3 Key Plays - VT vs. Maryland

1) On the opening drive, on the first set of downs, the Hokies faced a 3rd and 4. In the past three weeks, the Hokies first half offense has been nothing short of miserable and it's been marked by an appalling lack of rhythm in the passing game. But on this play, Taylor dropped back and fired a quick hitter to Danny Coale for 7 yards and a first down. It set the tone for the first half against the Terps by avoiding a punt and it eventually led to a TD on the opening drive. This play also highlighted another theme of the day which was Taylor dropping back making his first read, his second read (when the first one wasn't open) and then delivering the ball very well.

2) After Maryland kicked a FG to make the score 14-3, the Hokies answered, marching down the field 56 yards for a TD on a very well-blocked WR screen to Dyrell Roberts. This was a key play because it essentially put the game out of reach and again, it highlighted a Hokie offense responding to an opponent's score, this time in the first half.

3) In the 4th quarter with about 12 minutes left, the Terps recovered a fumble in the Tech end zone to make the score 33-9. But that wasn't the key play. The very first play for VT on their next drive was a fumble by Josh Oglesby. Had Maryland recovered that ball on the VT 36 yd line, it's not to say they would have come back and won, with 11 minutes left in the game, but they could have swung the momentum hard the other way making the game a lot less attractive than it's eventual final score. Fortunately, Tyrod Taylor was in the right place at the right time and he scooped up the ball and dashed 25 yards to give the Hokies a first down in Maryland territory and avoiding any late-game ugliness for Tech.