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LANE STADIUM • BLACKSBURG, VA. • OCTOBER 20, 2016 • ATTENDANCE: 63,507
Paced by quarterback Jerod Evans’ 259 yards passing, Travon McMillian’s
131 yards rushing and a defense that recorded a season-high eight sacks,
Virginia Tech rolled to a 37-16 victory over Miami in an ACC game played
Thursday night.
Joey Slye added three field goals for the Hokies, who moved to 5-2 overall,
3-1 in the ACC. Tech snapped a two-game losing streak to Miami, which fell to
4-3 overall, 1-3 in league action.
Despite playing without starting defensive linemen Ken Ekanem and Nigel
Williams, the Hokies’ defense played one of its most productive games of
the season, holding Miami to 42 yards rushing in addition to getting the eight
sacks. Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya threw for 323 yards, but was sacked
the eight times.
The Hokies led 16-9 at halftime thanks to three field goals from Slye and a
touchdown pass from Evans to Bucky Hodges. Tech then broke things open
with two touchdowns in the third quarter, scoring on a 12-yard pass from
Evans to Hodges and a 13-yard touchdown strike from running back Sam
Rogers to fullback Steven Peoples. The latter gave the Hokies a 30-16 lead
with 4:01 left in the third.
McMillian rushed a season-high 18 times and finished with the second-
most rushing yards in his career. The game marked his second 100-yard
performance of the season (Tennessee) and was the biggest chunk of an
evening in which Tech rushed for a season-high 251 yards.
Evans, who sealed the game with a 34-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown run,
completed 21 of 33, with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and he also
rushed for 98 yards. The Hokies finished with 523 yards of offense.
GAME NOTES
• Sam Rogers’ career-long 52-yard reception in the second quarter set up
Hodges’ 7-yard touchdown reception. The touchdown was the only one
of the half for the Hokies, and Rogers’ reception broke his previous career
long of 51 yards, which came last season against Ohio State.
• Miami cut the Tech lead to 23-16 midway through the third quarter, but the
Hokies answered with a 75-yard drive. An 11-yard pass from Evans to Hodges
on third and-9 kept the drive going and ultimately led to a 13-yard touchdown
pass from Sam Rogers to Steven Peoples that gave the Hokies a 30-16 lead.
MIAMI
3 6 7 0 - 16
VIRGINIA TECH
3 13 14 7 - 37
VT (10:45 - 1st) - Slye 47 FG
UM (1:42 - 1st) - Badgley 29 FG
VT (8:35 - 2nd) - Slye 27 FG
VT (5:51 - 2nd) - Hodges 7 pass from Evans (Slye kick)
VT (1:28 - 2nd) - Slye 38 FG
UM (:19 - 2nd) - Berrios 25 pass from Kaaya (Badgley kick)
VT (10:01 - 3rd) - Hodges 12 pass from Evans (Slye kick)
UM (7:57 - 3rd) - Herndon 35 pass from Kaaya (Badgley kick)
VT (4:01 - 3rd) - Peoples 13 pass from Rogers (Slye kick)
VT (2:45 - 4th) - Evans 34 run (Slye kick)
TEAM STATS UM
VT
First downs
15
28
Rushing yds.
29-42
44-251
Passing yds.
323
272
Return yds.
0
5
Passes
23-38-1 22-34-0
Punts-avg.
8-42.1
5-47.6
Fumbles-lost
1-0
0-0
Penalties-yds.
6-62
2-25
Time of poss.
29:28
30:32
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Rushing —
VT: McMillian 18-131, Evans 13-98, Williams 6-28, Carroll 1-9, Rogers
1-0, Phillips 1-(-1), Team 3-(-11), Ford 1-(-11); UM: Yearby 9-59, Walton 11-38,
Kaaya 9-(55).
Passing —
VT: Evans 21-33-0 259, Rogers 1-1-0 13; UM: Kaaya 23-38-1 323.
Receiving —
VVT: Hodges 7-66. Phillips 7-64, Ford 4-46, Rogers 2-72, Peoples
1-13, Cunningham 1-11; UM: Coley 5-49, Herndon 4-53, Richards 3-78, Njoku
3-69, Walton 3-11, Berrios 2-25, Lewis 2-25, Harris 1-13.
HEINZ FIELD • PITTSBURGH, PA. • OCTOBER 27, 2016 • ATTENDANCE: 40,254
Virginia Tech kicker Joey Slye tied a school and ACC record with six field
goals and Jerod Evans threw for 406 yards and two touchdowns, lifting the
Hokies to a 39-36 victory over Pittsburgh in an ACC game Thursday night.
With the win, the Hokies moved to 6-2 overall, 4-1 in the ACC and stayed in
position with North Carolina in the battle for the Coastal Division crown. The
Hokies also won in Pittsburgh for the first time since 1999 and won at Heinz
Field for the first time.
Pittsburgh (5-3, 2-2 ACC) tied the game at 29 on a 5-yard TD run by
offensive lineman Brian O’Neill and two-point conversion pass from Nathan
Peterman to James Conner with 13:25 left in the game. But the Hokies took
a 32-29 lead on Slye’s sixth field goal, which came with 9:39 to go, and then
Evans threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Ford with 7:20 remaining,
giving the Hokies a 39-29 lead.
The TD reception capped a string in which Tech scored on six straight
drives. The Panthers scored on a TD pass from Peterman to Jester Weah with
2:31 left, but the Hokies got a first down on the ensuing possession and ran
out the clock.
Tech finished with 556 yards of offense. Evans completed 24 of 40, and
Ford, Bucky Hodges and Cam Phillips all finished with more than 100 yards
receiving – marking the first time in school history that three players have
caught more than 100 yards worth of passes in a single game.
Pittsburgh’s James Conner rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns.
The Panthers finished with 458 yards.
GAME NOTES
• After taking a 3-0 lead on a 31-yard FG by Slye, Tech’s second score came
courtesy of a Pittsburgh turnover. On the ensuing kickoff, Pittsburgh’s Quadree
Henderson was stripped by Divine Deablo, and Tech’s Jovon Quillen recovered.
That led to a 21-yard field goal by Slye to give the Hokies a 6-0 lead.
• Tech’s final TD came on a three-play drive. It started with a 41-yard pass to
Phillips and ended with Ford’s 23rd career TD catch, breaking the school record.
VIRGINIA TECH 6 10 13 10 - 39
PITT
0 14 7 15 - 36
VT (11:05 - 1st) - Slye 31 FG
VT (8:05 - 1st) - Slye 21 FG
VT (13:08 - 2nd) - Slye 22 FG
PITT (4:14 - 2nd) - Conner 6 run (Blewitt kick)
VT (2:00 - 2nd) - Cunningham 11 pass from Evans (Slye kick)
PITT (:14 - 2nd) - Conner 1 run (Blewitt kick)
PITT (11:27 - 3rd) - Conner 1 run (Blewitt kick)
VT (7:00 - 3rd) - Slye 26 FG
VT (2:44 - 3rd) - Slye 37 FG
VT (:07 - 3rd) - Williams 2 run (Slye kick)
PITT (13:25 - 4th) - O’Neill 5 run (Conner from Peterman)
VT (9:39 - 4th) - Slye 22 FG
VT (7:20 - 4th) - Ford 16 pass from Evans (Slye kick)
PITT (2:31 - 4th) - Weah 7 pass from Peterman (Blewitt kick)
TEAM STATS VT
PITT
First downs
29
17
Rushing yds.
39-150
32-180
Passing yds.
406
278
Return yds.
98
57
Passes
24-43-0 14-23-1
Punts-avg.
3-31.3
6-39.8
Fumbles-lost
1-0
3-1
Penalties-yds.
4-35
9-63
Time of poss.
33:17
26:43
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Rushing —
VVT: Phillips 5-43, Evans 11-33, Williams 8-29, Ford 1-26, Motley 7-24,
Team 1-(-1), McMillian 6-(-3); PITT: Conner 19-141, Peterman 5-33, O’Neill 1-5,
Aston 1-4, Ford 1-1, Henderson 5-(-4).
Passing —
VT: Evans 24-40-0 406, Motley 0-3-0 0; PITT: Peterman 13-22-1 267;
Tipton 1-1-0 11.
Receiving —
VT: Ford 10-143, Hodges 6-145, Phillips 6-109, Cunningham 1-11,
Rogers 1- (-2); PITT: Weah 4-46, Henderson 3-47, Ford 3-59, Orndoff 2-96,
Peterman 1-11, Tipton 1-19.
MI AMI
1 6
V I RG I N I A TECH 3 7
2 5
V I RG I N I A TECH 3 9
P I T TSBURGH 3 6
GAME SEVEN
GAME E I GHT