Williams scores four TDs and No. 16 Hokies send seniors out with 38-10 victory against NC St

Williams lifts No. 16 Hokies past Wolfpack, 38-10

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Ryan Williams ran for 120 yards and four touchdowns and helped make sure No. 16 Virginia Tech would send its 21 seniors out of Lane Stadium with a win one last time as the Hokies beat North Carolina State 38-10 Saturday.

The Hokies (8-3, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) also got a career-best day from wide receiver Jarrett Boykin, who caught six passes for 164 yards and a touchdown, and from linebacker Cody Grimm, who forced an NCAA-record three fumbles in his final home game.

N.C. State (4-7, 1-6) lost its second straight and for the sixth time in seven games. The Wolfpack allowed at least 30 points for the eighth game in a row, and struggled on offense, turning the ball over four times and allowing five sacks of Russell Wilson.

The victory was Virginia Tech’s third in a row, keeping them on pace for a sixth consecutive 10-win season provided they also win at Virginia next Saturday and then in a bowl game.

Williams, who carried 32 times, came up with the play of the day in the third quarter. On a second-and-6 from the NC State 19, he went around the left side and was grabbed from behind by safety Earl Wolff at about the 12. Wolff seemed to maintain a hold on Williams’ jersey the rest of the way, but the tailback dragged him all the way into the end zone.

On their next possession, the Hokies drove 97 yards in just six plays, with Tyrod Taylor hitting Boykin for 26 yards early in the drive, and then again for 38 yards and the touchdowns.

Before the day was over, the Wolfpack replaced Wilson with Mike Glennon, the younger brother of former Hokies quarterback Sean Glennon. On his first snap, Glennon dropped back and was promptly drilled by reserve linebacker Mark Muncey for an 8-yard sack.

The Hokies started fast, even winning the coin flip for the first time in 11 games. They elected to kick, and on the first play, Grimm sacked Wilson, forced him to fumble and recovered it at the Wolfpack 34. Seven plays later, Matt Waldron kicked a 26-yard field goal.

Grimm forced another fumble on N.C. State’s third play, a pass completion to Darrell Davis, and Stephan Virgil recovered, setting the Hokies up at the Wolfpack 25. This time it set up Williams’ 4-yard TD run to make it 10-0 after just 7:05.

Grimm matched a record, according to Virginia Tech, when he forced Toney Baker to fumble on N.C. State’s fourth play, but the Wolfpack got the ball back this time. Wilson, a native of Richmond, then led them on an 81-yard drive, capped by his 20-yard TD throw to a wide open Owen Spencer.

It was all downhill for the visitors after that.

Williams added a pair of 1-yard scoring runs before halftime, and the Wolfpack threatened only one other time. Wilson hit Spencer for 48 yards to the Hokies 16, but Chris Drager sacked him for a 15-yard loss on third down-and-7 from the 13, and N.C. State had to settle for a 45-yard field goal by Josh Czajkowski that pulled the Wolfpack within 17-10.