Vick Goes a Long Way to Put Signature on Hokies’ Victory

Michael Vick ran for a career-best 210 yards and three touchdowns--the final one a darting and dashing 82-yarder in the fourth quarter--as No. 4 Virginia Tech held off Boston College, 48-34, in a Big East game Saturday at Boston.

The Heisman Trophy frontrunner, who had 12 carries for 115 yards in the first half and four for 95 in the second, might have delivered his signature play with just over 11 minutes left.

On third and 12 from the Virginia Tech 18 and the Hokies ahead by 15 points, Vick eluded one defender at the line, jumped over another player and then took off for the end zone.

By the time he reached the 10, cornerback Lenny Walls was waiting. But Vick faked right, then left as Walls spun around and managed to grab only a facemask as the quarterback ran into the end zone.

Vick’s rushing yardage was a school record for quarterbacks and third highest for any Hokie.

Early on, Vick was visibly upset over dropped balls, poor pass routes and the pounding he was taking from the Eagles’ defense. But he overcame his frustrations--and a left knee injury scare--and led the Hokies, 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the Big East, on three second-quarter scoring drives that turned a tie game into a 35-20 lead over the Eagles (2-2, 0-2) at halftime.

EAST

James Jackson ran for two touchdowns and caught one of Ken Dorsey’s three touchdown passes as No. 10 Miami (3-1, 2-0) handed Rutgers (2-3, 0-3) its worst home loss in 112 years, 64-6, in a Big East game at Piscataway, N.J. Miami scored touchdowns on its first five possessions in jumping to a 41-0 halftime lead as it prepared for next Saturday’s game against No. 2 Florida State. . . . LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 121 yards--65 below his season average--and scored a touchdown as No. 16 Texas Christian (4-0) sailed to a 24-0 victory over Navy (0-4) at Annapolis, Md. . . . Troy Nunes hooked up with Pat Woodcock on touchdown pass plays of 79 and 65 yards and James Mungro ran for two more scores as Syracuse (2-2) rolled to a 42-14 victory over Brigham Young (2-4) at Syracuse, N.Y. It was the first game BYU ever played in New York state. Syracuse jumped to a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter and easily ended a two-game losing streak.

Gavin Hoffman completed 25 of 29 passes for 335 yards and four touchdowns as Penn (2-1) recorded a 48-14 Ivy League victory over Dartmouth (0-3) at Philadelphia. . . . Peter Lee threw for three touchdowns and ran for a fourth as Yale (2-1) held off Holy Cross (3-1) for a 33-27 nonconference victory at New Haven, Conn. . . . Princeton (1-2, 1-0) scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to tie the game and then won, 27-24, in overtime over Columbia (1-2, 0-1) in an Ivy League game at New York. Columbia missed a field-goal try on the first possession of overtime. . . . Neil Rose threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more to lead Harvard (2-1) to a 42-19 victory over Lafayette (1-3) at Easton, Pa.

SOUTH

Woodrow Dantzler ran for three touchdowns and threw for another score as No. 7 Clemson (5-0, 3-0) rolled to a 52-22 ACC victory over Duke (0-5, 0-2) at Durham, N.C. . . . Joe Burns rushed for 123 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, two of them in the last four minutes, as Georgia Tech (3-2, 1-2) recorded a 42-28 ACC victory over North Carolina (3-2, 1-2) at Chapel Hill, N.C. . . . Virginia, which learned last week that Coach George Welsh’s job may be in jeopardy, rolled to a 27-10 victory over Wake Forest at Winston-Salem, N.C. Welsh’s job status came into question because of a letter posted by Athletic Director Terry Holland on a Web site. “I tried to put it out of my mind,” Welsh said. Welsh, 67, has a 131-82-3 record at Virginia since 1982. Antwoine Womack ran for a career-high 180 yards and a touchdown to lead the Cavaliers (3-2, 2-1), who have not lost to Wake Forest (0-4, 0-3) since 1983. The Demon Deacons, off to their worst start in 26 years, have been outscored, 137-47.

Dewayne Woods scored on a 52-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter and No. 21 Southern Mississippi (2-1, 1-0) again relied on its defense for a 24-3 Conference USA victory over Memphis (3-2, 0-0) at Hattiesburg, Miss. . . . Patrick Ramsey threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns as Tulane (2-2, 1-1) notched a 24-19 Conference USA victory over Cincinnati (2-3, 1-1) at New Orleans. Tulane’s defense sacked Cincinnati’s Adam Hoover five times. . . . Dave Ragone threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third score as Louisville (3-1) recorded a 41-22 victory over Connecticut (2-3) in a penalty-marred game at Louisville. The Cardinals tied a school record with 18 penalties, and the two teams combined for 29 penalties for 250 yards.

SOUTHWEST

A 35-yard field goal by Mike Clark with 4:50 to play gave Houston (2-3) a 17-15 victory over Southern Methodist (1-4) at Houston. SMU had its own chance for a winning field goal, but Jacob Crowley missed a 49-yarder with 1:34 to play. . . . Rocky Perez threw for 237 yards, including two touchdown passes to Lee Mays, leading Texas El Paso (3-2) to a 41-31 victory over New Mexico State (0-4) at El Paso.

MIDWEST

Justin McCareins caught four passes for 150 yards, including a 99-yard touchdown pass play in the third quarter, as Northern Illinois (2-2, 0-1) handed Ball State (0-4, 0-1) its 21st consecutive loss, 43-14, in the Mid-American Conference season-opener at Muncie, Ind. . . . Chester Taylor and Tavares Bolden each rushed for two touchdowns as Toledo (4-1, 1-1) recorded a 41-0 MAC victory over Central Michigan (1-4, 0-1) at Toledo, Ohio. . . . Brandon Payne rushed for 188 yards and three touchdowns, and Dwight Smith had two interceptions as Akron (3-2, 2-1) recorded a 37-20 victory over Miami (3-2, 2-1) in a MAC game at Akron, Ohio. . . . Byron Leftwich passed for a career-high 378 yards and Marshall (2-2, 1-0) compiled a season-high 631 yards in total offense to run its home winning streak to 33 games, tops in Division I-A, in a 47-14 MAC victory over Buffalo (1-4, 1-1) at Huntington, W.Va. . . . Janssen Patton had three interceptions, including one he returned 74 yards for a touchdown, in an 18-11 MAC victory for Bowling Green (1-4, 1-1) over Kent (0-5, 0-2) at Kent, Ohio.

WEST

Rahsaan Sanders ran for 116 yards and a touchdown and Pete Rebstock scored on a 66-yard punt return as Colorado State (3-1) rolled to a 45-14 nonconference victory over Nevada (1-3) at Reno. . . . Rudy Caamano threw three touchdown passes, Holman Wiggins rushed for a career-high 168 yards and New Mexico (3-3, 1-0) recorded a 45-10 victory over Wyoming (1-4, 0-1) in a Mountain West game at Albuquerque. . . . Marcus Arroyo threw for 363 yards and Jarmar Julien, playing in place of injured star Deonce Whitaker, rushed for three touchdowns as San Jose State (3-2, 1-0) recorded a 29-10 Big West victory over Rice (1-4, 0-2) at San Jose. . . . John Welsh tied a school with six first-half touchdown passes as Idaho (2-3) rolled to a 56-7 victory over Montana State (2-3) at Pullman, Wash. Welsh was 13 for 22 passes for 385 yards before coming out before halftime.

SOUTHLAND

Shane Griggs passed for 333 yards as Idaho State ended a 10-game road losing streak with a 31-30 overtime victory over Cal State Northridge in a Big Sky game at Northridge. Nick Whitworth went 25 yards on the first play of overtime for his second touchdown of the night for the Bengals (3-1, 2-1). The Matadors (1-3, 0-2) then marched downfield and matched the score with freshman Bruce Molock’s 15-yard touchdown run, but Derek Brown’s point-after attempt sailed wide left. Molock finished with 199 yards rushing, the most for a Matador since 1993. . . . Drake’s Billy Cundiff kicked three field goals, including a NCAA Division I-AA season best from 62 yards, as the Bulldogs (4-0, 1-0) rolled to a 52-12 victory over San Diego in a Pioneer League game at Des Moines, Iowa.