There are plenty of ways to quantify junior quarterback Tyrod Taylor’s progress in his first complete season as Virginia Tech’s starter—probably the Hokies’ most important story line this fall and next.

At times, Virginia Tech looked sloppy, failing to cash in scoring opportunities. At times, it looked fortunate, when East Carolina did the same.

GREENVILLE, N.C. Arrrgggh, matey, the Virginia Tech Hokies needed this one. They needed to avoid losing three games in a row. They needed to pay the East Carolina Pirates back for last year’s season-opening loss/embarrassment. They needed to do something to quiet the “Arrrgggh, matey” recording that came from the scoreboard whenever the Hokies faced a third-and-long.

BLACKSBURG—Virginia Tech’s to-do list for the season’s final month looked pretty simple earlier this week: win its four remaining ACC games and hope Georgia Tech lost to Wake Forest or Duke. Now, after the Hokies lost 20-17 on Thursday to North Carolina, the rest of their year seems riddled with uncertainty. What will it take for them to make the ACC championship game? The short explanation: a lot.

Virginia Tech gets its only open date this week, and it comes at a perfect time for the Hokies, whose first seven games were among the most challenging in college football. They almost made it through that gantlet with their national championship hopes intact. But Saturday’s 28-23 loss at Georgia Tech knocked them out of that race and dropped them to 5-2 (3-1 ACC). Though they remain in contention for their third consecutive ACC championship and Orange Bowl appearance, their final five games—which seem easier than the first seven—will determine their fate.

The chase is smaller now. Instead of winning out and hoping a one-loss season would be enough to land in the national championship game, Virginia Tech must downsize its goals after Saturday’s 28-23 loss at Georgia Tech. From No. 4 in The Associated Press poll, the Hokies fell to No. 15 yesterday. They rated as No. 14 in the BCS standings. Now, the best Tech can do—barring absurd collapses by every national-title contender—is win the ACC for the third straight year and play in the Orange Bowl.

BLACKSBURG—Almost everything went right last week for Virginia Tech’s offensive line. First, the Hokies rushed for 235 yards in a 48-14 home win over Boston College—a performance that earned all five of their linemen winning grades for the first time this season. Then, about two hours after the game, senior left guard Sergio Render shot his first deer of the hunting season.

For the past few weeks, Virginia Tech’s offensive staff focused on completing long passes, something that quarterbacks coach Mike O’Cain said has “kind of been our nemesis.“ Last season, quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw 173 passes and completed 99, but just 11 for 20 yards or longer. His longest pass covered 40 yards. He never threw for more than 171 yards in a game.

The winning team left Wallace Wade Stadium yesterday and walked the length of a practice field to reach its locker room, as all visiting squads at Duke do. The players and coaches proceeded mostly in silence. Some made small talk. None shouted or screamed, hooted or hollered. None sprinted toward the locker room to celebrate the victory. If they weren’t wearing uniforms, they could have been mistaken for a team that just finished a routine Wednesday practice.

Three keys for Virginia Tech 1Flex passing muscles. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor is completing just 47.2 percent of his passes, compared to 57.2 last year. Tech’s passing game has looked impressive at points. There was Taylor’s 81-yard throw to Danny Coale against Nebraska, which sparked a last-minute, game-winning touchdown drive. There was the 48-yard Taylor-to-Jarrett Boykin touchdown last week against Miami. But Tech’s passing needs more consistency. Boykin leads the Hokies with 10 catches. Coale has five. 2Make another statement. The Hokies were motivated last week to show the nation that they were just as good as Miami, despite all the buzz surrounding the Hurricanes’ potential resurgence. Now, they have to show pollsters they can dominate the teams they are supposed to dominate—such as Duke. A third of the way through an erratic season, it’s too soon to speculate on Tech’s chances of playing for the national championship. But in addition to winning their final eight games and rooting for losses elsewhere around the country, the sixth-ranked Hokies must impress the people who can send them to The Big Game. 3Give Ryan Williams a breather. Tech’s redshirt freshman tailback was credited with 34 carries last week, but actually carried 36 times (two were called back because of penalties). The Hokies need Williams to be fresh for next week’s home game against Boston College and a crucial road game Oct. 17 against Georgia Tech, after which they get an off week.

BLACKSBURG—Tyrod Taylor waved his arms up and down, then cupped his right hand to the ear hole of his helmet, turning his head toward the fans behind Virginia Tech’s bench. Their ponchos were soaked, yet they roared obediently one more time last night, their shivering screams rising through the rain.

Everybody wanted a piece of him. Fans who rushed the field patted him on the shoulder pads. The ABC television crew grabbed him for an interview. Two passes, among the most memorable plays in Virginia Tech football history, ensured quarterback Tyrod Taylor would leave Lane Stadium yesterday not as the leader of the Hokies’ inept offense but as the icon for one of their greatest comeback wins ever—a 16-15 victory over Nebraska.

BLACKSBURG The Virginia Tech Hokies were out of offense, out of timeouts and, seemingly, out of hope. “When you’ve got a Tyrod, you’ve always got a chance,“ said Hokies coach Frank Beamer. Yes, but it looked like the Hokies had blown their last, best chance with 2:07 left in the game. Needing nine yards on fourth down, the pass of Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor hit wide receiver Dyrell Roberts in the hands, and the ball fell harmlessly to the ground.

BLACKSBURG—Virginia Tech’s offense prepared to jog onto the field one final time last night. Looking down from his booth at Lane Stadium, Hokies offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring spoke to the coaching staff through his radio headset. “We’ve got a one-shot deal here,“ he said. Even he knew the odds were slim. Down five points to Nebraska with 1:44 left in the game, the Hokies lined up at their 12-yard line having gained 58 yards and two first downs in the second half. They had no timeouts.

Yesterday morning, Tyrod Taylor and Ryan Williams sat next to each other in Virginia Tech’s offensive meeting as the Hokies reviewed their plan one last time before playing Marshall. The game held redemptive potential for Tech, whose season began a week earlier with a deflating loss to Alabama, in which the Hokies gained just 155 yards. Their offense desperately needed to produce more yesterday, and few people knew that better than Taylor, their starting quarterback.