Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV

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September 26, 2007

Hokies hoping to find rhythm against ACC foe North Carolina

By LARRY EDENS

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Entering this weekend’s football game against North Carolina, Virginia Tech sports a 3-1 record and is riding a two-game win streak.

During those four games, they have experienced a lackluster win and lopsided loss under one quarterback and, after a quarterback change, two lopsided wins under another. Their much-heralded defense has looked more formidable in the last two games than it did versus LSU in a 48-7 rout.

In spite of being ranked 17th nationally in the Associated Press poll and their positive transformations on both sides of the ball, its season still hasn’t really begun.

It begins in earnest on Saturday when Atlantic Coast Conference league play commences. In a teleconference call on Monday, head coach Frank Beamer stressed continued improvement as the key for his football team.

"It’s on to the conference games and certainly a critical game against North Carolina," Beamer said. "We are where we are. Our kids are practicing hard, playing hard, and giving good effort. We hope to make more improvements and be a better football team this weekend."

Against William and Mary last Saturday, freshman quarterback Tyrod Taylor saw limited duty after the offense and Beamerball produced a 34-0 lead only one minute into the second quarter. Although Beamer was pleased to see his team strike early and often, he knew the consequences of a blowout win.

"There’s no question that the more snaps and quarters of play that Tyrod gets, the better he will get," said Beamer. "Things are happening fast for him while he’s in there and it’s certainly a learning experience."

The prospect for that same kind of scenario playing out against the Tar Heels is good. They are currently 1-3 with one loss in the Atlantic Coast Conference. In their last game against South Florida, they gave up 428 total yards and 37 points to a team that entered the Top 25 for the first time ever.

Of those yards, 194 came on the ground while North Carolina managed just 79 yards rushing. They weren’t much better through the air, netting only 85 yards with four interceptions. They trailed after one quarter, 14-0.

Meanwhile, Virginia Tech has improved its rush defense since allowing 297 against LSU. They have given up only 43 yards rushing on 64 attempts over the last two games. On the offensive side of the ball, they have tripled their rushing yards output from 104 in their first two games to 314 in their last two.

Their pass defense has yielded an average of 188 yards per game and only two touchdowns, both by LSU. Through the air, Virginia Tech is covering an average of 192 yards-per-game while netting 11.6 yards-per-catch. They have only two touchdown passes.

Despite the numbers turning in Virginia Tech’s favor, Beamer expects nothing less than a close game each and every week an ACC foe is across the way.

"I think the ACC overall is just a very balanced league. The games for the most part have been tight through the fourth quarter, but it remains to be seen if a dominant team comes out of our league,” Beamer said. “There are a lot of really good football teams in our league right now — that’s the way I see it."

Kickoff for Saturday’s game is 12:10 p.m. and it is scheduled to be televised by Lincoln Financial Network/Raycom.

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