Published: November 05, 2009 11:37 pm      

Shipwrecked

Pirates sunk by Hokies

GREENVILLE, N.C. — It wasn't exactly a perfect performance for No. 22 Virginia Tech, but it was a winning performance.

Despite missing some scoring opportunities and again struggling to stop the run at times, the Hokies snapped their two-game losing streak with a 16-3 non-conference decision over East Carolina Thursday night at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

Tyrod Taylor rushed for a 13-yard touchdown late in the first half and freshman Ryan Williams bounced back from his costly fumble at the end of last week's defeat against North Carolina, rushing for a career-high 179 yards.

Matt Waldron added field goals of 41, 22 and 31 yards for Tech (6-3), which failed to score on three different drives that ended in Pirate territory. Taylor fumbled at the 1 after a 16-yard run in the second quarter and the ball rolled through the end zone for a drive-ending touchback.

Defensively, the Hokies had trouble with Dominique Lindsay, who rushed for 69 yards on 13 attempts, but compensated with clutch work inside their 25.

Cody Grimm ended one drive by stripping tight end Rob Kass after a short gain and recovering the fumble at the 25.

Tech limited ECU (5-4) to a 24-yard field goal by Ben Hartman following a 73-yard march in the last two minutes of the first half.

In the third quarter, with the Pirates on the move at the Hokies' 18, running back Giavanni Ruffin simply dropped Patrick Pinkney's handoff and freshman linebacker Lyndell Gibson fell on the loose ball at the 20.

Rashad Carmichael added his fifth interception of the season with 2:19 left in the game, setting up Waldron's last field goal.

Defensive ends Jason Worilds and Nekos Brown were solid all night, hurrying a handful of Pinkney's throws. Grimm finished with double-figure tackles for the third time this year.

Punter Brent Bowden helped the defense, averaging nearly 50 yards per punt and forcing ECU to play a long field. The Pirates started seven drives from the 20-yard line or worse.

Tech set a physical tone early as Alonzo Tweedy knocked out Dekota Marshall with a perfectly-timed block to spring Jayron Hosley for a 33-yard punt return, setting up Waldron's 41-yard field goal at the 8:59 mark of the first quarter.

The Hokies then crafted a 14-play, 75-yard drive on their next possession, mixing the run and pass well. But it bogged down at the 5 and they had to settle for Waldron's 22-yard chip shot with 51 seconds left.

Another long march by Tech ended with seven points. Taylor's scramble with 2:06 left in the first half finished a 12-play, 79-yard drive which upped the lead to 13-0.

With the defense returning to the form Hokie fans have gotten used to over the last five years, 16 points would be enough on this night.

Tech Tidbits: Waldron's 41-yard field goal was the longest of his career ... Grimm's forced fumble was the fourth of the season, a team high ... Taylor's TD was his 17th career rushing TD, moving him ahead of Michael Vick for second in rushing scores by a QB ... The Hokies return to action Nov. 14 with an Atlantic Coast Conference game at Maryland that kicks off at 1 p.m.