Rutgers Sneak Peak

By John Antonik for MSNsportsNET.com
October 4, 2003

Bryan Randall threw for 250 yards and four touchdowns to lead No. 4-ranked Virginia Tech to a 48-22 victory at Rutgers Saturday afternoon. West Virginia will face the Scarlet Knights next Saturday at Mountaineer Field.


	Rutgers defensive back Jarvis Johnson intercepted a Marcus Vick passa and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown. Here he makes a tackle. (AP photo)

After spotting Rutgers a 7-0 lead, Virginia Tech scored 41 unanswered points to take control of the game.

With Rutgers crowding the line of scrimmage to stop Hokie running back Kevin Jones, Randall tossed TD passes of 28, 45, 10 and 10 yards to give Tech its big lead.

However, Rutgers forced Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer to put most of his starters back into the game by scoring 15 straight points in a span of 12 seconds early in the fourth quarter to close the gap to 41-22, Virginia Tech.

The first of the two TDs came on a Justise Hairston 21-yard run, then Scarlet Knight defensive back Jarvis Johnson picked off a Marcus Vick pass and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown. The Knights successfully converted the two-point conversion to pull within 19 of the heavily favored Hokies.

But Virginia Tech answered eight minutes later when backup running back Cedric Humes broke free of the line and raced 35 yards for Tech’s seventh touchdown of the day.

Virginia Tech finished the game with 23 first downs and 473 total yards, and also benefited from four Ryan Hart interceptions.

Hart finished the game completing 16 of 33 passes for 182 yards with one touchdown. Brian Leonard carried 12 times for 76 yards and also caught four passes for 30 yards.

Rutgers managed to produce 15 first downs and 311 yards of offensive against Virginia Tech’s nationally rated defense.

Rutgers, now 3-2, has lost 23 straight Big East games dating back to 1999 when the Scarlet Knights defeated Syracuse 24-21 on Nov. 13.

Other observations from Saturday’s Rutgers-Virginia Tech game:

With Rutgers selling out to stop the run, Virginia Tech quarterback Bryan Randall had several wide open targets to choose from. He finished the day completing 16 of 22 passes.

Rutgers wanted to establish the run at the start of the game, but was forced to go to the air when Virginia Tech got up big early. Still, the Knights managed to gain 129 yards on 31 carries for an average of 4.2 yards per rush.

Rutgers quarterback Ryan Hart showed an ability to complete some passes against Virginia Tech’s defense, including a 45-yarder to Jerry Andre, but too many times he tried to force passes into coverage and finished the game throwing four interceptions.

Rutgers fullback Brian Leonard is the Knights’ best runner. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound sophomore finished the game with 76 yards on 12 carries, an average of 6.3 yards per carry.

Scarlet Knights punt returner Tres Moses came into the Virginia Tech game averaging 18.4 yards per punt return, but he takes unnecessary chances trying to return the ball. He fumbled twice trying to make spectacular returns; Rutgers managed to recover both miscues.

All 22 of Rutgers’ points came as a result of Virginia Tech turnovers.

Virginia Tech got a defensive touchdown when Jimmy Williams stepped in front of a Hart pass and raced 55 yards for a touchdown.

Despite losing 48-22 to Virginia Tech, Rutgers is a much improved football team this year. The Knights came into the game with a 3-1 record including a 48-27 win against Navy, which upset No. 25 Air Force Saturday.

Rutgers is now 0-23 in its last 23 Big East games dating back to 1999. Scarlet Knights coach Greg Schiano is still looking for his first Big East win, though he can take solace in the fact that his team’s 22 points against Virginia Tech were the most scored against a conference opponent since he took over before the start of the 2001 season. It was also the most points in league play since Rutgers scored 24 in an overtime loss to West Virginia in 2000.

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