Tyrod Taylor was who the North Carolina defense thought he was.
He was the same dynamic, explosive playmaker the Tar Heels had faced the previous three seasons. And with the Virginia Tech offensive line holding UNC at bay for most of the game, the senior quarterback was the coolest guy on the field.
“He’s a really gifted athlete,” UNC coach Butch Davis said. “So you have to build your defensive philosophy of not allowing him to be able to drop back and pass and scramble and make a first down and keep the drive alive.”
The UNC defense grounded Taylor’s running game, as he rushed for a net of -3 yards and was sacked three times. But what he didn’t get with his feet he compensated with his arm, passing for 249 yards on 13 completions and two touchdowns.
On the Hokies’ first drive of the second half, Taylor took his team down the field in eight plays to UNC’s 11-yard-line. Again, he sat in the pocket bouncing on his feet like a boxer awaiting the first-round bell. The right jab ensued when Taylor found Marcus Davis in the middle of the end zone for Va. Tech’s first touchdown of the game.
“Watching him on the film, he does a lot more running,” senior linebacker Quan Sturdivant said. “Tonight he didn’t run as much so that was good on our part, but he still threw the ball and beat us. He’s a good player and you got to give him his credit.
Taylor was again the most comfortable man on the field with more than eight minutes left in the third. He faked the handoff as his line moved to the left, defending the Tar Heels’ best effort at the senior. Taylor lofted the ball down the left sideline to Danny Coale for a 43-yard gain that would eventually end with another Chris Hazley field goal.
After UNC forced the Hokies into only their second three-and-out of the game, Da’Norris Searcy’s muffed punt gave Virginia Tech the ball at the North Carolina 29-yard-line. Taylor handed the ball off the next four plays until his team faced a third down. Then, he relaxed.
With Sturdivant busting through the line like no other Tar Heel had all game, Taylor backpedaled softly and lobbed the ball to Davis at the goal line. The lack of effort Taylor seemed to have on the score only added to the deflating blow of the 16-point margin the Hokies had just created.