Virginia Tech offense silences the critics — for now

BLACKSBURG — No. 14 Virginia Tech certainly answered its critics Saturday with its 605-yard offensive breakout in a 52-10 win over Marshall at Lane Stadium.

Or did it?

“Probably not,” loquacious Tech running backs coach Billy Hite said. “We did something wrong. I tell you, we’re not as smart as those fans now.”

The Hokies normally modest offense put up some pretty obscene numbers, albeit against a Thundering Herd defense that had allowed an average of 417 yards over its last 37 games. The naysayers will certainly point that out.

But it’s worth noting that Tech hadn’t come close to those numbers in recent years, even against pedestrian opponents like Furman, Ohio and William & Mary.

And it showed much improvement over its 155-yard performance in last week’s loss to No. 4 Alabama.

“I think it was a great way to bounce back from the loss last week,” said quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who completed 9 of 16 passes for 161 yards. “We had a lot of big plays this week. We still could have done better things on offense. We just need to go back and watch film and get better.”

To put Saturday’s performance in context:

- The 605 total yards are tied for sixth-most by Tech in a single game and the most since 2001 (606 vs. Connecticut).

-  Tech rushed for 444 yards, including 165 and a touchdown from freshman tailback David Wilson and 164 and three scores from redshirt freshman tailback Ryan Williams. The team total is the third highest in Frank Beamer’s 23 seasons in Blacksburg and was only 56 yards shy of tying the school’s all-time high.

Moreover, it was the Hokies’ highest rushing total since 1995 (453 vs. Akron).

-  Saturday marked the first time two Tech players rushed for 160 yards in the same game.

-  There was some concern outside the program after last week’s loss that Taylor was reluctant to run as much as he had in the past. Not so. He had 58 yards on seven rushes Saturday, including a 46-yard scramble in the first quarter.

-  Taylor also passed for two touchdowns, matching his 2008 season total. It was only the second multi-touchdown passing game of his career.

-  The Hokies had 10 offensive plays that covered 20 or more yards, including touchdowns of 57, 36, 28 and 21 yards. They had only one offensive touchdown of 20 or more yards last season (Taylor’s 27-yard pass to tight end Greg Boone against Western Kentucky).

So sure, there will be some who insist Saturday’s numbers were only a function of playing an inferior defense, but considering Tech gained 400 or more yards only six times in its previous 44 games, there’s reason to be encouraged.