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Oct. 2, 1999
By HANK KURZ Jr.
AP Sports Writer
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) – Corey Moore hopes the secret is finally out.
Four games into the season, including two on national television, Moorefigures it’s time people realized that Shyrone Stith can play with anybody.
Stith ran for 113 yards and a career-best three touchdowns Saturday nightand joined quarterback Michael Vick in taking the spotlight away from thenation’s top-ranked defense in No. 8 Virginia Tech’s 31-7 victory against No.24 Virginia that wasn’t that close.
“You guys talked all week about (Virginia tailback) Thomas Jones being oneof the best backs in the country,” Moore said. “I don’t disagree with that,but we play against one of the best backs in the country every day inpractice.”
Stith topped 100 yards for the fourth time in as many games, becoming thefirst Hokies rusher to do that since Mickey Fitzgerald in 1977, and caught a25-yard pass to set up one of his three short scoring runs in the opening half.
“They tried to stop us on the ground. They did somewhat, but we just put itin the air. You can’t concentrate on just one person. It’s not a basketballteam,” said Stith, who is averaging 130 yards per game and has scored fiveTDs.
Vick, the much heralded left-hander who tried to force the issue and playedpoorly when the Hokies beat Clemson 10 days ago, was much more composed thistime, letting plays develop and completing 7-of-9 for 222 yards.
“I just let things happen,” he said. “I just played within myself …trusted my offensive line, trusted my receivers, trusted my reads and came upbig.”
Vick and Stith essentially finished Virginia with a 28-point first half thatsilenced the crowd of 51,800, the largest in the history of Scott Stadium.
Vick and Andre Davis got things going with a perfectly thrown 60-yard bomb,the speedy Davis making a fingertip grab two steps behind Tim Spruill. It wasthe first touchdown pass of Vick’s career, and the sophomore Davis’ second TD.
From there, Stith took over, capping a 39-yard march set up by a short puntwith a 1-yard burst up the middle to make it 14-0, then adding twosecond-quarter scoring plunges after Vick led the Hokies on drives of 80 and 60yards.
Moore also offered high praise for Vick and the Hokies’ offensive line,saying the unit’s play made it easier for the redshirt freshman to do histhing.
“He had time back there to get a drink, wave up in the stands,” he said.”Vick’s the leader on that side of the ball. He’s well mature past his age andhe’s got a good grasp on the offense. He’s dangerous. He’s dangerous.”
Virginia’s banged-up defense, meanwhile, seemed to be playing back on itsheels after Vick hit Davis for the 60-yarder, coach George Welsh said.
“Maybe the defense was thinking, `Here we go again,”‘ Welsh said.
Unlike a year ago, when Virginia rallied from a 29-7 halftime deficit forits biggest comeback ever, 36-32 in Blacksburg, Va., there was no rally thistime.
The Hokies’ top-ranked defense, which came in allowing just 164.7 yards pergame, held Virginia to 213 yards, including just 83 for Jones on 23 carries.
“That’s the best defense I’ve faced,” said Jones, fifth nationally with anaverage of 155 rushing yards per game. “They play fast.”
Virginia, coming off a 45-40 victory at BYU that got the Cavaliers back intothe national rankings, closed to 14-7 early in the second quarter on Dan Ellis’fourth-down, 1-yard pass to Billy Baber, but didn’t threaten again.
“They put up 45 points on BYU. They put up 7 on us. Enough said,” saidHokies linebacker Jamel Smith, who shared the team lead with seven tackles.
With the Cavaliers’ offensive line often double-teaming Moore, the rest ofthe Hokies frequently got into the Virginia backfield. Ellis was sacked twicein the first half, then four more time during the second half.
The Cavaliers, missing as many as seven defensive starters because ofinjuries and suspensions, also were without leading tackler Yubrenal Isabelle,who was in his native Bluefield, W.Va., following the death of his mother onThursday.