The Hokies took care of business against a team with nothing to play for but pride, so kudos to them. There was a lot to like about this game because of the individual performances we saw.
- Two records from Saturday's game: Ryan Williams broke the Virginia Tech and ACC record for rushing yards by a freshman by running for 126 yards and four freaking touchdowns. Cody Grimm tied an NCAA record by forcing three fumbles in the same game. Grimm tied the record in the first quarter. That's an unofficial record according to me. He also tied it in FOUR PLAYS. Also an unofficial record according to me.
- Williams had to work for his yards, averaging 3.8 YPC. What was impressive was his physicality. He ran over defenders and dragged one into the end zone for his last touchdown. He was a man among boys against the Wolfpack.
- Grimm set the tone for the game. NC State lost two fumbles on their first three plays and were down 10-0. He was always around the ball and always causing havoc. The senior had a senior day to remember.
- There's really not much more I can say about the games Williams and Grimm had, so feel free to add your own hyperbole in the comments.
- After several drops by Dyrell Roberts, Tyrod Taylor started just lofting the ball to Jarrett Boykin. NC State couldn't cover Boykin and he finished the game with six catches for 164 yards and a nice touchdown grab in the second half. Boykin came down with nearly every ball thrown to him in man coverage, especially on third down. He kept his fair share of Hokie drives alive.
- The Wolfpack tried with all their might to huff and puff and blow the Hokies' running game down. However, when Williams wasn't pounding out hard-earned yards, Taylor was finding Boykin for big gains. Tech took it to the NC State defense, especially in the passing game.
- The defense shut out the NC State offense in the second half. It was an impressive display.
- NC State QB Russell Wilson was on the run for most of the game, and while he was often able to use his legs and intuition to find the first down marker, it wasn't enough to get the Pack into the end zone in the second half.
- Good grief Rashad Carmichael got worked for most of the game when he was in man coverage against the NC State receivers. Wilson picked on him a lot and was successful until late in the second half when Carmichael made a nice play that forced a punt.
- The Hokie play calling got conservative in the second half for the second consecutive week. It worked, but I wasn't a fan for keeping Tyrod Taylor in the game as late as he was in. Tech was in complete control and he risked injury when he scrambled for a first down late in the fourth quarter while up four touchdowns.
- I was really happy Jeff Beyer got to take the final two snaps of the game. It was a senior day to remember for a lot of guys.