Defensive line keys North Carolina's win
BLACKSBURG, VA. -- Tyrod Taylor dropped back into the pocket only to gaze at a whirlwind of white jerseys coming in his direction. If the Virginia Tech quarterback rolled out, he was often followed by a North Carolina defensive lineman.
This StoryVisiting Tar Heels take out No. 14 HokiesDefensive line keys North Carolina's winSummary: North Carolina 20, No. 14 Virginia Tech 17Virginia Tech spent the first half of the season sampling some of the nation's finest linemen. On Thursday, the Hokies' offensive line had perhaps its toughest test of the ACC season when it faced North Carolina's celebrated defensive line. Virginia Tech struggled, even watching a North Carolina defensive lineman force the fumble that led to the Tar Heels' 20-17 upset of the No. 14 Hokies.
"Coming into the game, I knew North Carolina was good on defense," Coach Frank Beamer said. "There was no question about their credentials, and they played well."
The offensive line's inconsistency is one of the reasons why a season that started with aspirations of a national championship has been relegated to hoping for another 10-win season, but not a national title. In some games, the Hokies' line has appeared dominant. In other games, it has slowed the offense. Those occasions are often marked by a big-name opponent on the opposing defensive line.
North Carolina's four-man front includes former Ballou standout Marvin Austin, who was one of the top prep players in the nation in 2006 and was twice named to the All-Met first team. He is joined by fellow tackle Cam Thomas and ends E.J. Wilson and Robert Quinn, who entered the game eighth in the nation in sacks with seven.
"They're not really a fire-off-the-ball team. More of a step-back-and-read team," said center Michael Via, who replaced Beau Warren in the second half when Warren was removed with a sprained left knee. "They're a little bit tougher on the pass rush, I'd say, just because they're so physical."
Virginia Tech allowed 2.7 sacks per game before Thursday. The Tar Heels topped that total in the first half, although none came from North Carolina's starting linemen. Tar Heels Coach Butch Davis maintains a rotation that also includes tackles Aleric Mullins and Tydreke Powell and ends such as Donte Paige-Moss, who recorded a sack on Thursday.
The Hokies are the ACC's second-best rushing offense and entered Thursday night with 203.7 yards per game. North Carolina's defense held the Hokies to 95 rushing yards. Although the Tar Heels did not record a second-half sack, they finished the game with five quarterback hurries.
"I loved the challenge of being under pressure," Taylor said. "I look forward to those situations to just going out there and taking advantage of those situations, but I didn't get a chance to this game."
Imposing linemen are nothing new for Virginia Tech, which has encountered some of the nation's top defenders. The Hokies opened the season against Alabama's Terrence Cody, a 6-foot-5, 365-pound behemoth whose size earned him the nickname "Mount Cody." Cody clogged up the middle in the Crimson Tide's win, eating enough space to hurt the Hokies' offense.
In a Sept. 19 win over Nebraska, Virginia Tech struggled to defend Cornhuskers defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Nebraska kept Suh at the line to contain Taylor; Suh deflected four passes and recorded eight tackles.
Two weeks later in a win over Duke, the Hokies could not stand in the way of Duke's Vince Oghobaase, who had two tackles for a loss and helped limit the Hokies to 150 rushing yards ¿ more than 50 yards less than Virginia Tech's season average.
Virginia Tech encountered a handful of those type of players, who have come to North Carolina under Davis to become the next batch of Tar Heels linemen to reach the NFL. That potential was on display on the game's biggest play, when Powell forced the fumble that led to the game-winning field goal. The Tar Heels linemen charged onto the field and celebrated together ¿ a sight that could help explain why North Carolina won a game Davis compared to a "12-round prize fight."
"They hung in there while we had field position and we didn't make some plays, but part of the reasons we didn't make plays is they were playing good defense," Beamer said. "The game just didn't fit. It just didn't fit."
Source: Washington Post
