ATLANTA — Virginia Tech regained momentum in the final seconds of the first half in Thursday night’s Chick-fil-A Bowl, and the Hokies rode the legs of their star first-year tailback to pad their lead in the third quarter.
Ryan Williams, one of the five most prolific freshman runners in major college football history, ran seven times for 78 yards on the eight-play touchdown drive that gave Virginia Tech a 24-14 lead.
The 5-foot-10 Williams wiggled and powered his way past 1,600 rushing yards for the season on that crucial possession. He finished the game with 117 yards on 25 carries after he was helped off the field with 3:00 left in the third quarter.
Backup Josh Oglesby was no slouch, either, picking up 18 yards on the first two plays after Williams left the field. Those were Oglesby’s first two carries in the game, and he finished with 34 yards on eight carries.
Virginia Tech outgained the Vols 439-244 in total offense, and the Hokies had balance. They had 229 yards on the ground and 210 yards through the air.
Vols start slowly
One slip from a Virginia Tech cornerback, one fast wide receiver and one nice throw ignited Tennessee’s offense early in the second quarter, and the Vols sorely needed all three factors to overcome a woeful 15-minute start.
Senior quarterback Jonathan Crompton’s 40-yard dart to junior receiver Denarius Moore more than tripled UT’s 13 yards of first-quarter offense.
Crompton recovered from the poor start — which included an interception thrown nowhere near any teammate — to complete 6 of 10 first-half passes for 121 yards and a touchdown that briefly tied with score with 18 seconds left in the second quarter.
Moore added a 2-yard scoring catch late in the first half.
Stocker shortage
Vols tight end Luke Stocker, a monthlong concern for Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster, didn’t catch a pass in the first half.
The 6-foot-6 Stocker quickly emerged in the second half, though, catching an 8-yard pass on the second play from scrimmage. Crompton looked for Stocker again moments later on third down but threw behind him for an incomplete pass.
Stocker added an 11-yard reception for a first down midway through the third quarter.
Despite putting up strong stats this season, Stocker said has not made any decision about entering the NFL draft this year.
“I’m not sure about anything like that yet,” Stocker said. “Let’s talk about that when we get back to Knoxville.”
Closing Vols notes
Vols redshirt freshman middle linebacker Herman Lathers had an impressive first half, collecting seven tackles — two behind the line of scrimmage. Senior weakside linebacker Rico McCoy left with an injured wrist early in the first quarter, but he returned from the locker room and played in the second quarter.
Vols senior tailback Montario Hardesty had a 47-yard catch in the first half, but the Hokies stifled him on the ground. Hardesty totaled just 21 yards on 11 first-half carries. None of his first-half runs went longer than 5 yards, and he was stuffed for a loss several times.
UT sophomore tailback Tauren Poole made a rare offensive appearance midway through the third quarter, taking three runs 5, 8, and 2 yards. Poole was the target of an incomplete screen pass on a third-and-15 moments later.
The Vols were penalized just twice for a total of 18 yards through three quarters, but both infractions were costly facemasks that gave Virginia Tech automatic first downs.
Closing Hokies notes
Not surprisingly, Virginia Tech lost the coin toss Thursday night. The Hokies lost their first 10 this season as well.
Tyrod Taylor’s 63-yard bomb to Jarrett Boykins late in the second quarter gave him 156 yards on just eight first-half completions. Sophomore flanker Danny Coale also burned the Vols with a downfield route in the first half, corralling a 42-yard pass from Taylor inside the UT 10-yard line.
Virginia Tech controlled the ball for nearly 17 of the game’s first 30 minutes, clocking in at the break with 16:49 of possession.
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