Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
Virginia Tech forces six turnovers in 43-10 rout. "We got beat bad,'' UM's Butch Davis says.
Compiled from Times wires
© St. Petersburg Times, published November 14, 1999
BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Virginia Tech is making plans for the national championship game.
Led by a defense that forced six turnovers -- three fumble recoveries by Ike Charlton and three interceptions by Anthony Midget -- and two touchdown runs by Shyrone Stith, Virginia Tech sidestepped Miami 43-10 Saturday night and kept alive its drive to the Sugar Bowl and a national title.
"It doesn't take a whole lot of explanation what happened here," Miami coach Butch Davis said. "We got beat bad."
After coming back from an early 10-point deficit to take a 14-10 halftime lead, the Hokies (9-0, 5-0 Big East) blew open the fiercely fought game in the fourth quarter on a 64-yard punt return for a TD by Ricky Hall and a 51-yard fumble return for a score by Charlton 24 seconds later.
After Shayne Graham's third field goal of the game, a 42-yarder with 10:27 left, the Hokies added this finishing touch: Andre Kendrick ran 58 yards, was hit before he reached the goal line and fumbled into the end zone, where wide receiver Andre Davis fell on the ball for a touchdown.
Fireworks went off behind the west end of Lane Stadium as the crowd of 53,310 stood and danced the hokeypokey. Their Hokies had just scored the game's final 43 points to beat Miami for the fifth straight time.
"We've got good athletes, we keep the pressure on defensively," Tech coach Frank Beamer said. "We keep the pressure on with the kicking game. That constant pressure takes its toll over a period of time."
Virginia Tech, third in the Bowl Championship Series standings, should move into second behind No. 1 Florida State this week. Tennessee was second before its 28-24 loss to Arkansas.
Wins at Temple this weekend and against Boston College on Nov. 26 would complete the Hokies' first perfect regular season since 1918 and likely send them to New Orleans in the BCS' designated title game.
"We were able to make plays," Charlton said. "We just had to come out here and show the world that we play good football here at Virginia Tech."
Until the final quarter, when the Hokies finally knocked Miami quarterback Kenny Kelly out of the game with one of their five sacks, Tech was in a tough fight.
Michael Vick was shaken up on three different occasions, but returned and kept the Hokies on track with his brilliant runs and clutch passes. He was 11-for-23 for 151 yards and ran 14 times for 46 yards.
Stith, who finished with 78 yards, ran 1 and 41 yards for TDs as the Hokies came back after trailing in the first half for the first time this season.
Kelly was 8-for-17 for 138 yards, with one TD and two interceptions. He was replaced in the fourth quarter by Ken Dorsey, who was 6-for-17 for 45 yards and an interception.
After gaining 211 first-half yards against Tech's third-rated defense, Miami had no points and 98 yards in the second half. The Hokies, averaging 39 points, third in the nation, rolled up 23 fourth-quarter points.
Midget's first interception set up Stith's 41-yard scoring run and put the Hokies ahead for good at 14-10 with 7:08 left in the half. The first half featured six turnovers -- four by Miami -- and seven personal fouls -- five against the Hurricanes. Midget, a cornerback, had a second interception in the second quarter and his final one came in the fourth quarter.