Thanks to the footwork of Tyrod Taylor, No. 13 Virginia Tech – with an anemic offensive display in the second half – pulled out a 16-15 victory over No. 19 Nebraska. 

This was a game which both teams needed to win – albeit for different reasons.

The Hokies lost the college football season opener to Alabama, 34-24.  They bounced back with a feel-good win against an over-matchedMarshall team, racking up over 400 yards rushing in the process.  So, Virginia Tech was still on the hunt for a meaningful non-conference victory over a ranked opponent.  And with the hot Miami Hurricanes coming to town next Saturday, the Hokies needed to gain some momentum of their own.

The Cornhuskers beat up on their first two opponents (Florida Atlantic, Arkansas State) by a combined score of 87-12.  Their next game contest is with Louisiana-Lafayette, so today’s game in Blacksburg was undoubtedly the highlight of Nebraska’s non-conference schedule.  This game was the Huskers only chance to make some noise outside of the Big 12.

Ron Helu, Jr. rushed for 169 yards on 28 carries on Saturday.

The game started with a bang.  VT sophomore Dyrell Roberts returned the opening kickoff 76 yards, to the Nebraska 24.  The Hokies were able to push the ball into the end zone.  After this drive, Tech’s offense was totally inept for the remainder of the game (except for the last minute of the 4th quarter). 

Nebraska put together consistent drives – but their major weakness (and the reason that they lost the game) was their inability to punch the ball into the end-zone.  On 6 drives were they got into the red zone, NU ended up with 5 field goals.  Ironically, if Nebraska could have just converted another field goal (on that 6th trip into the red zone) it would have been enough to at least guarantee them a tie – and more than likely would have given them the victory.  But a touchdown would have cut out any last minute hopes for the team from Blacksburg.

Trailing 15-10 with about 4 minutes to go in the final quarter, Virginia Tech had a drive stalled on downs by an incomplete (but catchable) pass on a 4thand 9.  But with all three of its timeouts still in its possession, the Hokies were able to regain the football after a 3-and-out by the Huskers. 

After two ineffective plays and with a little under two minutes remaining on the game clock, Tyrod Taylor was able to make the game’s decisive play.  With good protection, Taylor was surveying the field for an open receiver.  He used his fancy footwork to by just enough time to uncork a long bomb down the right sideline to Danny Coale, who had worked himself free behind the Husker defense.

Coale was knocked out of bounds at the Nebraska 3-yard line.  Three plays later, T-Mobile (Tyrod’s fitting nickname) again scrambled left and back across the field to his right before locating Dyrell Roberts for an 11-yard touchdown connection.  With less than half a minute on the clock, this proved to be the game-winner by putting the home team up 16-15.

Here’s Tyrod’s comments on his plays:

“It comes natural to me. When you’re a quarterback who can run, you try to buy time. My first year, I was buying time just to run, but now I’m buying time to find a receiver. Danny and Dyrell both made great plays.”

Aside from those two game-changing plays, the Virginia Tech offense played a nightmarish game.  The Huskers outgained them on the ground 207 to 86.  Tech’s passing game was far from spectacular, totaling only 100 yards prior to their last possession.

This was a game in which Virginia Tech has absolutely no momentum – the Cornhuskerswere totally controlling the flow of the contest.  But in the end, Nebraska’s inability to fully capitalize on the numerous opportunities was what doomed them.  Couple that with the playmaking ability that T-Mobile has, and you get a game that can turn at any moment.

Then, you add in the confidence that Taylor has in himself – and you’ve got the recipe for a big play waiting to happen.

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