14-7 with 13:33 remaining in the second quarter.
The Tech defense made a play on Central Michigan’s ensuing possession. Ryan Radcliff looked deep on second down, but he didn’t feel the rush coming from the backside from Jeron Gouveia-Winslow. Gouveia-Winslow arrived as soon as Radcliff released the ball, the pass sailed high in the air, and Davon Morgan easily got the interception and returned it to the Chippewa 18.
It was a golden opportunity to go up by two touchdowns, but the Tech offense failed to pick up a first down. They settled for a Chris Hazley 30 yard field goal and took a 17-7 lead with just over ten minutes remaining in the first half.
The Tech offense got it going on their next drive, which started at their own 37. Tyrod Taylor hit Jarrett Boykin for gains of 13 and 25 yards. The 25 yarder was a beautiful throw and catch on the right sideline. Taylor released the ball right before he stepped out of bounds, and Boykin managed to make the catch inbounds.
After an 11 yard run by Darren Evans, Taylor finished the drive by completing a seven yard touchdown strike to Andre Smith over the middle. It was Smith’s third touchdown catch of the season. The Hazley extra point made the score 24-7, and that score held up throughout the remainder of the first half.
The third quarter got off to a slow start for both teams, but the Hokies found some success late in the frame. Starting from their own 27, Tech went on a 73 yard scoring drive that culminated in another touchdown run from Tyrod Taylor.
The big play of the drive came on a 39 yard strike down the right sideline from Taylor to Boykin. Two defenders were in the area, but Taylor put it where only Boykin could catch it. That big play gave the Hokies the ball in Central Michigan territory, and two plays later Taylor ran it in from 15 yards out. Tech led 31-7 with 2:16 left in the third quarter.
The Hokies iced the game with their first drive of the fourth quarter. On the second play of the drive, Taylor handed off to David Wilson around the left side. Wilson broke one tackle and sprinted past the Central Michigan defense for a 68 yard touchdown run. Tech led 38-7, and that was all she wrote.
Central Michigan responded with a touchdown of their own, but Jayron Hosley countered with an 80 yard touchdown on a punt return that gave the Hokies a 45-14 lead with 4:55 left in the game.
The Chippewas got a late touchdown against the Tech backup defense after Tony Gregory fumbled while trying to run out the clock. Gregory fumbled on Tech’s 23, so Central Michigan had a very short field. Radcliff completed a 19 yard touchdown pass to Kito Poblah to cap the day’s scoring.
The Hokies will return to action next Saturday when they host Wake Forest. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30pm, and the game will be televised by ESPNU.
STATISTICS
VT CMU
---- ----
First downs 17 21
Rushed-yards 28-230 36-135
Passing yards 164 266
Sacked-yards lost 1-2 3-21
Return yards 135 110
Passes 14-25-0 21-48-1
Punts 7-49.3 9-43.6
Fumbles-lost 3-1 2-0
Penalties-yards 5-45 5-45
Time of possession 24:13 35:47
Att: 66,233
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING-Virginia Tech, Taylor 9-127, Wilson 7-84, Evans 7-35,
Gregory 3-3, Thomas 1-(-7).
CMU, Paris 21-105, Volny 2-21, Radcliff 10-10, Harris 1-1,
Tipton 2-(-2).
PASSING-Virginia Tech, Taylor 13-23-161-0, Thomas 1-2-3-0.
CMU, Radcliff 21-48-266-1.
RECEIVING-Virginia Tech, Boykin 8-117, Evans 1-14, Davis 1-12,
Coles 1-11, Smith 1-7, Roberts 1-4, Wilson 1-(-1).
CMU, Harris 5-101, Paris 4-39, Blackburn 2-43, Wilson 2-24,
Poblah 2-23, Fraser 2-19, Volny 2-7, Tipton 1-6, Reed 1-4.
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