Taylor nearly sparked Hokies to great comeback

LANDOVER, Md. — No. 3 Boise State practically dared quarterback Tyrod Taylor to rally No. 10 Virginia Tech to victory, and he almost did.

The Broncos didn’t want to get beat by the Hokies’ talented trio of running backs, so they did everything in their power to slow those guys down in Monday night’s showdown at FedEx Field. On many occasions, BSU used its safeties to help stop the run, which provided Taylor more open looks at receivers.

Taylor made the most of his opportunities to pass, throwing for 186 yards and two touchdowns on 15 of 22 passing, but it still wasn’t enough to sink the Broncos. They came back to score a touchdown in the last 1:09 and pulled out a stunning 33-30 victory.

“It was kind of frustrating (to watch that final Boise State touchdown drive),” said Taylor, who was also Tech’s top rusher with 73 yards on 16 attempts. “I was just hoping to get on the field with a little more time. The defense played their hearts out, got us the ball back when they could.

“The offense, early on in the game, (made) a couple mistakes. ... We just have to bounce back and learn from those mistakes.”

If his performance in the opener is any indication, Taylor is headed for a strong senior season as the Hokies’ quarterback.

He was in control of Tech’s offense — though he did take responsibility for the missed communication in the first quarter that resulted in a fumbled snap and turnover on the game’s second play — and nearly led the Hokies (0-1) to their first win over an Associated Press top five team since 2003.

In the end, the 17-0 deficit Boise State built in the first quarter was too much to overcome, but Taylor certainly wasn’t afraid to try. He had to with the way the Broncos were dead set on stopping the run.

“I kind of figured that Boise would want to stop the run,” said Hokies tailback Ryan Williams, who scored three touchdowns and accounted for 62 total yards. “So with them being as physical as they were up front, they were able to penetrate. There were a lot of times I got the ball and had a defender right in my face.

“They did an excellent job, so it was kind of put on Tyrod’s shoulders to do something in this game.”

Taylor was up for the challenge. He flawlessly orchestrated a touchdown drive in the last minute of the first half to draw the Hokies to within 20-14. He scrambled for 18 yards on the first two plays of the possession and then completed a 7-yard slant to receiver Danny Coale and a 12-yard touchdown pass to Williams with 57 seconds left before halftime.

Then, Taylor led three scoring drives in the second half that had the Hokies on the cusp of their biggest comeback in at least the last quarter century.

Taylor was at his best during Tech’s five-play, 77-yard drive in the third quarter that culminated with his 28-yard scoring pass to wideout Jarrett Boykin, his favorite target on the night with six catches for 102 yards and a touchdown.

The Broncos had just scored on a 71-yard D.J. Harper run to retake the lead, 26-21, but Taylor wasn’t done.

He opened the drive with a 29-yard run, which was followed by a 15-yard pass interference call against Boise State on the next play.

Later in the possession, on fourth-and-5 from BSU’s 28-yard line, Taylor connected with Boykin near the left sideline. Broncos corner Brandyn Thompson misplayed the ball while trying to make an interception, and Boykin had open field the rest of the way for the touchdown.

Taylor’s scoring pass to Boykin — the 2-point conversion attempt failed — made it 27-26 with 2:40 left in the third, and then senior Chris Hazley kicked a 34-yard field goal to increase the Hokies’ lead to 30-26.

Tech held that lead late in the fourth quarter before Boise State embarked on a 45-second touchdown drive that sank the Hokies’ comeback chances.

Broncos quarterback Kellen Moore completed four of his five pass attempts during the drive, and a 15-yard late hit penalty against Tech linebacker Bruce Taylor — after a 14-yard pass play from Moore to wide receiver Austin Pettis — moved BSU even closer to paydirt.

With 1:09 left, Moore hooked up with Pettis on the game-winning 13-yard touchdown pass, channeling former Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, who led a similar late-game comeback against the Hokies back in 2007.

“They were just the better man,” Tech cornerback Rashad Carmichael said. “We didn’t lose. Time just ran out. That’s how I look at it.”

Taylor had one more chance to lead Tech to victory, but the Hokies couldn’t get it done. Taylor’s deep pass to Boykin near the left sideline fell through the receiver’s arms. Both Boykin and Taylor felt contact was made on the play, but the official didn’t throw the flag.

“There was a lot of contact,” Taylor said. “I think it was pass interference. I saw (Boykin breaking downfield) late, tried to get the ball to him, just tried to get it around him. He has great hands, so anything around him, he gets his hands on it.”

There were some calls that could have gone either way during the last drive, but the Hokies didn’t want to blame the officials for the loss.

Tech lost the game in the first quarter when it lost a fumble, had a punt blocked and fell behind 17-0.

“It was an opportunity missed, but I believe we beat ourselves,” Taylor said. “It wasn’t anything they did to beat us. I strongly believe that. We just gotta correct those mistakes.”

But even with the deficit, and BSU’s concerted effort to stop running backs Williams, Darren Evans and David Wilson — who combined for 58 yards on 25 carries — Taylor almost led the Hokies to the comeback win.

It was a disappointing loss, but the way Tech came back gives the players and coaches hope for what could be a great season.

“I firmly believe we are going to be a good football team,” Tech coach Frank Beamer said. “We weren’t a great football team (Monday night) — we made some critical mistakes — but I firmly believe we’re going to be a great football team.”