Tech still targeting a 10-win-season

BLACKSBURG — It was a day to celebrate the past and future of Virginia Tech football.

Seniors like linebacker Cody Grimm and cornerback Stephan Virgil had their shining moments in the 16th-ranked Hokies’ 38-10 victory over N.C. State on Saturday at Lane Stadium, as did stars of tomorrow like tailback Ryan Williams and wide receiver Jarrett Boykin.

Records were broken and career bests were established, all in the name of continuing Tech’s goal of finishing the 2009 season on a high note.

“It all starts with the seniors. There are some great players there,” Tech coach Frank Beamer said. “We think we’ve got some good young ones coming along, but when you start talking about the guys we’ve got to replace there ... that’s going to be tough.”

The Hokies’ aspirations of winning 10 games and making the best possible non-BCS bowl are still alive thanks to a very convincing performance against the Wolfpack (4-7, 1-6 ACC).

Tech (8-3, 5-2) closes out the regular season at in-state rival Virginia next week before finding out its bowl fate.

“Those 10 wins are still in sight. We’ve got a big one here next week with Virginia,” Beamer said. “Certainly, that’s going to be what we look to right now, but for this team to keep improving and playing with effort and playing with discipline after they had a tremendous disappointment four of five games ago says a lot about them.”

Grimm, who was honored along with 20 other seniors in a pregame Senior Day ceremony, had a career day with eight tackles, two sacks and an NCAA FBS record-tying three forced fumbles. The three fumbles came on N.C. State’s first four plays, painting a clear picture of what was in store for the underdog Wolfpack.

The Hokies recovered two of those fumbles, turning both into points.

“It was more a case of getting kind of lucky. ... But I’ll take it,” Grimm said.

Virgil, who was full of joy after the birth of his son Zyon Raheim Virgil on Friday, recovered the second of Grimm’s fumbles to set up the Hokies’ first touchdown. He also forced a third-quarter fumble that was recovered by teammate Davon Morgan.

“This being my last game in Lane Stadium, I wanted to make it the best game to remember for my college career,” Virgil said.

Williams and Boykin also had banner games. Williams rushed for 120 yards and tied a Hokies’ record with four touchdowns. He set a new ACC and Tech freshman rushing mark in the second quarter, passing teammate Darren Evans, who rushed for 1,265 yards last season.

Williams, who increased his season rushing total to 1,355 yards, now holds the Tech freshman records for rushing yards, rushing touchdowns (15), total touchdowns (16) and 100-yard games (eight).

His first three touchdowns were of the short-yardage variety, but he added another clip to his highlight reel in the third quarter when he dragged N.C. State safety Earl Wolff, who was hanging onto Williams’ jersey, the final 12 yards before diving inside the left pylon to complete a 19-yard touchdown run.

It was sweet vindication for Williams, who felt he missed out on two potential big scoring runs the previous two weeks against East Carolina and Maryland when he was tripped up by the last line of defense.

“I was pretty mad about ECU, because that would have been a pretty highlight if I would have made that one,” Williams said. “The Maryland one would have been good, too.”

Williams said Wolff hanging on his jersey wasn’t much of a deterrent. It was nuisance more than anything.

“I just felt resistance. I really don’t know how he looked, but with me bringing my momentum, I really don’t think he was back there pulling. I think he was just riding along,” Williams said. “It was annoying, it really was. I’m just glad I got into the end zone.”

While Williams has established himself as the Hokies’ big-play runner, Boykin is coming on as the team’s gamebreaking wide receiver.

The sophomore had six catches for a career-high 164 yards and a touchdown against the Wolfpack. In addition to his 38-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter, which gave Tech its final margin of victory, Boykin had receptions of 42, 35 and 26 yards.

Two of his catches converted critical third downs during touchdown drives.

“A lot of third-and-longs have come my way, so I just play fast and go get down field and get ready for the ball,” said Boykin, who has nine catches for 282 yards and two touchdowns in his last two games.

There were a lot of smiling faces after the victory, which clinched a winning ACC record for the Hokies for the sixth time in their six seasons as members of the conference.

Tech’s players feel they’re back on the right track after losing consecutive ACC games against Georgia Tech and North Carolina in late October.

They’ve won three straight since that losing skid, and done so in convincing fashion. In those wins, they’ve averaged 420 yards of offense and limited their opponents to an average of only 256.

“That was the mindset, not to go in the tank after we lost two games,” said Hokies quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who passed for 197 yards and a touchdown. “No disrespect to those teams that did beat us, but we felt that we beat ourselves.

“We just wanted to come out here and bounce back strong and put up points and show people that we are one of the top teams in the ACC.”