PLUS: Ryan Williams comes back in style
He had three yards on his first four carries, and ESPN analyst Lou Holtz was saying he was running tentative after his late fumble cost the Hokies in their 20-17 loss to UNC last week.
Williams promptly busted off a 46-yard, three-broken-tackle run, and ended the night with a career-high 179 yards on 26 carries.
Williams now has 1,109 rushing yards in 2009. The Virginia Tech school season record for freshman rushing yards is 1,265 set by Darren Evans in 2008. Williams has at least three and as many as five games to break that mark.
PLUS: Cody Grimm
All you need to say.
Grimm, redshirt senior, had 12 tackles, and a tackle-forced fumble-fumble recovery trifecta on a second-quarter play involving ECU tight end Rob Kass at the Tech 25 to stop a possible Pirate scoring drive.
The forced fumble was Grimm’s fourth of 2009. He leads the ACC in the category.
EVEN: Tyrod Taylor
His numbers were pedestrian – 17-of-30 for 137 yards passing, 11 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown rushing. He fumbled heading into the end zone in the second quarter, and nearly repeated that trick on his scoring run in the third.
But he won. Can’t be too upset about that result.
– Column by Chris Graham