The Roanoke Times from Roanoke, Virginia • 37

CoiWBpall VTy No 4 Virginia Tech 51 No 15 Georgia Tech 7 ANOTHER HOKIE ROUT Next task: Avoiding a letdown BLACKSBURG There it is again! Screaming at you making you nudge your neighbor again begging you to relive the massacre that happened here at Lane Stadium The score scrolled across the bottom of the television screen all of Saturday night and into this morning: Virginia Tech 51 Georgia Tech B7 It passed the lips of sports anchors from coast to coast on the front of this newspaper and in every other newspaper that cares about top 25 Mcarling college football g)roanokecom EnjOV it SUVO it The score is real it was earned and it puts No 4 Virginia Tech right smack dab in the national consciousness But it seems strangely familiar does it not? righteningly familiar even Hint: Think 2003 I know what thinking Oh man Not 2003 again! After such an uplifting victory is he really going to take us back to one of the most disap pointing seasons in Tech history? Yes I am But the thing: 1 think these Hokics will Last team had to overcome 2003 Little by little piece by piece the Virginia Tech program had to reestab lish some pride Defensive coordinator Bud oster had to restore his reputa tion Through it all the previous sea son was a pest a potential confidence cripplcr a talking point for Hokie hat ers everywhere But last Hokics rose above all that and 2003 is no longer an evil ghost It is a friend That 8 5 season for all its ugliness and heartbreak is finally doing some good providing lessons caution ary tales and perspective In the end it should make these See MCARLING 3 MATT GENTRY The Roanoke Times Virginia Tech's Jeff King (90) blocks a field goal attempt by Georgia Tech's Travis Bell (87) in the first quarter of game in Blacksburg Hokie defensive back Parker recovered the loose ball and went 78 yards for a TD a' i I ii 'Au 01 4 fee a (2roanokecom Go online for more photos from Saturday's game and hear Virginia Tech coach rank Beamer's postgame news conference day never gets any better By Randy King randykingroanokecom 981 3126 BLACKSBURG Another shutout? No Another blowout? No problem In a woodshed job that equaled the w'orst beating in Chan three plus years as Georgia coach No 4 Virginia Te every way imag inable in a 51 7 spanking of the 15th ranked Yel low Jackets on Saturday after noon at Lane Stadium The Hokics (4 scored in almost 0 3 0 ACC) had only 320 yards total offense but dominated the contest with sharp special teams play and suffocating defense The winners scored three non offen sive touchdowns returning a pair of interceptions and a blocked field goal attempt for scores When the UP NEXT Virginia Tech at West Virginia Saturday Noon ESPN MORE INSIDE Jeff King has a big hand in the win Page 3 Game notes Page 3 VT GT game statistics Page 2 mo by quarter breakdowns! Page 2 scoring outburst finally ended and the scoreboard mercifully read 0: 00 Gailey paid the ultimate tribute to rank relentless warriors think the best football team seen since been in the Gailey said said that earlier this week I did not change my Even with junior starting quarter back Reggie Ball able to play for 3 'a quarters coming off a bout with viral meningitis Georgia Tech (3 1 1 1) was See HOKIES 2 No 23 Virginia 38 Duke 7 After slow stall Cavaliers roll over Dulce Tom Santi celebrates after catching a 46 yard touchdown pass Saturday in the third quarter of Virginia's win over Duke sum mm it HMM 'A KYLE GREEN I The Roanoke Times Mistakes hurt Virginia early bi il qi larterback Marques Hagai is and the offense get belief as the game goes on By Doug Doughty dougdoughtyroanokecom 981 3129 When an offensive line incurs three consecutive false start penalties there are few ways to escape a wrath Virginia found one Saturday against Duke There were only smiles when the offensive unit returned to the bench after Marques Hagans com pleted a 46 yard pass to Toni Santi on third and 24 the touchdown that served as springboard to a 38 7 victory at Scott Stadium just told the guys to calm said Hagans who by then was playing behind a makeshift line after the loss of veterans erguson and Brian Barthclmcs gone about as far as we could in one direction It was time to start going the other direction" pass to Santi was the first of three Virginia touch downs in a 6 minute 49 second span of the third quarter and removed any suspense as 23rd ranked Virginia (3 0 1 0 ACC) beat the Blue Devils (1 3 0 2) for the sixth straight time Hagans finished with four touchdown passes a pair to junior wide receiver Deyon Wil liams and one each to tight ends Santi and John Phillips a true freshman from Bath County Hagans had thrown three touch down passes only once in an emergency start two years ago at Western Michigan think ever thrown for four touchdowns in a game not even at Hampton High School but I may have run for four five or Hagans said Virginia receivers dropped passes on four consecutive Hagans attempts in the first quarter but he finished l3 of 2l for 174 yards No apologies were in order got to say any See CAVALIERS 5 UP NEXT Virginia at Maryland Saturday Noon WDBJ MORE INSIDE TheCavs' defense shines against Duke Page 4 Game notes Page 4 Statistics1 quarter by quarter breakdowns Page 5 Inside this section 1 ACC Brian Toal (right) scores in overtime and visiting Boston College edges Clemson for its first ACC victory 7 T't TOP 25 Gary Russell scores three touchdowns including a 3 yard run in double overtime as Minnesota defeats No 11 Purdue to remain undefeated 8 STATE No 13 Lehigh fumbles seven times throws three interceptions and commits a handful of critical penalties but holds off host VMI 8 1 yr: 8 W' re.