Greenville, SC -- Despite Virginia Tech's struggling offense, freshman running back Ryan Williams decimated East Carolina's defense for a career-high 179 yards, leading the Hokies to a 16-3 win over the Pirates in Greenville, S.C.
The Hokies' defense held the Pirates to 277 yards and a field goal, thanks in large part to only having to be on the field for 25 minutes. Tech's offense, despite only scoring one touchdown, controlled the clock for nearly 35 minutes. The win broke a two-game losing streak for the Hokies that knocked them out of the national championship picture.
Williams, whose first rushing fumble of the season led to North Carolina's last-second game-winning field goal the previous week, bounced back against ECU. He now has 1,109 rushing yards this season and needs only 157 yards to break Darren Evans' freshman record of 1,265, set last season.
“Even now, just thinking about it, it still makes me sick to my stomach because I hate turning the ball over,” Williams said after the game. “I hate turning it over in video games. But things happen. I can’t be perfect – but I’m going to try and be as close to it as I can.”
Evans' record of 11 touchdowns as a freshman is also in jeopardy. Williams has 11 total TDs this season - 10 rushing and one receiving - and needs one more to break the freshman record of 11 total TDs and two more rushing TDs to break the freshman record for rushing TDs in a season.
Williams isn't the only Hokie on the verge of breaking records. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor rushed for Tech's only touchdown, a 13-yard run in second quarter, giving him 17 for his career - putting him in sole possession of second place in school history. He had been tied with Michael Vick and now trails Bob Schweikert, whose 22 rushing touchdowns is a record for a Tech quarterback.
While Williams ran roughshod over the ECU defense, redshirt senior linebacker Cody Grimm terrorized the ECU offense in one of the most impressive individual defensive performances the Hokies have seen in some time. Grimm had 12 tackles, a sack, a forced a fumble and recovered a fumble.
In the second quarter, ECU quarterback Patrick Pinckney completed a pass to Rob Kass at the Virginia Tech 25, but Grimm stripped Kass of the ball and then fell on it. The turnover disrupted an impressive drive by the Pirates and nearly led to a Tech touchdown, but Taylor fumbled the ball just short of the goal line and the Pirates got the ball as a result of a touchback.
Tech's offensive rankings:
- Total offense - 70th
- Passing offense - 103rd
- Rushing offense - 21st
- Scoring offense - 47th
- Sacks allowed - 85th (23 sacks, 2.56 a game)
- Tackles for loss allowed - 99th (248 yards on 62 TFL)
- Third down conversions - 76th
- Fourth down conversions - 91st
Tech's defensive rankings:
- Total defense - 23rd
- Passing defense - 8th
- Rushing defense - 69th
- Scoring defense - 47th
- Sacks - 72nd (16 sacks, 1.78 a game)
- Tackles for loss - 45th (209 yards on 56 TFL)
- Third down conversions - 22nd
- Fourth down conversions - 99th
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