In the minds of Bruce Taylor and Eddie Whitley, Virginia Tech’s turnaround began immediately following its second game of the season.

The first week for the Hokies could not have gone any worse.

Virginia Tech suffered a heartbreaking 33-30 loss to Boise State in the final minutes of a Monday night game on national television. Six days later, the Hokies endured a devastating 21-16 loss to Football Championship Subdivision opponent James Madison on its home turf.

The Hokies, which started the season ranked No. 10 in the country, was 0-2 for the first time since 1995.

But Whitley, a junior safety, and Taylor, a sophomore linebacker, agreed that though their season hit a low point following that loss to JMU, the turnaround began once the game was done.

‘It was different for us, and we just made a stand at that time,’ Whitley said. ‘We were like, ‘Look, it’s not going to happen again. We know we can win games. That’s what we are supposed to do, and we’re going to start doing it.’ And we’ve been doing it.’

Since the disastrous beginning to its season, No. 16 Virginia Tech has rattled off seven straight wins. It is the only Atlantic Coast Conference team with an unblemished conference record and holds a two-game lead in the Coastal Division standings. The Hokies’ (7-2, 5-0) resiliency has been on display, not only in salvaging its season but also in multiple come-from-behind wins throughout the year.

‘I don’t think words can really describe how it’s kind of turned around so dramatically,’ senior tight end Andre Smith said. ‘It’s huge and it’s a great feeling, but again I think we just finally came together, and we’re hitting on all cylinders.’

Though Taylor and Whitley did say the turnaround started after the loss to James Madison, Virginia Tech very easily could have started off the season 0-3.

The Saturday after the loss to the Dukes, the Hokies took on East Carolina, a team that upset them in the opening week of the 2008 season. The Pirates held a 10-point lead over Virginia Tech on two separate occasions in the first half, but the Hokies refused to surrender. Virginia Tech stormed back to take the lead for good in the third quarter and pulled away for its first win of the season.

But that victory was not the first sign of Virginia Tech’s persistence. Even though the team lost on a last-minute drive, the Hokies went down 17-0 to Boise State in the season opener before taking the lead in the second half. That loss to the Broncos turned out to be the only game in which Virginia Tech couldn’t complete the comeback.

At North Carolina State on Oct. 2, Virginia Tech trailed 17-0 early in the second quarter before scoring twice in the last 1:27 of the game to secure a 41-30 win. The Hokies went down 14-0 to Georgia Tech Saturday, but a 90-yard kick return for a score with just more than two minutes left swung the game in Virginia Tech’s favor. And even in its 45-21 romp over Central Michigan, the Hokies went down 7-0 to the Chippewas on the first drive of the game.

‘I think it’s a little weird because in some cases it’s almost like we play better when we’re behind,’ Smith said. ‘I don’t think there’s much panic or anxiety-type feeling. I just think that maybe in some kind of weird way, it just pushes us to play harder.’

And behind this push through the adversity for the Hokies are the senior leaders, such as Smith and quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

Taylor said through his four years at Virginia Tech, the upperclassmen have never had a bigger role than they did this year. The two losses to open the season forced them into it. It was their job to bring the team together and get things turned around.

And it started immediately after the Hokies’ loss to James Madison. That game may have eliminated their shot at a national championship. But it marked the beginning of the turnaround for Virginia Tech’s season.

‘Now when you look at (the start of the year), it is what it is,’ the linebacker Taylor said. ‘There’s nothing you can do about it now. It’s in the past. You’ve just got to focus on what you’re in control of, and what we’re in control of now is this ACC run.’

Big men on campus

QB Brandon Weeden and WR Justin Blackmon

No. 12 Oklahoma State

Last week:

Weeden — 34-of-42, 435 yards, 3 TDs

Blackmon — 13 catches, 173 receiving yards, 1 TD, 1 carry, 69 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD

Weeden and the Cowboys ripped control of the Big 12 South away from Baylor with their 55-28 domination of the Bears in Stillwater, Okla. Saturday. The quarterback set a school record with 435 yards through the air, and the offense racked up 725 yards of total offense, breaking the school record it had set earlier this season.

With star receiver Blackmon back from a one-game suspension, the Cowboys attack was nearly unstoppable, piling up 34 points before Baylor could even get on the scoreboard. Weeden went to his favorite target, Blackmon, from the get-go as the two combined for Oklahoma State’s first touchdown of the day from five yards out.

Blackmon finished with 13 catches for 173 yards and that early touchdown and added a 69-yard touchdown run just after halftime. In addition to Weeden’s record for yardage in the game, the quarterback also set the school record with 34 completions on the day.

Team of the week

No. 3 Texas Christian

Last Week’s Result: W, 47-7 at No. 15 Utah

Slide over Boise State. There’s a new mid-major taking the lead in the hunt for an at-large BCS berth in the championship game.

The Horned Frogs secured their spot as the highest ranked mid-major by demolishing then-No. 5 Utah in Salt Lake City Saturday. Senior quarterback Andy Dalton powered TCU with 355 yards and three touchdowns through the air.

The Horned Frogs No. 1-ranked defense also shut down the Utes’ attack, holding Utah scoreless until a meaningless garbage-time touchdown put it on the board in the fourth quarter. By then the Horned Frogs were already up 40.

The win puts TCU within striking distance of No. 1 Oregon and No. 2 Auburn in the BCS standings. Should either of those teams lose in the remaining weeks of the regular season, the Horned Frogs will likely become the first non-BCS school to play for the BCS national championship.

zjbrown@syr.edu

 

Published on November 9, 2010 at 12:00 pm