Virginia Tech bounces back with 37-0 victory
BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Virginia Tech was not lacking for motivation Saturday against Bowling Green.
The Hokies knew they were better than what they showed in last week's poor showing at Pittsburgh, and they went out and proved it in a 37-0 victory over the Falcons at Lane Stadium.
"We just had to come out today and show that was just a fluke," senior linebacker Bruce Taylor said, referring to last week's 35-17 defeat at Pittsburgh.
Taylor and the Hokies' defense held Bowling Green (1-3) to 266 yards, and Virginia Tech recorded its first shutout of a non-ACC opponent since 2006.
The Falcons had gone 169 games since the last time they were held scoreless, against Missouri in 1998.
"We couldn't sustain anything on offense," Bowling Green coach Dave Clawson said. "Obviously, when you get shut out, it's not a good day. We're not where we need to be. We're not where we want to be. We have a lot of work to get there."
The Hokies (3-1) gained 396 yards, including 246 on the ground, to bounce back from last week's poor showing.
Junior quarterback Logan Thomas passed for 144 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 65 yards and one score, and running back Michael Holmes rushed for 51 yards and a touchdown on four carries.
Bowling Green lost its second consecutive game and hasn't beaten a major conference opponent since toppling Pittsburgh in 2008.
Tailback Anthon Samuel of Bowling Green was held to a season-low 32 rushing yards on nine carries and quarterback Matt Schilz completed only 36 percent of his passes for 87 yards and an interception before being replaced by Matt Johnson in the third quarter.
Bowling Green drove inside the Virginia Tech 30-yard line four times, but came away with no points. Kicker Stephen Stein missed a 43-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter, and the Hokies stopped the Falcons three times on fourth down deep in Virginia Tech territory.
"They beat us up front," Clawson said. "They covered us in the secondary. We didn't play well at quarterback. What struggle didn't we have? We didn't play well across the board."
As was the case in the first three games, Virginia Tech's offense got off to a slow start, but it got things going in the second quarter and went into the locker room with a 21-0 lead.
Thomas completed only two of his first seven passes, but he found his groove in the second quarter.
Thomas accounted for all three of the Hokies' second quarter touchdowns. He completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to freshman tailback J.C. Coleman and a 42-yard scoring strike to senior wide receiver Dyrell Roberts, before scoring on a one-yard run with 1:10 left in the half.
"We were very physical up front," Thomas said. "We played with an attitude, and that's something (offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring) wanted us to do the entire time, and that's what we did, and we needed it," Thomas said.
Holmes gained most of his yardage in the second half. He had a 40-yard run in the third quarter, the longest run by the Hokies this season, and then got into the end zone two plays later on a two-yard run to give Tech a 27-0 lead. Cody Journell missed the extra point.
The Hokies added 10 fourth-quarter points on Journell's 35-yard field goal and senior running back Martin Scales' four-yard touchdown run.
"We've got a ways to go, there's no question about that, but I think we took a step forward today," Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said. "And the defense getting the shutout, that's great. A couple plays on special teams, that's great. I'm really pleased with the win."
NOTES: Virginia Tech linebacker Tariq Edwards made his season debut in the fourth quarter. He missed the first three games because of a knee injury. ... J.C. Coleman's touchdown was the first of his career. ... Hokies' sophomore Matt Arkema made his first career start at left guard in place of injured David Wang (sprained ankle). ... Kickoff specialist Brooks Abbott became the eighth true freshman to play for the Hokies this season. ... Bowling Green defensive tackle Chris Jones had one sack and two tackles for losses against the Hokies to give him 20 sacks and 35 1/2 tackles for losses in his career.
