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Hokies Win, But Pirates Keep It Close

September 02, 2007

By Darryl Slater

BLACKSBURG — They dreamed it like this: Run onto the field, roll over their opponent, ride off into the beginning of a brighter era for their school and their fans.

But dreams overlook flaws. They don't account for an inexperienced offensive line or the emotional hiccups of games like yesterday's at Lane Stadium.

Both kept Virginia Tech from its ideal result in the season opener against East Carolina, the Hokies' first football game since 32 people were killed April 16 on their campus. The Hokies, 28½-point favorites, beat the Pirates 17-7, leaving the sellout crowd of 66,233 happy but rightfully concerned for Saturday's game at Louisiana State

Reminders of April 16 surrounded the Hokies. On their sideline, they kept a placard listing the names of the victims inside the metal lunch pail that has become the symbol of their defense. After the game, they planned to place a game ball at the new memorial in front of Burress Hall.

"I think it's a little bit of a distraction, all the emotion and stuff," defensive end Orion Martin. "It just felt really different. You try not to get caught up in it, but in the back of your mind, you're thinking about the 32 victims and what happened."

The jitters arrived early, as quarterback Sean Glennon threw an interception on his first pass.

"I almost looked up to the sky and was like, 'Are you kidding me?'" Glennon said.

Tech's offensive line, with two new starters, failed to create holes for running back Branden Ore. On their three second-quarter drives, all of which ended in punts, the Hokies ran a total of 12 plays for 31 yards. Tech finished with 33 rushing yards — its sixth-fewest under 21st-year coach Frank Beamer.

"We've got to be more physical up front," line coach Curt Newsome said.

Cornerback Victor Harris' 17-yard interception return for a touchdown saved the Hokies from going into halftime down 7-3. Sophomore Brandon Dillard, playing in his first college game, set up Harris' pick when he gave East Carolina little wiggle room for that drive by downing Brent Bowden's punt at the 2-yard line.

"At halftime, [defensive coordinator Bud] Foster told us, 'You can still stay active and be hyped, but you need to maintain mentally because right now, we're getting our [butts] handed to us, basically,'" linebacker Vince Hall said.

The Hokies sputtered to start the second half. On their first drive, defensive end C.J. Wilson bee-lined unblocked toward Glennon and sacked him, knocking the ball loose. The Pirates recovered. But don't blame the offensive line for that sack. Ore was supposed to pick up Wilson.

"I don't buy into: I was so emotional that I forgot to go here and block this defensive end that's getting ready to hit my quarterback right in the back," Beamer said.

A less-forgiving opponent awaits this week: No. 2 LSU and defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, perhaps the nation's best defensive player, a guy capable of turning yesterday's unfulfilled dreams into a nightmare for Tech's offensive line.

"We just wanted to come out here and put on a show and make this a memorable game in two ways," Glennon said. "One for what happened beforehand, and two for the unbelievable victory we had. Unfortunately, we didn't give them that unbelievable victory."

Contact Darryl Slater at (804) 649-6026 or dslater@timesdispatch.com.