BLACKSBURG – There was much to digest following Virginia Tech's thrilling 22-19 victory over North Carolina on Saturday night in Chapel Hill.
The Hokies made all the big plays in the final seven minutes, most of which fans can read about here and here. The short version: they forced a fumble on the goal line and marched 98 yards for the winning score with 19 seconds left.
The win put Tech at 4-2 overall, 3-0 in the ACC and atop the Coastal Division. The Hokies are in perfect position heading into their off week and now get a few extra days to prepare for Georgia Tech and Paul Johnson's option attack.
The Hokies didn't play consistently well throughout the game, but they showed toughness and made the plays when needed against the Tar Heels. That said, here are a few takeaways from the game:
Great call by Cornelsen – Going into the Hokies' final drive, Ryan Willis had completed passes to just four receivers and a running back. So the Tar Heels probably weren't expecting the tight end to be involved on first-and-goal at the 1 with less than 25 seconds remaining in the game. In fact, they probably expected Willis to keep it, given his success running the ball (15 carries, 88 yards, 1 touchdown).
Yet Brad Cornelsen, the Hokies' offensive coordinator, made a terrific call, dialing up a little out pattern for tight end Dalton Keene. Willis threw the easy pass, and Keene hauled it in for the game-winning score.
The Hokies' tight ends usually aren't a major factor in the passing game, but Cornelsen knows how to get them into the end zone. The numbers certainly bear that out. Tech's tight ends have caught eight touchdown passes since Justin Fuente and his staff came to Blacksburg.
Willis making strides: Willis threw two interceptions and misfired on a few other throws against the Tar Heels, but he wound up with big numbers, accounting for 309 total yards, including a career-best 88 rushing. He also threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score, and in all, he played fairly well – especially on the final drive when the Hokies needed him the most.
Willis now has 862 yards passing in three starts, with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. He also brings the added dimension of being able to scramble or keep the ball on the zone read, having run for 109 yards in those three games.
He now gets a week to fine tune some things without having to worry about a game plan, as the Hokies are off Saturday. He figures to get better as the season goes along – a good sign for the Hokies.
Give credit to Cornelsen, too, for Willis' development. The mild-mannered Cornelsen is the perfect person to coach the fiery Willis, and he has done a great job of getting Willis ready to play and putting him in positions to succeed.
Dax seeing more time: Talented freshman linebacker Dax Hollifield continues to see more and more action, and he probably saw his most meaningful action of the fall against the Tar Heels. It was hard not to notice Hollifield, as he constantly put himself around the football.
He finished with a career-high seven tackles – five solo, including one for a loss. He certainly gives the Hokies depth, and he makes plays.
With continued production, Hollifield may see even more action down the road. And with the option-oriented Yellow Jackets coming to town, he may just be an understated and very important part of defensive coordinator Bud Foster's game plan.
Confidence in Patterson: Tech's staff certainly made a rather bold move inserting true freshman quarterback Quincy Patterson into the game in the second half. After all, the Hokies were trailing, but they were driving and had a good flow on offense. The 235-pound Patterson ran three or four plays, mostly zone read plays, and he ran twice for 11 yards before the staff re-inserted Willis into the game.
"We were trying to get something running the football and trying to get the extra hat with Quincy with the quarterback run game," Fuente explained after the game. "That was our thought. We had some other stuff that we didn't get to with him. He did well. I don't know if that situation was any better or worse than any other situation other than we were just trying to find a way to run the ball a little bit."
Patterson can play in three more games without losing his redshirt season, so it will be interesting to see how Tech's staff uses Patterson going forward.
Work to do on the rushing attack: To follow up on Fuente's point about trying to get something going in the running game, the Hokies have struggled in this area the past three games. After rushing for more than 300 yards in back-to-back games against William & Mary and Old Dominion, Tech hasn't rushed for more than the 154 yards it amassed Saturday night against the Tar Heels.
Now, 154 yards is a respectable number, but 88 came from Willis and 33 of that came on the touchdown run on the Hokies' first possession of the game. Take out Willis, and the longest rush by a Hokie was a meager 9-yarder.
Even more troubling, they went into the game facing one of the worst rush defenses in the nation. North Carolina came in allowing 209 yards rushing per game – 112th nationally. In fairness to the Hokies, the Tar Heels were coming off an off week, so their staff obviously used the time wisely.
Still, expect a renewed emphasis on the running game this week. After all, the best way to beat Georgia Tech is to keep the Yellow Jackets' offense on the sideline.
The two Techs meet Oct. 25 at Lane Stadium in a Thursday night affair. The game kicks off at 7:30.