Tech Trounces Northeastern 38-0
by Justin Cates & Neal Turnage
Photos By Heather McMillan
September 3, 2006

After the excruciating months otherwise known as the college football off-season, things got started in a big way this weekend.

The football gods smiled on Blacksburg, Va. as the Virginia Tech Hokies kicked off its season against the Division 1-AA Northeastern Huskies.  Hurricane Ernesto dumped all its rain on the region in the days leading up to the contest, leaving clear skies and cool winds for fans to enjoy as they took in the game.

Virginia Tech outscored its last two Div 1-AA opponents 105-0 going into this game and on Saturday the Hokies posted a 38-0 victory over Northeastern in front of 66,233 people in Lane Stadium. This marked the largest crowd to ever watch a collegiate football game in the commonwealth of Virginia.

The offense scored three times in nine offensive plays; a 6-yard run by Branden Ore, a 54-yard bomb from Sean Glennon to Josh Morgan, and a 1-yard run by George Bell.

The defense flexed its muscles holding NU to 41 yards.  Defensive end Chris Ellis sacked NU quarterback Anthony Orio in the first series.  Redshirt sophomore cornerback Brandon Flowers picked off Orio on the second series for the third interception of his career.

Cary Wade on special teams blocked a punt on NU’s third series leading to the Bell touchdown.

And that was the just the first quarter.

The scoring slowed in the subsequent quarters with the Hokies scoring 17 points over the rest of the game.

First-time starting quarterback Sean Glennon was nearly perfect; completing 15 of 18 passes for 222 yards and three touchdowns to go along with just one interception.

“I think I played pretty well, five or six passes were quick little things that we’re working on, I made a few plays downfield,” quarterback Sean Glennon said.

Brandon Ore was also a huge weapon for the Hokies ripping Northeastern to the tune of 135 total yards including two receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown.

Ore’s touchdown came when he and Glennon hooked up for a 55-yard touchdown that came off a screen pass.

“It’s nice where I can throw a little five yard pass and it goes for twenty, thirty, fourty more,” Glennon said.

Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer was equally pleased with what Ore brings to the backfield.

“I think Brandon gives us a chance,” Beamer said.

“He can get a little screen pass going, get him in space, and all of a sudden it’s a touchdown.”

The Hokies preserved the shutout with a field goal block in the closing minutes of the game.

Tech has blocked 11 kicks since 2003 and Coach Beamer put a heavy emphasis on blocking kicks this season.

On the other side of special teams, place-kicker Brandon Pace converted five PATs and connected on a 30-yard field goal.

“We got to be really good. I think in this preseason practice we had the best effort on special teams we’ve ever had and we’ve had some pretty good effort around here,” added Beamer.

The Hokies sustained several key injuries against the Huskies. Wide receiver Eddie Royal left the game with a sprained toe and offensive lineman Brandon Frye suffered a sprained right elbow. Frye could potentially miss several weeks. Royal’s status for the North Carolina game is unknown.

Overall Tech came out and played a pretty solid football game in their first outing. While there are some areas where the team can get better, Tech looks like they can be a competitive team this season. Northeastern will probably be a pretty decent team at the 1-AA level this year. They should win some more games and are a program to watch in the Atlantic 10.

The Hokie defense will likely have to improve in coverage. Northeastern receivers were able to get open quite a few times on routes across the middle. The defense was also called for three defensive fouls. Despite that, the Hokies still allowed just 207 yards of total offense.

Next week’s game at North Carolina will provide an early season road test for Virginia Tech. The Tar Heels lost to Rutgers this week, however, they still pose a challenge to this unproven Hokie squad.

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