Virginia Tech
Hokies

"Holding that crowd to three points is special," coach Frank Beamer said. "You've got to give the defense credit for being relentless. They played the right gap and got to the football."

After being gashed by the running game in losses to Georgia Tech and North Carolina, the Hokies took some positive steps at East Carolina. While they still allowed 110 yards on 31 rushes, it's a drastic improvement over the 245.5 yards per game they yielded the previous two contests.

Most importantly, Virginia Tech improved on third down, permitting the Pirates to convert just 4-of-14. That's far better than the combined 18-for-34 which Georgia Tech and UNC made in the last two games.

As a result, the Hokie defense stayed on the field just over 25 minutes, about 12 minutes fewer than the consecutive defeats.

"Tonight was very important for us," cornerback Rashad Carmichael said. "Getting this win means the pressure is off us. We're at the point where we're just playing the game for the game. We want to win the rest of the games."

There's a good chance that will happen. The Hokies' final three games are at Maryland, against N.C. State and at Virginia -- the three worst teams in the ACC.

Win those and Tech will end up 9-3 and probably go to the Chick-fil-A or Gator Bowl with a chance for its sixth straight 10-win season. While that's a consolation prize, it's still better than the direction in which the year might have headed had it lost at ECU.

--LT Ed Wang graded tops among the offensive linemen at 88 percent against East Carolina, registering four knockdown blocks. Wang also picked up his weekly penalty, getting nailed for a leg-whip which ended a promising second half drive.

SERIES HISTORY: Maryland 15-14 (last meeting, 2008, 23-13 Virginia Tech).

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: The unit went back to basics last week, emphasizing the run and winning the scrimmage line against a veteran ECU defense. It resulted in 242 yards on the ground and an advantage of nearly 10 minutes in time of possession. The one negative was repeated inefficiency, as the Hokies failed to score on three separate drives in Pirate territory -- the third straight game that's occurred.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: Tech made its necessary improvements at East Carolina, shedding blocks much better and not missing as many tackles. It also performed much better on third down, allowing just 4-of-14 conversion. As a result, the Hokies allowed just three points against a capable offensive team and snapped their losing streak. The trick is to maintain that type of performance for the last three regular season games.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We had some mistakes, but we had a lot of good plays as well. This was a real good all-around game for us." -- LB Cody Grimm on the defensive improvement in last week's win at East Carolina.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

QB Tyrod Taylor -- Given opportunities to run by East Carolina's defensive scheme, Taylor took advantage with 61 rushing yards and the game's only touchdown last week. If Maryland opts for man coverage like the Pirates did, Taylor's legs might be a big factor again.

DT Cordarrow Thompson -- If Terps QB Chris Turner can't play, backup Jamarr Robinson will make his first career start. That means Maryland would likely turn to its running game, which means Thompson must hold his ground at the scrimmage line and help the LB corps make plays.

S Kam Chancellor -- This would be a good week for Chancellor to make plays instead of missing tackles, as he's done at times this year. Chancellor missed at least three tackles at East Carolina which led to bigger plays or first downs. He can -- and needs to -- play at a higher level.

ROSTER REPORT:

--C Beau Warren (ankle) is listed behind Michael Via on the depth chart, although there seems to be more hope he'll be able to play this week. Warren sat out at East Carolina with an injury suffered against North Carolina Oct. 29.

--DT John Graves (ankle) is expected to start, but how long he goes is anyone's guess. Graves didn't play very long at East Carolina, being replaced during the opening series by Demetrius Taylor. Graves' injury probably won't fully heal until the bowl game.

--CB Stephan Virgil (knee) is also playing with a nagging injury, but is expected to get the start at Maryland. Virgil finished with three stops in the win at East Carolina.