Va. Tech a Victory Away From ACC Title
Posted By Paul on November 28, 2004
Despite what a certain [url=http://www.byron-harvey.com/]overly opinionated pastor[/url] (and best friend) may think, Va Tech yesterday proved yet again who the real football power is in the state of Virginia. Go Hokies!
Va. Tech a Victory Away From ACC Title
[quote]BLACKSBURG, Va. - Bryan Randall is wrapping up his college career in style, putting Virginia Tech on the verge of an unexpected championship. Randall threw two second-half touchdown passes, and the 11th-ranked Hokies moved one victory from an Atlantic Coast Conference title with a 24-10 victory over No. 16 Virginia on Saturday.
“The stakes just keep getting bigger,” Randall said after leading the Hokies to their seventh consecutive win and ninth in 10 games.
The Hokies (9-2, 6-1) can win the league title — and a Bowl Championship Series berth — by winning next week at No. 9 Miami, the team that moved from the Big East to the ACC with Virginia Tech this season.
“To do down to Miami and get a win and the whole championship outright by ourselves in the first year, it would be phenomenal,” Randall said.
“It would mean a lot to our whole team, the coaches, the program,” said Randall, one of 19 seniors honored Saturday. “It would make people respect us. I think we’ve gained a lot of respect for what we’ve done.”
The Hokies, picked to finish as low as eighth in the ACC this year, have done it by returning to the style of football that lifted them into the national elite a decade ago, using hard-nosed defense, big-play special teams and an efficient offense to wear down their opponents.
And that senior quarterback has been a big part of it, too, mentoring a young receiving corps and playing the best football of his career.
“He plays his best when things look the worst,” coach Frank Beamer said. “There’s just something special about this kid. What a player.”
Randall finished 16-for-22 for 200 yards, and passed Don Strock to become the career yardage leader at Virginia Tech.
Strock ended his career with 6,009; Randall now has 6,061.
He eclipsed Strock with a 12-yard pass to Jeff King on second-and-12 with 10 minutes left.
Randall celebrated on the next play, finding Josh Hyman against Tony Franklin for the second time, this one for 32 yards and a 17-10 lead.
“I wanted to throw it up there and give Hyman a chance,” Randall said of the 5-foot-11 redshirt freshman, who stopped as Franklin ran by, then beat him to the end zone. “He made a play, just like on the other ball.”
Earlier, Randall and Hyman teamed on a 45-yard scoring pass. [/quote]
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