Hokies Hold Off Huskers 35-30

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Fourth quarter rally falls short
Posted: 4:33 PM Sep 27, 2008
Last Updated: 9:02 PM Sep 28, 2008
Reporter: The Associated Press
Email Address: sixonline@wowt.com

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Darren Evans scored two touchdowns, Dustin Keys kicked four field goals and Virginia Tech held off Nebraska's comeback bid in the second half to win 35-30 Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.

The Hokies (4-1) have won four straight after losing their opener to East Carolina. The Huskers (3-1) lost a nonconference home game for only the third time since 1991.

"We didn't play well enough to win the football game against a pretty quality football team," said Nebraska coach Bo Pelini. "We needed to play better. We had the crowd on our side. It's about emotions, fundamentals. We had too many breakdowns."

The Huskers started their rally after trailing 28-10 in the final minute of the third quarter. Roy Helu scored from 12 yards out and Nate Swift ran back a punt 88 yards for a touchdown.

QB Tyrod Taylor scored from two yards out to give Virginia Tech a 35-23 lead with 2:28 left, but Joe Ganz led the Huskers 80 yards in :56, hitting Todd Peterson with a 17-yard touchdown pass to get the Huskers to within five.

Virginia Tech recovered the onside kick, but failed to run out the clock. The Huskers started their last possession at their own 10 with :25 left. Ganz hit Niles Paul for 21 yards and Peterson for 25 more, but cornerback Stephan Virgil knocked the ball loose and safety Dorian Porch recovered to secure the win for Virginia Tech.

"There are some good things about a team that battles and hangs in there and gives all the effort you ever want," Hokies coach Frank Beamer said. "We're a better football team than we were a couple of weeks ago. For as emotional as we were, I thought we played tough. It's just a great win for the ACC and for Virginia Tech."

Taylor, 8-0 as the Hokies' starting quarterback, rushed for 87 yards and completed 9-of-15 passes for 171 yards. Ganz was 17-of-26 for 278 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.

"We're growing up, but we still have a lot of growing up to do," Taylor said. "We like being the underdog because that gives us a chance to go out there and prove ourselves to people."

Virginia Tech got out to a quick 9-0 lead, marking the first time in seven games that the Hokies scored in the opening quarter. Virgil came up the gut untouched to block Dan Titchener's punt out of the end zone for a safety, making this the 16th straight year that Virginia Tech has blocked at least one.

"We just blew it," Pelini said. "We didn't lay a hand on the guy on the punt."

The Hokies added to their lead after Victor "Macho" Harris returned an interception to the Nebraska 11, setting up Evans' one-yard touchdown.

"It's never good to spot a team nine points, not a good team like this," said Swift.

The Huskers pulled to within 9-7 when Virginia Tech's secondary bit on a play-action fake and Ganz hit Mike McNeill for a 32-yard touchdown.

Virginia Tech was up 18-10 at half after Keys kicked field goals of 19, 38 and 27 yards on consecutive possessions and he added a 36-yarder to end the first series of the third quarter.

The Huskers feasted on Western Michigan, San Jose State and New Mexico State before facing a Virginia Tech team that started the season in the Top 25 and is poised to get back in the national rankings.

"It's not like we're playing New Mexico State," said Ganz. "These are some big boys, Virginia Tech. It's hard to move the ball against a great defense like that."

Pelini said the Huskers need a better effort next Saturday against Missouri in the Big 12 opener. "This game, you've got to let it go. It will help us if we learn from our mistakes. If we don't, we're going to be sitting here in a similar situation in the future."

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Posted by: Larry on Sep 30, 2008 at 08:31 PM
1st loss and all you HOMERS are blaming the referee's for making bad call's which costed the cornholers ther game. Gimme a break! Then there are the other HOMERS that are now saying the same thing they did with Callahan - "he will need 4-5 years to recruit his own players" before he can win a National Championship. Should actually be saying, we will give BO 4 years before we put him on the same train that was used to run Callahan out of town on!

Posted by: seth on Sep 30, 2008 at 10:07 AM
steve what are you talking about~!~ you must be higher than a kite because what i saw on saturday was heart and determination to win if calahan were still coach we wouldve got smoke 70-0 we only lost by 5 i would take a loss to a quality team like virginia tech than get blown out of the water like kansas did last year!!i see nebraska losing this week to missouri only by 3 or 7 and then going to texas tech and winning a shoot out with the red raiders i would say that would be very impressive to do what calahan NEVER did and that is to beat a BCS top 10 team for the first time in a 1st year coach!! I HAVE SPOKEN HUSKER NATION!!!(GO BIG RED!!!)

Posted by: Anonymous on Sep 29, 2008 at 11:23 PM
Way to go Hokies!

Posted by: STEVE on Sep 29, 2008 at 04:55 PM
Face it husker fans....Pelini is not head-coaching material. There's a big difference between middle management and CEO. Why do you think Osborne hasn't taken off his training wheels yet? The Dr. is still calling the shots behind the scenes, which is a recipe for disaster.

Posted by: Forever Red on Sep 29, 2008 at 04:20 PM
After the Callahan tornado came in and destroyed the Nebraska football landscape here, it will take time and a wonderful architect(with a vision)to rebuild. I believe it will happen, maybe not in the time frame we all want it to, but it will happen just the same. This is a state of people who appreciate hard work and effort and will back a team that puts forth the necessary work to became a nation power again. I believe every football player and coach down in Lincoln is working their butts off for this state. We need to show them we believe in them and are backing their efforts. Thanks guys for all your hard work--- WE ARE PROUD OF YOU!!!!

Posted by: Bluejay on Sep 29, 2008 at 03:57 PM
First quality opponsent and the first loss - I expect losses to Missouri, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado for a 6-6 record. The only school to play as weak of non-conference schedule as the Huskers was K-State. Maybe they will not be embarrassing blow-outs like last year, though.

Posted by: Terri on Sep 29, 2008 at 12:38 PM
If I were Frank Beemer, I would be more concerned that Nebraska came back from a huge deficit and almost beat them. The Huskers will be fine. What we don't need are a bunch of whiney fans. Get a grip! They only lost by 5 points. Bo did not lose the game for them. We could've made plenty of plays before he was penalized towards the end. I loved Saturdays game. The boys didn't give up! Can you imagine what it would've been like if Billy C and the boys were still here?

Posted by: Jim on Sep 29, 2008 at 11:57 AM
Hot head Bo has to go!

Posted by: seth on Sep 29, 2008 at 10:23 AM
i honestly think that there was some terrible officiating by the crew and the thought that thay were from the ACC just questions if they did it to give them the game that pure bull they should make it fair and have reffs come from a confrence like the (BIG TEN or BIG EAST or PAC TEN not the opposing teams officials!!!) I have spoken have a great day. (GO BIG RED!)

Posted by: Phil on Sep 29, 2008 at 12:21 AM
Pelini was showing his passion and desire. At least he wasn't calling the other teams fans a bunch of "Rednecks" like the previous coach. The whole team played with passion just like Pelini has been teaching them to play with. The only question I have is, "I thought the O-line was suppossed to be the strength of the team and the D-line the achilles heel. Why is the D-line the strength and the O-line the weakness"? We are not going to win ball games when we can't control the clock. That seems to be the top priority to fix. Get a lead and control the clock. HUSKER NATION prepare for a 4 or 5 loss year. We will go to a bowl game. We will recruit. We WILL be back on top. Be patient and we will reap the rewards of Pelini and the coaching staff he has assembled.

Posted by: MV on Sep 28, 2008 at 09:44 PM
Wouldn't it be nice if just ONCE the Nebraska Cornhuskers were on national television and did NOT embarrass us in front of the entire G.D. country? Its pathetic.

Posted by: True Test on Sep 28, 2008 at 08:59 PM
This season will weed out the fair weather fans. Man, some of you are just pathetic. It's year one of a rebuilding time from CALLAHAN! Chill out. We lost by FIVE!

Posted by: Will on Sep 28, 2008 at 02:05 PM
I agree, Bo has a bad temper and we have seen it before. Osborne better tell Coach to clean up his act because he did cost us the game with a 15 yrd penalty on top of another personal foul. But otherwise I do think we played the whole game and never quit. People have to understand its going to take 5 to 6 years before we see a top 5 rating in front of Nebraska in the polls

Posted by: tim on Sep 28, 2008 at 01:14 PM
The Huskers made be proud last nite! The Spirit of the Players and Coaches was awsome. I have faith in the program once again and they have my 100% backing.

Posted by: Anonymous on Sep 28, 2008 at 12:52 PM
HA HA HA!! And you thought Huskers were a good team?! I think not...there goes another season down the drain. I am laughing at all you Husker fans!

Posted by: Huskerfan on Sep 28, 2008 at 11:46 AM
This game was not as close as the score would suggest/ If their QB was even just a little better, we would have lost BIG. We are lucky they were kept to field goals several times. Bo 's temper is inexcusable. That was not THAT controrversial of a call. The announcers said anytime you fly out of of bounds and land on a receiver out of bounds you are going to get that call. And NE got away with Holds that were not called. It's all part of any game. The media in NE lets Pelini Bully and cop an attitude. Not one reporter pushed Pelini on his OWN behavior in the interview after the game. He acted like bratty player having a tantrum last nite and that is unacceptable. He is nowhere near the caliber Head Coaches of top teams and does not come close to the class act of Osborne. He cost NE alot more than yards last nite on National TV.

Posted by: Greg on Sep 28, 2008 at 11:21 AM
Another year with no bowl game is inevitable

Posted by: Kevin on Sep 28, 2008 at 11:03 AM
There is no doubt the Huskers will lose the next 2 games. If they work hard and correct some mistakes and play with heart like they did this game they will not get blown out and I would think everyone would be proud of them. It is going to take a couple more years to get them team up to a new level. So a little patience is in order.

Posted by: Kyle on Sep 28, 2008 at 10:56 AM
We will win some and lose some. It's college football and they are just kids. They did alright. Room for improvement sure, but we only lost by 5. VT won that game fair and square. Give'em time!!!

Posted by: Anonymous on Sep 28, 2008 at 10:47 AM
I believe if Bill was here, we may have won that game. I saw more creative plays on offense in Bill's tenure, than in this game. Very disappointed in both sides of the ball. Some people are just meant to be coordinators. I didn't like Bill that much, and although I liked Bo in 2003, this game and his interview style is rubbing me the wrong way.

Posted by: Logan on Sep 28, 2008 at 09:45 AM
Fire bo huh??? Do you think a callahan team wouldve held off in the red zone as many times as bo's team did? And isn't Bo playing with the callahan cronies? And isnt this his first year? Doesnt it take time to install a new system and work ethic? Wasn't that a bad call that was only called because VT was whining? Watch the tape. The flag wasnt out until 4 seconds after the play was over. That's is just a rule that needs to change. In VT defense...the roughing the kicker was a bad call and really should have been a running into the kicker. Horrible officials in my opinion. Made the game sloppier than it should been. The expression is shut up and let them play once in a while. Too many penalties. Anyhoo, in Bo's defense, he was just defending his players after that call because everyone in memorial stadium in husker red was upset with that call. But rules are rules and I guess it still was the right call but once again, I wish there were exceptions since no one I know can stop in mid air.

Posted by: Scott on Sep 28, 2008 at 09:32 AM
Ahhhh yes, fall is here. I can hear the distinct sound of all the long dormant fans beginning to dust off their coaching credentials, the pee wee league play calling guru's, the second team high school studs that still think they were screwed in the 80's and 90's and the rest of those with no real purpose starrrrting wo whine. Yup, I must still be in Nebraska...................

Posted by: Calvin on Sep 28, 2008 at 08:57 AM
I agree with Boliever that we give Bo the benefit of the doubt as he is working with Callahans recruits. The Nebrask secondary is particularly bad and Missouri will exploit miserably. My prediction Missouri 58 Nebraska 14. Nebraska gets the 14 because Missou has a few defensive holes.

Posted by: Dave on Sep 28, 2008 at 08:43 AM
This will take time-the tough part will be when they are 3-3 after 6 games-How they play in game seven(at Iowa State), will determine if they make a bowl this year-

Posted by: sooner fan on Sep 28, 2008 at 08:36 AM
Once again we see that execution, team work and extra effort are no longer the staple at Nebraska. The secondary is a joke and I doubt "Blackshirts" will come out for a long time. It's a good thing you have a great quaterback, a few quality player's and a great coach. Without them, you pretty much still suck for lack of a better word. What a disgrace to Bob and Tom and the rest of the state. I don't think the current player's at Nebraska understand or can even comprehend hard work. Red doesn't make you special unless you bleed it.

Posted by: RIckless on Sep 28, 2008 at 08:22 AM
The Huskers have shown vast improvement over last year, and that cannot be disputed. A loss is tough, but they didn’t give up, they didn’t lay down like last year. They were down 18 points and pulled to within 5, a better effort than we would have seen from the Callahuskers. Bo needs to stay fired up. Yes, 15 yards is tough to swallow for his temper, and that may have cost them this game, but there was no national title on the table for NU this year anyway. Has anyone watched OU? Keep on working, Huskers. Bo, thanks for the NU passion. It’s about time we get some of that instead of some dispassionate Superbowl coach. His jaw was popping while ours were dropping. The Huskers will be back!

Posted by: Shawn on Sep 28, 2008 at 07:25 AM
Bo has to go!!! How can we get beat by a VT, they lost to East Carolina.

Posted by: Jay on Sep 28, 2008 at 05:39 AM
The cupcakes are finished folks. The first 'real' team NU plays - and they're smoked! Missouri, Texas Tech, then later OU. Get ready for more Bo meltdowns, and the bandwagon Husker fans to start crying "we want Tom back" as the losses begin to pile up!

Posted by: jp on Sep 28, 2008 at 03:30 AM
Ganz.....really, that's all we got? There is no other athlete in this great state that plays quarterback that we could get? Yeah yeah yeah, its not all his fault. But two people take the fall when you lose and the same two get the accoladeswhen you win. Head coach and quarterback. I don't know, some of these metro area quartebacks look alot better than Ganz.......seriously, does he know that his receivers need him to throw the ball to make a play.

Posted by: Boliever on Sep 28, 2008 at 01:26 AM
For crying out loud. This is Bos first and the players first year with him. Also Bo has no had the chance to do his own recruiting. What did you people expect to win a national title the first year with a new coach. They are playing way better than last year. If Callihan were here the score would of been ten times worse. Give it a little bit. The Huskers are on a comeback they just need some time to get in sync.

Posted by: Jesse on Sep 28, 2008 at 12:54 AM
Huskers never quit. Throw Tech in the rear and lets get back to work. Missouri is looming near.

Posted by: llr on Sep 28, 2008 at 12:46 AM
NO not "Fire Bo" but I hope he kicks his brother straight square in the crotch. DEFENSE cost us this game as well as STUPID play calling on offense. But the so-called Blackshirts have THIS on their resume. For a team with no pass offense, they really ran everything at our butts. And some of those holes for VA Tech's RUNNING was reminiscent of USC last year. And EXCUSE ME but if you are a SENIOR quarterback, you NEED to know where the line of scrimmage is!!!!! Good Lord, I have seen Pee-Wee teAMS PLAY BETTER!!!! Well at least that gives us a preview to next week with Mizzou....MU 83, NU 3. QUIT with sloppy arm-tacking...my mom will be 69 this November and I can tell you, she'll wrap you up and tackle better than I saw tonight.

Posted by: Scott on Sep 27, 2008 at 11:10 PM
Bo's temper cost them the game. How long before the "FIRE BO" sites start up?

Posted by: jay on Sep 27, 2008 at 11:04 PM
what is up with bo. he should have keep his mouth shut and not said anything.But the huskers did come back and only lost by 5 that was good. they need to get back to basics because what they were doing today wasnt working

Posted by: Joe on Sep 27, 2008 at 10:56 PM
Huskers never gave up, and showed Billy Bob he doesn't know the Huskers all that well. good effort, this team is improving.

Posted by: Jack N. on Sep 27, 2008 at 10:29 PM
Boy we suck!!

Posted by: R on Sep 27, 2008 at 09:59 PM
See what happens when NU plays an actual game...

Posted by: Billy Bob on Sep 27, 2008 at 05:14 PM
HOKIES 48 CORNSUCKERS 17