Virginia Tech whips N.C. State 38-10

BLACKSBURG - Virginia Tech and its fans celebrated the past yesterday at a full Lane Stadium, cheering the contributions of the Hokies' seniors before and during a 38-10 win over North Carolina State.

One by one, they jogged out of the tunnel in the north end zone, listened to the applause and gave performances worthy of it: the undersized linebacker, a former walk-on, who became one of their best players; the free safety who struggled earlier this fall but is finishing well; the cornerback who battled a knee injury all season.

Tech's offense, meanwhile, offered reasons to anticipate the future: the sophomore wide receiver who catches almost every ball thrown his way, the redshirt freshman tailback who keeps one-upping himself, the junior quarterback who orchestrates it all.

The No. 16 Hokies (5-2 ACC, 8-3) still have two games to play - Saturday at Virginia and their to-be-determined bowl. But there was a degree of finality yesterday, as their past and future combined for their third consecutive win, following two straight losses to Georgia Tech and North Carolina that could have derailed their season. "That was the mindset, not to go in the tank after we lost two games," said junior quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

He did his part against the overmatched Wolfpack (1-6, 4-7), depleted by season-ending injuries to three defensive starters. Taylor completed 9 of 17 passes for 197 yards, including throws of 26, 35, 38 and 42 yards to sophomore receiver Jarrett Boykin.

Whether he was adjusting his route and snagging the ball as he fell (the 42-yarder) or making a diving catch in the end zone to finish a 97-yard drive (the 38-yarder), Boykin proved again, with six catches for 164 yards, that he is Tech's best receiver. Since Ernest Wilford set the single-game school record in 2002, with 279 yards, just one receiver has gained more yards in a game than Boykin did yesterday - Justin Harper, with 167 in 2007.

The day's most impressive play, though, came from redshirt freshman tailback Ryan Williams. His 19-yard touchdown run put Tech up 31-10 in the third quarter, and he earned those points. Safety Earl Wolff grabbed the back of his jersey near the 10-yard line. Williams kept running and dragged Wolff to the end zone, Wolff sliding along the sideline like a fallen water skier hanging on for dear life. As Williams chugged toward his fourth touchdown of the day and 15th of the season, he thought, "Why is this boy still on my jersey?"

"He was making me mad, because he was on my jersey," Williams said. "His grip was just like real tight. I thought he was just gonna let go, but he held on the whole time. I wanted him off of me."

Appropriately, the game began, shortly after the senior-day ceremony, with a stunning run of defensive plays by senior whip linebacker Cody Grimm, a 5-11, 205-pound overachiever whose journey from walk-on to leading tackler surprised even him. Grimm forced three fumbles in the game's first four plays. Tech recovered the first two inside N.C. State's 35 and converted them into a field goal and touchdown.

The first one, on the game's first play, served defensive coordinator Bud Foster's mission of keeping N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson, a skilled scrambler from Collegiate, in the pocket by rushing from the edges of the line. Wilson dropped back about 2 yards for a quick pass, rather than a regular 6-yard drop. "He was right in my path," Grimm said.

And off the Hokies went, with another stingy defensive effort. They have now allowed one touchdown in the past three games. In the fourth quarter, senior free safety Kam Chancellor intercepted Wilson, distancing himself from his rocky start this season. Senior cornerback Stephan Virgil, who hurt his left knee in the first game but is near 100 percent, scooped up Grimm's second forced fumble. Virgil caused one himself that Tech recovered in the third quarter.

On Friday, the day before everyone cheered what has now past, Virgil glimpsed his own future, when his second child was born - a boy named Zyon Raheim. "I wanted to make it the best game to remember of my college career here," he said. "That was good motivation for me to come out and play my best game."