Hokies end 2-game skid with 28-13 victory over Wolfpack

Quarterback Brenden Motley connected with receiver Isaiah Ford for three touchdowns and running back Travon McMillian broke free for a 59-yard scoring run to spearhead an offensive awakening for Virginia Tech in a much-needed 28-13 win at Lane Stadium.

Virginia Tech didn’t need him to snap out of an offensive malaise that produced only 100 total yards last week in a dismal 17-13 loss to Pittsburgh, the second lowest output in Beamer’s 29 years in Blacksburg.

“I think he’s a guy who can make a difference in a ball game”, Tech head coach Frank Beamer said of McMillian. The youngster turned on the jets, and even hurdled people in his way in the process.

NC State (4-2, 0-2) lost its second straight league game after starting the season by beating four lesser opponents.

Virginia Tech no doubt has a bright young star on their hands in the form of McMillian, a weapon that this offense desperately needs.

“I just think we got a little undisciplined in how we were playing”, linebacker Airius Moore said.

“We as a football team – players and coaches – talked about it. a few games are just bigger than others, and this one was absolutely big and critical”.

Tech coaches knew Motley was limited before he took over at quarterback. Six games into the 2015 campaign, he’s caught 28 balls for 421 yards and six scores. “We had a fast start to the game and I thought we battled back in the third quarter, but very disappointed in our second quarter. We executed, and this was a good football team we beat today”.

They hooked up one final time on a third-down pass in the waning seconds of the first half. He also grinded out 44 yards on the ground, returning to the game following a brief absence at the end of the third quarter when he was sandwiched by three defenders. The Wolfpack built a 10-0 lead after dominating both sides of the ball for the first 16 minutes of the game.

Brissett and Jumichael Ramos teamed on an 8-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter for the Wolfpack.

Tech’s offense finally showed up after that. After the first quarter, NC State gained just 125 yards the remainder of the game, giving them just 270 yards for the game.

Tech defensive back Adonis Alexander intercepted Brissett in the fourth quarter to end the quarterback’s streak of 241 straight passes without an interception. And they did it after rolling to a 10-0 lead against the Hokies.

After a State three-and-out, the Hokies then went 45 yards in 9 plays, scoring when Motley rolled right and found Ford with a five-yard TD, just inside the end zone near the pylon, to put the Hokies up 14-10. The Hokies finished with 200 rushing yards. On third-and-goal from the 2, he found Ford for the third time, making it 21-10.

Kyle Bambard booted a 33-yard field goal with 9:52 left in the quarter to put N.C. State up 3-0.

Brissett was 12 of 25 for just 113 yards. The game is scheduled for 3:30 and will be televised on ESPNU.