Blacksburg, Va. – Virginia Tech stepped up in competition Saturday and stepped up its game, routing Georgia Tech 51-7.
The fourth-ranked Hokies, coming off two 45-0 wins against Duke and Ohio University, were at their all-around best against the 15th-ranked Yellow Jackets.
Marcus Vick threw for a career-best 223 yards and a touchdown and the special teams and defense produced another 21 points.
“When everybody’s clicking on all cylinders like that, there’s no better time,” said defensive end Chris Ellis, who returned a third-quarter interception 29 yards for a TD as part of a 17-point barrage in 44 seconds.
The Hokies (4-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) also got a blocked field goal that turned into a 78-yard scoring run by D.J. Parker and an interception for a touchdown by Xavier Adibi.
Virginia Tech has outscored its opponents 161-23.
“We’re out to prove something,” cornerback Jimmy Williams said. “A lot of people don’t feel we belong in the ACC. A lot of people think we lucked out when we won the ACC last year. We’re just trying to repeat, to tell you the truth.”
They looked more than capable against the Yellow Jackets (3-1, 1-1), who were trying to start a season with four consecutive victories for the first time since they shared the national title with Colorado in 1990.
The game got ugly fast. Georgia Tech tried a field goal down 7-0. But tight end Jeff King blocked it and it was returned for a touchdown.
“I think that’s what changed this game around,” coach Frank Beamer said. “Instead of them being 7-3, it’s 14-0. It’s momentum. It’s points. It’s everything. There’s just no bigger play in football than when you block a kick, particularly a field goal.”
King also caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Vick, who now has thrown seven touchdown passes and just one interception.
Mike Imoh and Cedric Humes both ran for TDs and Brandon Pace kicked three field goals in as many tries for the Hokies.
“I think that they’re the best football team I’ve seen since I’ve been in the ACC,” Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey said.
Georgia Tech quarterback Reggie Ball, who sat out last weekend’s victory against Connecticut while being treated for viral meningitis and had limited practice time, was not sharp. He finished 11-of-27 for 143 yards.
“It was like playing catch-up from the get-go,” said Ball, who was pressured all game. “They just dominated all phases of the game. … They played great.”
The Yellow Jackets trailed 31-0 before finally scoring in the third quarter.
It was the first touchdown the Hokies allowed in 14 quarters since the opening drive of the season.
Virginia Tech answered with a field goal, then Adibi stepped in front of Ball’s pass toward Calvin Johnson and went 25 yards for the touchdown. On the Yellow Jackets next series, Ellis did the same thing, taking it 29 yards to finish the 17-point outburst.
No. 5 Florida 49,
Kentucky 28
Lexington, Ky. – Chris Leak threw four touchdown passes, all in the first half, and DeShawn Wynn scored four touchdowns as the Gators got their offense rolling.
After a blocked punt led to an early Kentucky touchdown, Florida (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) scored on seven straight possessions and led 49-7 at halftime. Leak, who made his first collegiate start two years ago at Kentucky, was 25-of-32 for 319 yards.
“Chris Leak played terrific,” Florida coach Urban Meyer said. “I think this was the best he’s thrown the ball … Chris ran the offense really well. In case you wonder, that’s the way we like to have things look.”
Leak’s first touchdown pass, a 16-yarder, went to Wynn, who also scored on three short runs. Wynn became the first player in Florida history to record two four-touchdown games, having also accomplished the feat in a 2003 win over Florida A&M.
Florida’s win was its 19th straight over the Wildcats (1-3, 0-1), a run that has included lopsided results like 73-17, 42-7, 65-0 and 44-10.
The Gators seemed on their way to another resounding rout, but led by backup quarterback Curtis Pulley, Kentucky – which hasn’t won a SEC opener since 1987 – scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to make the final result appear more respectable.
The 300-yard passing game was the sixth of Leak’s career. He exited the game early in the third quarter, along with most of Florida’s starters, but they returned with 6:49 left after Kentucky had rallied within 49-28.
Florida rolled up 437 yards of offense in the first half, including 250 in a 35-point second quarter.
Florida linebacker Earl Everett set up touchdowns with his first two career interceptions, which also were the first two interceptions thrown this season by Andre Woodson.
No. 16 Notre Dame 36,
Washington 17
Seattle – New coaches, same result.
Charlie Weis led Notre Dame to the same kind of lopsided romp over Washington that Tyrone Willingham did a year ago when he was coaching Fighting Irish.
The Irish, clicking in the air and on the ground after a sluggish start, beat the Huskies in a game that had little to do with coaches matching wits and everything to do with slick execution by Notre Dame (3-1) and huge blunders by Washington (1-3).
A year after Notre Dame won 38-3 in South Bend, Ind., against Washington, they took their show on the road to do virtually the same thing against their former coach on a brilliant fall afternoon before 71,473 fans in Husky Stadium.
Quarterback Brady Quinn, who threw four touchdown passes last year, threw only one this time but compiled 327 yards passing in a more balanced attack that saw sophomore halfback Darius Walker rush for a career-high 128 yards on 21 carries. Walker became the first running back in Notre Dame history to rush for more than 100 yards in each of his first four games.
No. 17 Michigan St. 61,
Illinois 14
Champaign, Ill. – Drew Stanton set a school record with five touchdown passes and the Spartans scored on six-of-eight first-half possessions in a romp in the Big Ten opener for both schools.
Michigan State (4-0, 1-0), which entered the game with the fourth-ranked offense in the nation, rolled up 705 yards. Illinois (2-2, 0-1) gave up 381 yards before halftime as Stanton did as he pleased during a 28-point second quarter.
Stanton tied the school record, held by seven others, by halftime and broke it with a 2-yard toss to Kellen Davis on the Spartans’ first possession of the second half.
Javon Ringer rushed for 194 yards on 13 carries for Michigan State. Its offensive output set a Memorial Stadium record for total yards by an Illinois opponent. The 61 points was the most scored by the Spartans since they scored 76 against Northwestern in 1989.
Stanton, who left the game early in the third quarter, finished 20-of-26 for 259 yards.
No. 20 Alabama 24,
Arkansas 13
Tuscaloosa, Ala. – The Crimson Tide (4-0, 2-0 SEC) has opened with four straight wins for the first time since 1996.
Arkansas (1-3, 0-2) used a deep tailback corps to pound out 237 yards rushing against the nation’s No. 2 run defense.
No. 23 Virginia 38, Duke 7
Charlottesville, Va. – Marques Hagans threw four touchdown passes and Virginia’s defense forced four turnovers in an easy win over Duke (1-3, 0-2 ACC).
The only bad news for the Cavaliers (3-0, 1-0) was an injury to left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, one of the best lineman in the country, who left the game late in the first quarter with an apparent leg injury and did not return.
