2008 ORANGE BOWL GUIDE - HokieSports

BLACKSBURG — Virginia Tech
scored 20 unanswered points in
the fourth quarter to beat visiting
Florida State 40-21 and snap a
12-game losing streak against the
Seminoles.
Florida State
GAME 10
Fourth-Quarter Flurry Foils Florida State in 40-21 Victory
Tech jumped out to a 20-6
lead in the first half only to see FSU
score 15 third-quarter points for a
21-20 lead. Freshman quarterback
Tyrod Taylor returned to action for
the first time since the Duke game
Tyrod Taylor busted loose for 92 rushing yards and a touchdown against the ‘Noles.
Defensive end Chris Ellis heads into the end zone to score
on a 5-yard interception return in the fourth quarter.
and alternated with Sean Glennon
until Glennon was shaken up early
in the second quarter. Taylor rallied
Tech in the final quarter, giving
the Hokies’ the lead for good on a
3-yard touchdown run, then tossing
a successful two-point conversion
pass to Zach Luckett. Taylor also
had two TD passes during the first
half.
Florida State 6 0 15 0 — 21
Virginia Tech 6 14 0 20 — 40
FS (9:43 re 1st) - FG Cismesia 41
VT (8:16 re 1st) - Harper 31 pass from Taylor (kick failed)
FS (0:50 re 1st) - FG Cismesia 39
VT (12:29 re 2nd) - Morgan 5 pass from Taylor (Dunlevy kick)
VT (6:54 re 2nd) - Ore 2 run (Dunlevy kick)
FS (11:00 re 3rd) - FG Cismesia 50
FS (9:06 re 3rd) - Watson 40 interception return (pass failed)
FS (3:41 re 3rd) - Fagg 8 pass from Ponder (pass failed)
VT (10:10 re 4th) - Taylor 3 run (Luckett pass from Taylor)
VT (5:32 re 4th) - FG Dunlevy 22
VT (5:13 re 4th) - Ellis 5 interception return (Dunlevy kick)
VT (2:41 re 4th) - Team safety
Team Stats FS VT
First downs 13 17
Rushing yds. 28-116 54-188
Passing yds. 151 207
Return yds. 53 54
Passes 13-33-2 11-19-1
Punts-avg. 7-42.3 6-35.3
Fumbles-lost 2-1 3-0
Penalties-yds. 7-45 7-60
Time of poss. 25:16 34:44
Sacks by 2-2 0-0
Individual Leaders
Rushing — FS, Ponder
5-51, Gano 1-24, Holloway 4-16,
Smith 8-12, Weatherford 2-7,
2007 REVIEW
Defensive end Chris Ellis
sparked the defense, contributing
a 5-yard interception return for a
touchdown and seven quarterback
hurries. The defense also added a
safety to close out the scoring.
Tech piled up 395 yards in
the game, with Taylor accounting
for 204 through the air and 92 on
the ground.
Lane Stadium/Worsham Field • Blacksburg, Va.
Nov. 10, 2007 • Attendance: 66,233
Edwards 3-6, Parker 3-1, Ball
1-(-1), Richardson 1-(-1); VT,
Taylor 17-92, Ore 16-40, K. Lewis
11-37, Cheeseman 3-12, Glennon
4-10, Weatherford 1-0, Team
2-(-3).
Passing — FS, Ponder
8-18-2-105, Weatherford
5-15-0-46; VT, Taylor
10-15-1-204, Glennon 1-4-0-3.
Receiving — FS, Fagg
4-63, Carr 3-48, Ball 2-20, Smith
1-13, Shaw 1-4, Holloway 1-2,
Parker 1-1; VT, Harper 5-167, Ore
3-5, Boone 1-16, Hyman 1-14,
Morgan 1-5.
Hokies-Seminoles Game Notes
• Justin Harper had five pass receptions for a career-high 167 yards and
a touchdown. His yardage total was the fifth highest in Coach Frank
Beamer’s 21 seasons at Tech.
• The win marked Tech’s first win against Coach Bobby Bowden, who
entered the game with a 15-0 mark against the Hokies, including three
wins when he was the head coach at West Virginia.
• Defensive end Chris Ellis scored his second career touchdown during the
game on a 5-yard interception return. He also scored on an interception
return against Georgia Tech in 2005. That play covered 29 yards.
• Florida State’s Dekoda Watson intercepted a pass and returned it for a
touchdown. It was the first interception returned for a TD against Tech
since Oct. 2, 2004, when West Virginia’s Eric Wicks had a 34-yard return
for a score against the Hokies.
2007 VIRGINIA TECH FOOTBALL 65
2008 ORANGE BOWL GUIDE