Tech pours it on Miami

BLACKSBURG — While it seemed like the rest of the world was falling in love again with the Miami Hurricanes, Virginia Tech’s football team rekindled an old flame with its relentless style of defense.

The 11th-ranked Hokies weren’t themselves defensively the first three weeks of the season, but they re-embraced their old ball-hawking identity in the pouring rain Saturday against the ninth-ranked Hurricanes.

Tech sacked Miami quarterback Jacory Harris three times, forced two turnovers and held the Hurricanes to 209 total yards (59 rushing) in a resounding 31-7 victory.

The defensive performance was a welcome sight for a unit that didn’t perform up to its own standards in the early season.

“We understand the tradition of the defense around here and how important it is to this team,” said senior rover Dorian Porch, who forced a fumble and recovered it deep in Miami territory in the first quarter to set up the Hokies’ first touchdown.

“Coach (Bud) Foster wears his emotions on his sleeve, and when he speaks, you can feel it. When he challenged us (this week), he set the fire inside us, and it just exploded from there.”

The Hokies (3-1, 1-0 ACC) should find themselves back in the top 10 this week after their first win over an Associated Press top 10 team since Oct. 26, 2006 (No. 10 Clemson in Blacksburg). They’re 2-5 in their last seven games against top 10 teams.

Tech harassed Harris from the opening whistle. It recorded three sacks and three hurries against a Miami team that had allowed only one sack and no hurries in its previous two games.

The pressure threw Harris off his rhythm, resulting in a pedestrian 9-for-25, 150-yard performance. He also had two turnovers that led to Tech touchdowns.

“If we can’t run the football and block those guys up front, our passing game isn’t going to go like it’s supposed to,” Hurricanes coach Randy Shannon said. “They were in their comfort zone.”

From the beginning, it seemed Harris and Miami’s offense didn’t have a chance against the Hokies’ determined defense.

Earlier in the week, Foster, Tech’s defensive coordinator, left a letter at every defensive player’s locker outlining all the ways they were coming up short. They had allowed three straight 100-yard rushers and were ranked 107th nationally against the run.

They were missing assignments and tackles, which contributed greatly to all the big plays they allowed.

“Coach Foster had been reiterating that all week, telling us we should be embarrassed by the way we had been performing,” said Hokies defensive end Jason Worilds, who had 1.5 sacks, two quarterback hurries and six tackles.

Those early-season defensive struggles didn’t show up against the Hurricanes (2-1, 2-1), who made a massive jump into the top 10 mainly because of what their offense did in embarrassing the defenses of FSU and Georgia Tech.

So while ESPN and the national media were showing much love to the resurgent ’Canes throughout the week, the Hokies’ defense was busy getting better in practice.

Tech’s offense also worked to improve from its 278-yard performance against Nebraska last Saturday. The Hokies made a miraculous comeback with a quick drive at the end of that game, but that just masked the problems the offense had throughout the game.

There was no need for a dramatic comeback this time.

Tech rolled up 370 yards of offense, 272 of which came on the ground. Williams rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns to increase his season totals to 492 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

Quarterback Tyrod Taylor completed 4 of 9 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown, and he rushed for 75 yards as well. He had plenty of protection up front from his line. It didn’t allow a sack the entire game, the first time that’s happened since Sept. 16, 2006 (Duke).

“The offense has been hiding for a little bit. We’ve been hiding,” said Williams, who also had two catches for 40 yards. “We wanted to pull it out when a lot of people weren’t expecting it, and that’s what we did today.”

Not to be outdone by the offense and defense, Tech’s special teams contributed a score in the second quarter when Jacob Sykes, who had played two special teams snaps all season before Saturday, blocked a punt and Matt Reidy ran it into the end zone for a touchdown.

Offense, defense and special teams — they all contributed to the Hokies biggest blowout of a top 10 team in school history, oddly enough matching their 31-7 drubbing of No. 2 Miami in 2003.

“The way we won together as a football team, with all areas contributing,” Tech coach Frank Beamer said, “I like that a lot.