SBNation.com - ACC Championship Game, Virginia Tech Vs. Florida State: Hokies To Orange Bowl After 44-33 Winhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46737/sbn-fave.png2010-12-04T23:13:07-05:00http://www.sbnation.com/rss/stream/16158362010-12-04T23:13:07-05:002010-12-04T23:13:07-05:00ACC Championship Game Final: Virginia Tech Is Going To The Orange Bowl
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/virginia-tech-hokies">Virginia Tech Hokies</a> are going to Miami. Beating the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/florida-st-seminoles">Florida St. Seminoles</a> 44-33 in the <span class="caps">ACC</span> Championship Game, <span class="caps">VPI</span> will make its fourth Orange Bowl and its third <span class="caps">BCS</span> game since joining the <span class="caps">ACC</span>.</p>
<p>Hokies QB <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/5561/tyrod-taylor">Tyrod Taylor</a> had one of his best games of the season despite FSU’s tough pass rush. Taylor finished with 263 yards, four touchdowns, a couple key scrambles, and no major gaffes. <span class="caps">FSU</span> QB <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/36085/e-j-manuel">E.J. Manuel</a> filled in admirably for <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/4827/christian-ponder">Christian Ponder</a>, though two interceptions will give him something to think about as the Noles prepare for a Chick Fil A Bowl bid.</p>
<p>A conference championship and <span class="caps">BCS</span> trip is a pretty amazing result for a Hokies season that began with a nailbiter loss to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/boise-st-broncos">Boise St. Broncos</a> and that shocker against James Madison. Peeling off 11 straight wins since, almost all of them by multiple scores, Virginia Tech somehow wound up with a more-or-less standard Frank Beamer season.</p>
<p>The Hokies won their last trip to the game, beating the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/cincinnati-bearcats">Cincinnati Bearcats</a> 20-7, and may face another Big East team this time around too. It’s looking like the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/connecticut-huskies">Connecticut Huskies</a> may get the honors.</p>
https://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2010/12/4/1855783/acc-championship-game-final-score-virginia-tech-orange-bowlJason Kirk2010-12-04T22:41:46-05:002010-12-04T22:41:46-05:00ACC Championship Game, Virginia Tech Vs. Florida State: Noles Run Back Missed Extra Point
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<p><span class="caps">POP</span> <span class="caps">QUIZ</span>: What happens when a defender runs back a missed extra point? The <span class="caps">ACC</span> Championship Game audience in Charlotte just refreshed itself on the subject: two points for the returning team.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/virginia-tech-hokies">Virginia Tech Hokies</a> kicker <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/38925/chris-hazley">Chris Hazley</a> got <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/12200/charlie-brown">Charlie Brown</a>’d as his holder took his finger off the ball a split second too early, causing the ball to topple over and skitter from Nole to Nole until <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/36088/nigel-bradham">Nigel Bradham</a> picked it up and ran back the score. <span class="caps">ESPN</span> was momentarily confused about what all this meant, putting only one point on the scoreboard.</p>
<p>This transaction is actually a big deal. This is now a two-score game, not a three-score game. The Hokies scored the touchdown that caused all this on a nifty five-yard scoot by <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/5561/tyrod-taylor">Tyrod Taylor</a>, in case you’re interested. #niftyscoot</p>
<p>Getting the ball back after the kickoff, <span class="caps">FSU</span> had a chance to take advantage, but QB <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/36085/e-j-manuel">E.J. Manuel</a> threw his second pick of the evening.</p>
https://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2010/12/4/1855741/acc-championship-game-virginia-tech-vs-florida-state-noles-run-backJason Kirk2010-12-04T22:21:50-05:002010-12-04T22:21:50-05:00ACC Championship Game, Virginia Tech Vs. Florida State: Tyrod Taylor And Ty Jones On The Board Again
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<p><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/virginia-tech-hokies" class="sbn-auto-link">Virginia Tech Hokies</a> QB <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/5561/tyrod-taylor" class="sbn-auto-link">Tyrod Taylor</a> threw his third touchdown of the night to put <span class="caps">VPI</span> up by 18, but <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/florida-st-seminoles" class="sbn-auto-link">Florida St. Seminoles</a> QB <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/36085/e-j-manuel" class="sbn-auto-link">E.J. Manuel</a> led <span class="caps">FSU</span> on a scoring drive to keep the Noles in the game. <span class="caps">FSU</span> RB Ty Jones ran in his second one-yard score to complete the eight-play, 53-yard touchdown drive.</p>
<p>Manuel completed two passes and pulled off a nine-yard run, including a third-and-12 conversion to <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/4891/bert-reed" class="sbn-auto-link">Bert Reed</a>. A strong Reed kick return to the Virginia Tech 37 set the drive up to begin with, so he provided a fitting bookend.</p>
<p>Manuel is now 11 of 16 for 191 yards in relief of <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/4827/christian-ponder" class="sbn-auto-link">Christian Ponder</a>. That interception aside, especially since it wasn’t entirely his fault, he’s certainly playing well and hanging in there opposite the conference’s Player of the Year.</p>
<p>In other news, the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/connecticut-huskies" class="sbn-auto-link">Connecticut Huskies</a> are closing in on a possible Big East title. If they hang on, they will likely face the winner of this game in the Orange Bowl.</p>
https://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2010/12/4/1855723/acc-championship-game-virginia-tech-vs-florida-state-tyrod-taylor-andJason Kirk2010-12-04T21:56:34-05:002010-12-04T21:56:34-05:00ACC Championship Game, Virginia Tech Vs. Florida State: Tyrod Taylor Opens Second Half With A Bang
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/virginia-tech-hokies">Virginia Tech Hokies</a> got right back to it in the third quarter, with QB <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/5561/tyrod-taylor">Tyrod Taylor</a> lobbing a 45-yard catch-and-run touchdown to a wide open <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/5588/danny-coale">Danny Coale</a>, sealing a seven-play, 67-yard scoring drive. Taylor now has two touchdowns and 161 yards passing on only 16 attempts, 97 of those yards to Coale, who’s only seven yards away from a new season high. The <span class="caps">FSU</span> pass rush nabbed Taylor twice at the end of the first half, but he’s back to his un-sacky, poor-man’s-Cam-Newton ways here in the second.</p>
<p>The Hokies are up to 111 yards rushing, led by <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/5594/darren-evans">Darren Evans</a>’ 62 on only four attempts. I would write something about how many yards the Noles just produced, but they punted the ball back to <span class="caps">VPI</span> by the time I got halfway through the second paragraph here. Tech has outgained <span class="caps">FSU</span> by 68 yards as this drive begins.</p>
https://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2010/12/4/1855687/acc-championship-game-virginia-tech-vs-florida-state-tyrod-taylorJason Kirk2010-12-04T20:53:40-05:002010-12-04T20:53:40-05:00ACC Championship Game, Virginia Tech Vs. Florida State: Hokies And Noles Trade Touchdowns
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<p>After <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/florida-st-seminoles">Florida St. Seminoles</a> RB Ty Jones ran in a two-yard touchdown to cap a 68-yard drive, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/virginia-tech-hokies">Virginia Tech Hokies</a> QB <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/5561/tyrod-taylor">Tyrod Taylor</a> responded with a 19-yard pass to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/38936/jarrett-boykin">Jarrett Boykin</a>. The Hokies traveled 91 yards in 13 plays, the second-longest drive in <span class="caps">ACC</span> Championship Game history.</p>
<p><span class="caps">FSU</span> QB <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/36085/e-j-manuel">E.J. Manuel</a> completed three straight passes on the Noles scoring drive, of 6, 21, and 34 yards. Taylor completed five throws on the Hokies drive, the longest a 28-yarder to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/5588/danny-coale">Danny Coale</a>. Taylor has been effective in the pocket, avoiding a Noles pass rush that has led the nation in sacks for almost the entire season.</p>
<p>The Hokies have outgained <span class="caps">FSU</span> 183 yards to 128, and are up on in the turnover battle. Manuel has 122 total yards, while <span class="caps">VPI</span> RB <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/5594/darren-evans">Darren Evans</a> has a game-high 60 yards rushing, leading the Hokies’ 100 yards on the ground. <span class="caps">FSU</span> WR Taiwan Easterling leads all receivers with 56 yards.</p>
https://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2010/12/4/1855621/acc-championship-game-virginia-tech-vs-florida-state-hokies-and-nolesJason Kirk2010-12-04T20:26:23-05:002010-12-04T20:26:23-05:00ACC Championship Game, Virginia Tech Vs. Florida State: E.J. Manuel Pick Six And Darren Evans TD
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<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/florida-st-seminoles">Florida St. Seminoles</a> QB <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/36085/e-j-manuel">E.J. Manuel</a> threw a pick on his fifth pass, returned 24 yards for a score by Jeron Gouvela-Winslow. It’s hard to say whether <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/4827/christian-ponder">Christian Ponder</a> could’ve avoided the pick six, as the ball was tipped into Gouvela-Winslow’s hands anyway. Manuel is now two of five today, with two interceptions this year. Ponder threw eight picks in 294 attempts.</p>
<p>After Virginia Tech got the ball back near midfield, RB <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/5594/darren-evans">Darren Evans</a> dashed 51 yards into scoring territory, then finished the drive off on his next carry. He has 60 yards on just two carries.</p>
<p>With Gouvela-Winslow’s pick six, the Hokies tied the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/alabama-crimson-tide">Alabama Crimson Tide</a>’s nation-leading 21 interceptions on the season. They also moved into fourth in interception return yardage. No matter how disappointing the beginning of a Hokies season may be, at least <span class="caps">VPI</span> fans will always have Beamerball. The Hokies have an outstanding record during Frank Beamer’s tenure in games featuring defensive touchdowns.</p>
https://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2010/12/4/1855586/acc-championship-game-virginia-tech-vs-florida-state-e-j-manuel-pickJason Kirk2010-12-04T20:05:48-05:002010-12-04T20:05:48-05:00ACC Championship Game, Virginia Tech Vs. Florida State: E.J. Manuel Leads Successful First Drive
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<p>Christian Ponder not playing hasn't hurt Florida State so far. Seminoles fans can thank E.J. Manuel for that.</p>
<p>The sophomore quarterback led an impressive first drive deep into Virginia Tech territory, and made a great throw to the corner of the end zone on a fade that would have given Florida State its first touchdown of the day. Alas, it was dropped by Taiwan Easterling, forcing the Seminoles to settle for a field goal, which Dustin Hopkins pounded home from 32 yards out.</p>
<p>It's a 3-0 lead for the Seminoles in Charlotte, and a promising start for Manuel, whose two incompletions on the six-play, 53-yard drive were both drops.</p>
<p>Points may be at a premium in the ACC Championship Game, with a slippery turf making offensive execution a bit harder. If Manuel can keep FSU moving like he did on the first drive, the Seminoles might get just enough to win and claim the ACC's automatic BCS bowl berth.</p>
https://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2010/12/4/1855563/acc-championship-game-virginia-tech-vs-florida-state-e-j-manuel-first-quarterAndy Hutchins2010-12-04T19:55:38-05:002010-12-04T19:55:38-05:00ACC Championship Game, Virginia Tech Vs. Florida State: E.J. Manuel To Start, Christian Ponder Sits
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<p>Florida State has had a remarkable season, especially considering the somewhat shaky health of Christian Ponder, their erstwhile Heisman candidate at quarterback. And tonight, the Seminoles will have to do without Ponder in the ACC Championship Game.</p>
<p>Citing the long-term health of Ponder, considered a likely NFL quarterback, Florida State will start redshirt sophomore E.J. Manuel against Virginia Tech. That's a decision that would make 'Noles fans cringe if Manuel hadn't been excellent in relief so far: he's 4-1 as a starter for Florida State, and his lone loss came at top-ranked Florida last season.</p>
<p>And Manuel may have some extra motivation to play well against Virginia Tech: he's from Virginia Beach, and, as a mobile quarterback more known for his legs than his arm, would have been a suitable heir to Michael Vick as a Hokie. But he elected to take his talents to Tallahassee.</p>
<p>And tonight, in the ACC Championship Game, he might be able to show Virginia Tech what it's missing.</p>
https://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2010/12/4/1855551/acc-championship-game-virginia-tech-vs-florida-state-e-j-manuelAndy Hutchins