No. 17 Virginia Tech plays host to East Carolina

Sep 10, 2014 - 3:15 PM Blacksburg, VA (SportsNetwork.com) - Coming off a huge road win at Ohio State, the now 17th-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies return home to play host to the East Carolina Pirates at Lane Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Frank Beamer's Hokies forged their way into the top 25 this week after upsetting the Buckeyes in Columbus, 35-21. The win followed a 34-9 drubbing of William & Mary in the season opener and now gives Beamer 268 career wins, the most of any active coach in the FBS. This is the start of a three-game homestand for Virginia Tech, which will open ACC play next week against Georgia Tech.

A marquee win is something Beamer thinks is extremely important for his team going forward.

"I still remember going to Nebraska and winning and going to Texas A&M and winning," said Beamer following last week's game. "That's been a few years back.

"But it's good. I think those things go in cycles a little bit. When you play good teams like we play, you've got about a 50-50 shot of winning and when you go on the road, it probably goes down a little bit. I think this is a big, big win for the program and for the status of our program."

Ruffin McNeill's Pirates opened the 2014 campaign with a 52-7 rout of NC Central, but followed that up with a 33-23 loss at nationally-ranked South Carolina last weekend. East Carolina plays the second of a three-game gauntlet here, that ends next week at home against another ranked ACC team in North Carolina.

This marks the 19th all-time meeting between these two teams. Virginia Tech holds a 13-5 advantage in the series and has won 10 of the last 11 meetings.

The Pirates had their opportunities early on against South Carolina but just couldn't hold on for the win on the road. Being competitive in games shouldn't be a problem this season for ECU, thanks to the steady hand under center of senior Shane Carden. The 6-2, 221-pound veteran gun slinger leads an offense that is generating a healthy 517.5 yards per game. He is responsible for 302.0 yards of that with his arm, as Carden has been sharp early on, completing just under 70 percent of his throws, for 604 yards and four TDs.

Carden has a pair of favorites down the field in wideouts Justin Hardy and Isaiah Jones. A senior, Hardy leads the team with 19 catches, for 220 yards and 2 TDs thus far. A sophomore, Jones isn't far behind with 18 catches, for 196 yards and one score.

The Pirates keep teams honest with a ground game that averages 170 yards per game, but there isn't a cow bell to rely on with no player having carried the ball more than nine times this season.

East Carolina has done a really nice job defensively early on, although the beating put on NC Central has skewed the numbers a bit. Through two games, ECU is allowing just 307.5 yards of total offense, including just 185 through the air.

Junior middle linebacker Zeek Bigger has been all over the field thus far, racking up an eye-popping 24 tackles in the first two games. Senior linebacker Brandon Williams is a distant second on the squad with 14 total stops. A talented starting linebacking corps is completed by junior Montese Overton, who has 12 stops, 2 TFL and 1 sack.

Coach McNeill sees positives from the loss at South Carolina.

"The keys to all games for all coaches is evaluating what you did well and see what you need to work on," said McNeill. "We knew going into Columbia, it was against a top competitor. They had 11 wins or so the last three years so we knew we would be playing in a hostile environment. We didn't go in there looking for moral victories. We had opportunities. We don't change the routine. If you believe in something, you believe in something. I believe in our routine and how we prepare. (On the bus) it was not surprising. I didn't tell them to watch film. They did that on their own. I was proud of that. You learn from tough times. That's where the justification of trust comes from. I've been on staffs where coaches demanded things. For me, the trust and verification of trust comes like that."

The Hokies didn't exactly move the ball at will against the Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium, as the visitors could generate just 324 yards of total offense. What Tech did do well was get up early and then answer back when needed late. Quarterback Michael Brewer finished 23-of-36 passing, for 199 yards and two touchdowns. Ryan Malleck led the way with six receptions for 64 yards, while Sam Rogers and Bucky Hodges each had TD receptions in the win.

Factoring in stats from both of Tech's games and it seems the team may have a little more balance this season. The Hokies are averaging just over 400 yards per game, with 173.5 coming on the ground and 232.5 through the air.

Brewer has three interceptions against four TD passes, but has completed nearly 70 percent of his throws, for 450 yards thus far.

It was the defense that really made the difference against Ohio State, as Virginia Tech's stop unit recorded seven sacks and three interceptions, the last of which was returned for a touchdown, providing the final score of the game.

Back to its normal stingy self, Tech's defense is yielding just 15.0 ppg this season, while holding the opposition to a meager 260.0 yards of total offense. In addition, the unit has amassed 11 sacks in two games and has forced five turnovers.

Senior safety Kyshon Jarrett had two of the interceptions at Ohio State last weekend and is part of a stellar secondary that includes sophomore cornerbacks Chuck Clark (team-high 14 tackles) and Kyle Fuller (10 tackles, 2 sacks). Junior end Dadi Nicolas (7 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks) and senior linebacker Chase Williams (10 tackles. 2.5 sacks) have been relentless in their pursuit up the field.