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Hokies Handle Hurricanes 44-14

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The Associated Press

Published: November 18, 2007

Updated: 11/18/2007 12:45 am

BLACKSBURG, Va. - Branden Ore ran for two touchdowns in his best performance of the season and No. 10 Virginia Tech beat Miami 44-14 on Saturday in the Hokies' final tuneup for a huge game with rival Virginia next weekend.

Virginia Tech (9-2, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) moved into a share of first place in the Coastal Division with the Cavaliers. The teams will play Saturday in Charlottesville with the winner moving on the conference championship game Dec. 1.

Ore, who has not approached the form that produced nearly 1,400 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns last season, had a 22-yard run on the Hokies' second play. His TDs covered 4 and 7 yards, and each time he bulled over a defender to finish the play.

Sean Glennon threw a TD pass to Justin Harper, and Jahre Cheeseman and Carlton Weatherford had scoring runs for the Hokies. Weatherford's was his first career TD.

Glennon was to share time with Tyrod Taylor at quarterback, but Taylor pulled a muscle in his left side in the third quarter and Glennon got most of the snaps.

Taylor could have returned, the school said, but was held out protectively.

Miami (5-6, 2-5), coming off a 48-0 home loss last weekend in its last game in the Orange Bowl, came out looking like a team that had given up. The Canes went three-and-out on each of their first three possessions, trailed 17-0 after the first quarter and had been outgained 150-6 before Kyle Wright brought them out of their slumber.

Making passes repeatedly as he was getting hit, Wright drove Miami into Hokies territory three times in the second quarter, but got only one score out of it.

The first time, Wright was sacked and stripped of the ball by Barry Booker at the Tech 18. The next time, Virginia Tech stuffed consecutive runs from the 1 by Javarris James and took the ball over on downs.

CENTRAL FLORIDA 49, SMU 20: Kevin Smith rushed for 177 yards and two TDs as Central Florida (8-3, 6-1 Conference USA) handed host SMU (1-10, 0-7) its ninth straight loss.

Central Florida clinched at least a share of the East Division with the win and can host the league championship game with a victory next week against Texas-El Paso.

Smith, who did not play in the second half after the Knights jumped out to a 35-13 halftime lead, set a Conference USA record with 25 touchdowns this season. He broke the mark established in 2004 by Memphis running back DeAngelo Williams.

Smith, who has 1,945 yards rushing, has three runs of at least 80 yards this season.

LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 38, FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL 28: Tyrell Fenroy rushed for 150 yards as Louisiana-Lafayette (3-8, 3-3 Sun Belt) defeated host Florida International (0-10, 0-5).

A'mod Ned led FIU, which lost its 22nd straight game, with 152 yards on 20 carries, and he scored on a 60-yard run in the first quarter.

WAGNER 41, JACKSONVILLE 27: Jason Butler rushed for 238 yards and two TDs to lead visiting Wagner (7-4) past Jacksonville (3-8) in the season finale for both teams.

Jacksonville quarterback Chris Horton was 27 of 48 for 417 yards, hiking his career total to a school-record 4,868.

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