The Western Michigan game - updated 9/28 at 3:30 p.m.

September 28, 2014

Football: #HokieHuddle

Highlights from the Virginia Tech-Western Michigan game

Photo gallery - Virginia Tech-Western Michigan

Photo gallery - 2014 Homecoming Festivities

Virginia Tech Postgame Notes

• Virginia Tech wore white helmets with a chrome orange logo, plus orange jerseys and white pants. Tech is now 3-0 all-time wearing the white-orange-white combination.

• Luther Maddy (knee) did not dress after having surgery on Tuesday. It broke a 19-game start streak for the senior defensive tackle. Der’Woun Greene made his first collegiate start, coming in place of Kyshoen Jarrett (coach’s decision). Jarrett’s streak of 30-straight starts was snapped with him not starting.

• Kyle Chung and Curtis Williams dressed for the first time in their careers Saturday. Neither played in the first game.

• Andrew Motuapuaka scooped up a fumble on the opening kickoff and scored just 8 seconds into the game. It’s the fastest Virginia Tech has ever scored under head coach Frank Beamer, topping a touchdown 18 seconds into the 1999 game against Rutgers when Michael Vick connected with André Davis on a 74-yard pass.

• The touchdown by Motuapuaka was the 136th non-offensive touchdown under Beamer and the 52nd on special teams. It was the first fumble return for a touchdown on special teams ever under Beamer. Motuapuaka becomes the 40th different player under Beamer to score on special teams.

• Motuapuaka’s fumble return for a score is the first by the Hokies since Orion Martin did it against Boston College in the 2008 ACC Championship Game.

• When Western Michigan scored in the first quarter, it marked the first time in four contests the Broncos have scored against the Hokies.

• Detrick Bonner recorded his fifth career interception late in the second quarter.

• The Homecoming king and queen were announced at halftime. They are: King - Nate Weiner, Alpha Epsilon Pi; Queen - Jenna Zschaebitz, Sigma Kappa

• True freshman Isaiah Ford hauled in his fourth touchdown pass of the season.

• All four of Tech’s touchdowns Saturday were scored by freshman. Fourteern of the first 18 touchdowns on the season have been scored by freshmen (15 of 18 by underclassmen).

• The last time Virginia Tech rushed for 300 or more yards was in 2010 when the Hokies ran for 317 yards against NC State. The 308 yards rushing are the most under Scot Loeffler as the Hokies’ offensive coordinator.

• Marshawn Williams broke the 100-yard plateau in rushing on Saturday, running for a career-high119 yards on just 14 carries (8.5 ypc).

• Daniel Braverman finished with 100 yards receiving, marking the third-straight game an opposing receiver has topped the century mark against the Hokies. Georgia Tech’s DeAndre Smelter (101) did it last week and ECU’s Cam Worthy (224) did it the week before.

• Freshman running back Shai McKenzie suffered a sprained right knee. He will be re-evaluated on Sunday.

Hokies snap streak by beating Western Michigan

Michael Brewer threw two touchdown passes and Marshawn Williams rushed for 119 yards to lead Virginia Tech to a 35-17 win over Western Michigan.

The victory snapped a two-game losing streak for the Hokies, who hadn’t won since knocking off then-No. 8 Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio.

Williams recorded his first 100-yard rushing game as a Hokie and paced a Tech rushing attack that finished with a season-high 308 yards rushing. Shai McKenzie added 87 yards rushing on 18 carries, including a 4-yard touchdown run.

Tech’s two third-quarter touchdowns broke open a relatively close game, enabling the Hokies to take an 18-10 lead and extended it to 32-10.

Joey Slye hit two field goals for the Hokies, including one in the fourth quarter, and Bucky Hodges caught four passes for 88 yards and a score.

Brewer completed 14-of-32 for 178 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Tech’s defense held Western Michigan to just 231 yards of total offense, including only 19 rushing.

Tech takes control in the third quarter

Virginia Tech took control of the game with two third-quarter touchdowns, taking an eight-point halftime bulge and extending it to a 32-10 lead after three quarters of play.

The Hokies’ best drive of the game came midway through the third quarter. An 11-play drive went 80 yards and ended with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Michael Brewer to Isaiah Ford. That was the lone pass on the drive, as the Hokies ran the ball 10 straight times.

On their next possession, the Hokies went 68 yards in nine plays, and the drive ended with a 4-yard touchdown run by Shai McKenzie.

The Hokies ran the ball for 118 yards in the third quarter and were up to 199 for the game. Marshawn Williams leads the way with 96 yards rushing.

Brewer has thrown for 149 yards and two touchdowns, with two interceptions.

Virginia Tech Halftime Notes

• Virginia Tech is wearing white helmets with a chrome orange logo, plus orange jerseys and white pants. Tech is 2-0 all-time wearing the white-orange-white combination.

• Kyle Chung and Curtis Williams dressed for the first time in their careers Saturday. Neither played in the first half.

• The touchdown by Motuapuaka was the 136th non-offensive touchdown under Beamer and the 52nd on special teams. It was the first fumble return for a touchdown on special teams ever under Beamer. He becomes the 40th different player under Beamer to score on special teams.

• Motuapuaka’s fumble return for a score is the first by the Hokies since Orion Martin did it against Boston College in the 2008 ACC Championship Game.

• When Western Michigan scored in the first quarter, it marked the first time in four contests the Broncos have scored against the Hokies.

• Detrick Bonner recorded his seventh career interception late in the second quarter. He is the career leader among current players, breaking a tie with Kendall Fuller (6).

• The Homecoming king and queen were announced at halftime. They are: King - Nate Weiner, Alpha Epsilon Pi; Queen - Jenna Zschaebitz, Sigma Kappa

Hokies take the lead into the locker room at halftime

There wasn’t much to report from the second quarter, as neither Virginia Tech’s nor Western Michigan’s offenses got much going. In fact, the Hokies had just 43 yards of offense in the second quarter.

Western Michigan used a drive late in the half to cutting into the Hokies’ lead. A 61-yard drive ended with a 36-yard field goal by Andrew Haldeman with five seconds left, making the score 18-10 at halftime in favor of Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech squandered a chance to add some points late in the half, but Michael Brewer threw his second interception of the game, killing the drive with 1:07 left in the half. That turnover set up Western Michigan’s half-ending field goal.

Western Michigan had just 90 yards of offense in the first half – 61 coming on that final drive. The Hokies had 176 yards in the first half.

Tech quarterback Michael Brewer completed just 8-of-21 for 95 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions in the first half. Marshawn Williams led Tech with 44 yards rushing on five carries.

Western Michigan quarterback Zach Terrell completed 10-of-19 for 96 yards, with an interception in the first half.

Hokies up after a quarter

Virginia Tech got off to the quickest possible start, scoring on the opening kickoff when Western Michigan’s Donald Celiscar fumbled the ball, and Tech’s Andrew Motuapuaka picked it up. Motuapuaka rumbled 11 yards into the end zone, and though the Hokies missed the extra point, they led 6-0 just eight seconds into the game.

The touchdown marked the fastest that the Hokies had scored under coach Frank Beamer.

Special teams issues got the better of Western Michigan again, this time on the ensuing drive. The Broncos went three-and-out, and long snapper Wyatt Pfeifer snapped the ball over the head of punter J. Schroeder. The ball went out of the end zone for a Virginia Tech safety, giving the Hokies an 8-0 lead.

Tech added a 37-yard field goal by Joey Slye a couple of minutes later to take an 11-0 lead.

Western Michigan got on the board by taking advantage of Tech quarterback Michael Brewer’s ninth interception of the season. Ronald Zamort returned the interception to the Tech 3, and Jarvion Franklin scored three plays later on a 1-yard run to cut the Tech lead to 11-7 with 4:15 left in the first quarter.

Brewer, though, answered with a 29-yard touchdown pass to tight end Bucky Hodges toward the end of the first quarter. The extra point gave the Hokies an 18-7 lead after a quarter.

Brewer completed 5-of-11 for 77 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. The Hokies had 133 yards of offense in the first quarter. Western Michigan had just three.

In other news, Tech rover Kyshoen Jarrett did not play in the first quarter. Jarrett was replaced in the starting lineup by Der’Woun Green, a redshirt sophomore from Portsmouth, Virginia, who was making his first career start. More to come on that.

Facyson not dressing out for Western Michigan

As was the case in the last game versus Georgia Tech, 74 players made the dress squad for the Hokies’ tilt this afternoon against Western Michigan.

There were some changes to the dress squad, however, as neither cornerback Brandon Facyson nor defensive tackle Luther Maddy are on the dress squad. In regards to Maddy, that comes as no surprise. He underwent knee surgery earlier this week and will be out 2-4 weeks.

Facyson has been bother by a leg injury since spring practice and hasn’t been 100 percent, even though he started the first three games of the season. Tech’s staff held him out of last week’s game against Georgia Tech and decided not to put him on the dress squad for today’s game. In all likelihood, the staff will pursue a medical hardship waiver, and Tech’s compliance office feels good about that being granted.

With Facyson out, Tech’s staff decided to put Curtis Williams, a sophomore from Amelia, Virginia, on the dress squad. Williams, a walk-on cornerback, will wear No. 25.

Also, for the first time this season, Kyle Chung made the dress squad. Chung, an offensive lineman from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, has been recovering from a shoulder injury suffered last spring. He will wear No. 61.

Others not making the dress squad because of injuries include Vinny Mihota (ankle) and Dahman McKinnon (knee). Tech’s staff had planned to redshirt Mihota anyway, but Maddy’s injury left many to speculate that Mihota would make the dress squad as an emergency defensive tackle. Mihota’s injury, though, makes that a moot point.

Moorehead and Western Michigan coach Fleck renew acquaintances

Virginia Tech’s game against Western Michigan on Saturday will allow two Chicago area natives to renew acquaintances.

Tech receivers coach Aaron Moorehead and Western Michigan head coach P.J. Fleck both hail from the Windy City, are good friends and are the same age. In fact, Moorehead is older by exactly 24 days. Both played receiver in high school, with Moorehead playing at Deerfield High School and Fleck playing at Kaneland High School. Fleck set a state record with 95 catches for 1,548 yards and 16 touchdowns at Kaneland his senior season. He led Kaneland to state titles in 1997 and 1998.

Moorehead (in the photo above), as Tech fans know, went on to play college football at the University of Illinois, while Fleck played at Northern Illinois.

“I’ve known him since we were 16, 17 years old,” Moorehead said. “He played at Northern Illinois and I played at Illinois. We played against them once [in college]. When you’re playing in high school, you know the local guys. You have buddies on your team that know them. We’ve crossed paths so many times.

“He’s a guy that works his butt off. The guy has gone from being at Northern Illinois to Rutgers to the Tampa Bay Bucs, and now he’s the head guy at Western Michigan. I called him and congratulated him when he got the job. P.J. is a hard worker, and he’s going to be a heckuva head coach. Western Michigan is not going to be his last stop.”

The two squared off once in college. Illinois beat Northern Illinois 17-12 in Champaign, Illinois, in 2001. NIU actually led the game going into the fourth quarter. Fleck caught seven passes for 67 yards, while Moorehead did not catch a pass.

“It was a lot closer than it should have been, and that was the year we won the Big Ten,” Moorehead said. “I think we won 17-12. They were OK that year. They weren’t real, real good, but they had some good talented players. We were at home, and they almost beat us. That was the year we went to the Sugar Bowl.”

Illinois went 10-1 during the regular season in 2001 and won the Big Ten championship. The Illini lost to LSU 47-34 in the Sugar Bowl.

Moorehead said on Tuesday that he didn’t plan on contacting Fleck until the two saw each other on the field during warm-ups before the game.

“We’re so competitive,” Moorehead said. “I don’t know if we have much to talk about this week. We both want

to win. I’ll talk to him before the game obviously, but I tell you, he’s probably so focused on getting those guys ready and having the right mindset. I don’t even think he’d take my call. I follow him on Twitter, so I know what he’s saying.”

Fleck (photo on the right) is in his second year as the Western Michigan coach. The Broncos went 1-11 in hisfirst season, but are 2-2 heading into the matchup with the Hokies.

“He’s a Chicago guy, and at Western Michigan, you have to be able to recruit Chicago, which is probably why they love him,” Moorehead said. “He’s youngand energetic. He’s a good-looking guy. He’d be a great guy to represent your university regardless of whether you’re at Western Michigan or at Alabama or Virginia Tech. The guy has an energy about him. He’s going to go far.”

More “Throwback Thursday,” Homecoming style – 5 moments from past Homecomings

As most know, this season marks the 50^th season of Lane Stadium, and since today is “Throwback Thursday,” #Hokie Huddle decided to focus on five great Homecoming memories from yesteryear. Take a look at these five and tweet back your thoughts (#HokieHomecoming):

• Oct. 23, 1965 – This was the first Homecoming game at Lane Stadium, and the Gobblers (as they were known then) were taking on rival Virginia – which was making its first appearance in Blacksburg in 27 years. Then-Governor Albertis Harrison was in attendance, as the game also marked the inaugural “Governor’s Day” (which eventually was phased away). Harrison, then-VPI president Dr. T. Marshall Hahn and other dignitaries dedicated Lane Stadium, naming in honor of Edward T. Lane and his family. TheLane family owned a lucrative furniturebusiness in Altavista, Virginia, and made a substantial contribution for the building of the stadium.

The Gobblers took care of the Cavaliers 22-14, amassing 400 yards of offense – a rarity in those days. Bobby Owens rushed for two touchdowns (runs of 1 and 24 yards), getting the Gobblers off to a 1

5-0 lead. Then Owens threw a 71-yard touchdown pass to Tommy Groom, the first passing touchdown and first touchdown reception in the history of Lane Stadium.

Dickie Longerbeam added 164 yards rushing on 28 carries, and the Gobblers held the Cavaliers to just 280 yards.

Fifty years later, the players on the 1965 remember a few details on the first game at Lane Stadium, a 9-7 win over William & Mary. But most of them remember every detail of what occurred on that October day against the Cavaliers.

• Oct. 14, 1972 – The Gobblers notched one of the program’s biggest victories at the time, stunning No. 19 Oklahoma State when Dave Strock (photo below) hit an 18-yard field goal with 12 seconds left to lift VPI to the upset.

The field goal capped a crazy final two minutes. Strock missed a 32-yard field goal on the Gobblers’ previous possession. But the Cowboys jumped offside, giving Strock another chance. This one, tho

ugh, was blocked, and recovered at the Oklahoma State 2 with 1:10 left in the game.

Amazingly, the Gobblers forced a fumble on a hit by Tom Shirley, and Donnie Sprouse recovered. James Barber ran the ball three straight times for the Gobblers and got to the 1, setting up Strock’s game-winning attempt.

Don Strock, the younger brother of Dave and the record-setting quarterback of the team, threw for 355 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

• Oct. 14, 1995 – The Tech football team made its fans happy on a soggy afternoon, scoring a modern-day school-record 77 points against overmatched Akron in a 77-27 victory. The 77 points are the most ever scored in a game at Lane Stadium.

This affair resembled a video game. Tech led 47-0 at halftime. The Hokies scored 11 touchdowns and rushed for eight touchdowns, both school records. They finished with 453 yards rushing and 638 yardsof total offense. The backup quarterback, Al Clark (photo on the right), rushed for 120 yards on just six carries. The starting quarterback, Jim Druckenmiller was taken out of the game with 13 minutes left – in the first half.

In short, the only suspense in this one was who would be named Homecoming king and queen at halftime.

• Oct. 16, 1999 – This is one of the most memorable days in Tech history for a couple of reasons.

For starters, ESPN Gameday made its first visit to Blacksburg. A then-Gameday record crowd of 13,000 fans came to Lane Stadium to be a part of those show, which featured Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit. Corso and Herbstreit played up to the crowd during the morning show, getting them prepped for the evening’s affair with Syracuse.

Then, the game was all Tech. The No. 4-ranked Hokies crushed the No. 16-ranked Syracuse Orangemen 62-0, jumping out to a 31-0 lead at halftime. Tech’s defense, led by John Engelberger (photo on the right) held Syracuse to 34 yards of offense in the first half and 120 for the game. Shyrone Stith paced a Tech offense that rushed for 276 yards by rumbling for 140. Michael Vick completed 8-of-16 for 135 yards and rushed for just 6 yards – pedestrian numbers for him. But the Hokies didn’t need him to do much on this evening.

The win marked Tech’s largest margin of victory since a 73-0 win over Catholic University in 1922. It was the second-largest margin of victory ever by any team over an opponent ranked in The Associated Press poll.

• Oct. 14, 2003 – Syracuse again was the victim of a happy Hokie Homecoming, as the Hokies blasted the Orangemen 51-7.

DeAngelo Hall (photo on the right), now with the Washington Redskins, propelled Tech to a 21-0 first-quarter lead, and the Hokies went on to the rout. Hall returned back-to-back punts for touchdowns, as his 58-yard return gave Tech a 14-0 lead and his 60-yarder enabled the Hokies to lead 21-0 after a quarter.

Hall also scored a third touchdown. In the third quarter, he scored on a 24-yard reverse – Hall played both ways at times that season. He scored seven touchdowns in his career (four on punt returns, one on an interception return, one receiving and one rushing).

Kevin Jones took care of most of the Hokies’ 439 yards of offense. He rushed for 131 yards on 19 carries, and he scored on touchdown runs of 33 and 25 yards.

Syracuse amassed just 172 yards of offense.

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— VT Football (@VT_Football) September 25, 2014

This Saturday’s game with Western Michigan serves as the Homecoming game for the Hokies, who have celebrated Homecoming annually in Blacksburg since 1952.

The Tech athletics department has a variety of ways to commemorate the event. Fans are encouraged to tweet photos of their favorite past Homecoming experiences for the next 12 hours and use the hashtag #HokieHomecoming. Select photos will be shown on a splash page hokiesports.com this Friday and also in a “Memories and Moments” video to be played at halftime during the game on Saturday. Plus, select photos will be shown on the video scoreboard as part of Tech’s Postano in-game feature.

Here is a clip of that “Memories and Moments” video:

Also, a little later on Thursday, the #HokieHuddle will feature five great Homecoming moments from the past. So check back this evening for that. Feel free to tweet your favorite past Homecoming games as well, using the hashtag above.

The athletics department also wants to remind fans that the Homecoming Parade starts at 9 a.m. Saturday in downtown Blacksburg and that the downtown area will be blocked off from vehicular traffic from Eheart St. to Faculty St. shortly before the parade starts.

So come early, wear orange and be ready to create another great Homecoming experience! A limited number of tickets are available, and for those wishing to purchase tickets, please go to www.hokietickets.com.

For updates on Virginia Tech football, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_Football