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Stafford's Jake Johnson (36) helps bring down Miami's Javarris James yesterday.
Virginia Tech's Josh Porch (left) knocks the ball loose from Miami 's Jacory Harris in the first half. |
BLACKSBURG
--The extra tackling drills that Bud Foster required of his troops on Tuesday came in handy. A steady drizzle that bordered on downpours certainly helped bog down an explosive offensive team from the Sunshine State. But what most inspired Virginia Tech's defenders against Miami yesterday was a look at some ugly numbers--and a check
Through three games,
Don't think the Hokies weren't aware of--and embarrassed by--those figures.
"We challenged our kids," Foster said. "We're not used to missing tackles and mental errors. Those really cost us [in previous games]. That's not us."
The group that flustered, stifled and outmuscled the Hurricanes in a 31-7 romp looked a lot more like the Hokies envision themselves. It started with Miami's fifth offensive snap, when safety Dorian Porch blitzed through untouched, forced quarterback Jacory Harris to fumble, scooped it up and advanced to the 11.
Four plays later, Ryan Williams scored and the No. 11 Hokies led for good against a ninth-ranked Miami team that many talking heads were touting as a possible national championship contender.
"Miami is Miami, and they'll always be Miami," Porch said. "But we're Virginia Tech, and we haven't gone anywhere. It shows a lot about our guys, how we stuck together and responded to challenges."
Challenge met. The Hurricanes averaged 465 yards a game in victories over ranked opponents Florida State and Georgia Tech. Yesterday, the Hokies held them to 209 (just 59 on the ground).
Said Miami coach Randy Shannon: "They got ahead, and we couldn't block them."
Harris entered yesterday as the nation's third-ranked passer, having been sacked just once in two games. The Hokies dropped him three times, harassed him often and forced him into a miserable 9-for-25 day with two turnovers (a fumble and an interception).
"We just wanted to let him know we were around him," said Tech defensive end Jason Worilds, who had 1 sacks.
Oh, Harris knew.
"They played a wonderful game," he said. "Virginia Tech has a great defense, and every year they prove it."
The Hokies hadn't exactly been convincing for the first quarter of the season. After ranking no worse than seventh in total defense in each of the past five seasons (including No. 1 in 2005 and '06), they were 77th entering yesterday's game.
The quality of the opposition had something to do with it, but so did Tech's uncharacteristic deficiencies. Having two first-year starters at linebacker (Stafford's Jake Johnson and Barquell Rivers) didn't help. Even holding Nebraska out of the end zone last week didn't feel like much of an accomplishment.
"We feel like our defense was flying around, but we just weren't finishing plays," Porch said. "We knew we were better than that. We looked each other in the eyes and said: 'That's it. That's not Virginia Tech defense.'"
It's also not like the Hokies not to blitz, but their defense had been relatively vanilla through three weeks. Yesterday, Foster dialed up the pressure early and often, starting with Porch's sack of Harris.
"By far, it was the most we've blitzed this year," said linebacker Cody Grimm, who made a team-high 11 tackles. "It probably matched the total of the first three games."
By now, opposing play-callers have come to expect pressure from all angles from the Hokies. That's why quarterbacks have taken to "frosting" them--faking a snap count to see if a defender will tip off his assignment by rushing toward the line. Nebraska's Zac Lee did it often last week, and Harris did so yesterday.
It made life tougher on the Hokies--but they returned the favor in spades.
"Coach Foster always says, 'You've got to have the guts of a burglar,'" said Grimm, whose dad, Russ, knows a thing or two about blocking. "He's not afraid to bring blitzes from wherever we need them."
Suddenly, the Hokies look more like themselves. And for a day, at least, the Hurricane warning turned out to be a false alarm
Steve DeShazo: 540/374-5443
Email: sdeshazo@freelancestar.com
