It's Homecoming weekend in Blacksburg, and the 20th-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies will try to make quick work of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.
Since opening the season with a loss to formerly ranked East Carolina, the Hokies have gone on to win four straight, including last week's gritty 35-30 win at Nebraska. Virginia Tech became just the fourth team ever to win a night game in Lincoln. "We play in front of a lot of people all the time,"
said running back Darren Evans, who piled up 72 rushing yards and two TDs. "We knew there were going to be a lot of people (there) and that it was going to be a sea of red and all that. I'm glad nobody got star-struck. We just went out and played hard and got it done."
The Hokies have won each of their last three contests by five points or less. This week's home bout is sandwiched between four road games for the Hokies, who are seeking a 30th consecutive home victory versus a non-league foe.
Meanwhile, the Hilltoppers continue to struggle as they transition into the Football Bowl Subdivision. They've beaten FCS schools Eastern Kentucky and Murray State by a combined 87-22. But against FBS squads Indiana, Alabama and Kentucky, they've been outscored, 113-23. WKU was routed by Kentucky last weekend, 41-3.
This bout marks the first-ever meeting between Virginia Tech and Western Kentucky on the gridiron.
Against Kentucky, the Hilltoppers fell behind early and had no passing game to mount any kind of comeback. K.J. Black was sacked four times and completed only 3-of-10 passes for eight yards. The only real bright spot for the WKU offense was Bobby Rainey, who finished with 256 all-purpose yards (99 rushing, 157 return). The offense managed a mere eight first downs against the Wildcats and their top-ranked scoring defense. Black has split time under center with David Wolke, although the two have combined for just 729 yards and four touchdowns through the air this season. The team desperately needs someone to step up in the backfield and take some pressure off the quarterback. Coach David Elson is hopeful Rainey can be that guy. Quinterrance Cooper paces the receiving corps, albeit with a rather modest 10 catches for 151 yards.
In spite of the final score, the WKU defense was able to stymie the Kentucky offense for much of the first half. Kentucky led by only a 10-3 margin until late in the second quarter, when Derrick Locke scored on a 100-yard kick return. By the second half, though, Kentucky got rolling and the Hilltoppers had no answer. Wildcats quarterback Mike Hartline finished with rather pedestrian numbers -- 172 yards passing, one touchdown, and his first interception of the season. However, the Hilltoppers defense had trouble getting off the field in the second half, as Kentucky went on to convert 7- of-13 third downs. The Hilltoppers also allowed the Wildcats to pile up 216 rushing yards while averaging a robust 5.7 yards per carry. If those numbers don't shape up against the Hokies, it will be another long day for the WKU defense.
The VaTech offense had been out of sync for fairly large stretches this season. But the Hokies finally got it going against Nebraska, as they posted a season-high 377 yards of total offense. "We worked on the passing game all week and guys made catches all week,"
quarterback Tyrod Taylor said. "We had a chance to go out there and execute plays, and that's what we did."
For his part, Taylor completed 9-of-15 passes for 171 yards, while adding another 87 yards on the ground. In the previous three games combined, the sophomore quarterback had thrown for only 199 yards. Taylor is unbeaten in eight games as the starter at Virginia Tech, outlining his ability to make things happen when he needs to. But if there is one area coach Frank Beamer wants to see improve, it's finishing drives. The Hokies had to rely on four field goals from kicker Dustin Keys to escape Lincoln with a victory. Had they been able to punch it in the end zone more often, they wouldn't have had to sweat out the final moments.
Starting rover Davon Morgan was lost for the season with a torn ACL against Nebraska. It's a big loss for a Virginia Tech defense searching for some continuity, as Morgan had started all five games and had recorded 18 tackles and a fumble recovery. Coach Beamer likes his depth on that side of the ball, and he has confidence that other players will step up and make plays. One player he can turn to is cornerback Macho Harris, who came up with a big first-quarter interception against Nebraska that set up a touchdown. It was Harris' 11th career pick, and it came just minutes after Tech blocked a punt in the end zone. Under coach Beamer, the Hokies special teams are all but expected to come up with one or two big plays each week. Knowing just that, the WKU coaching staff devoted some extra time this week to special teams preparation.
