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Taylor Peaking At Right Time

The Associated Press

Tyrod Taylor #5 of the Virginia Tech Hokies runs the ball against the Boston College Eagles.

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By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 5, 2008

When the season began, Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said sophomore QB Tyrod Taylor would be taking a redshirt season. After all, the Hokies had senior QB Sean Glennon, Most Valuable Player of the 2007 ACC Championship Game, and it would benefit the program if Taylor could bank an extra year.

Then everything changed.

Virginia Tech lost its opener against East Carolina, 27-22.

Beamer reconsidered.

And Taylor, while largely alternating with Glennon, began what would be a bumpy season.

But as the Hokies (8-4) prepare to face Boston College (9-3) in Saturday's ACC Championship Game at Raymond James Stadium, Taylor is on an upswing.

Last Saturday, Taylor had his best game of the season as the Hokies clinched the ACC Coastal Division by defeating Virginia 17-14.

Taylor completed 12 of 18 passes for 137 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He also rushed for 137 yards.

"He threw the ball with tremendous authority," Hokies quarterbacks coach Mike O'Cain said. "And when he made a decision to throw the football, he threw the ball. It wasn't kind of aiming it in there. And that's something we've talked about. Sometimes, he has a tendency to maybe want to aim the ball.

"We kept people out of Taylor's face. The thing that probably gives him the worst problem is people in his face. I think that offensive line play was as key as anything. I think he had confidence in everything that was going on around him."

FOR THE FANS

ACC Championship Game tickets are available through Ticketmaster at (813) 287-8844 or www.ticketmaster.com. Prices are $25 through $120. Tickets include a postgame concert with country music artist Blake Shelton.

Other things to do:

Tonight, Channelside's Toast to the Atlantic Coast Conference is from 7 p.m. to midnight at the Channelside Entertainment Complex in downtown Tampa. It will include the school bands and cheerleaders.

Saturday, the ACC FanFest is in Lot 6D of Raymond James Stadium from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. It includes 200,000 square feet of interactive games, autograph signings, food and beverage. At 11 a.m., there is an ACC Mascots Game with all 12 conference schools represented. The FanFest is free to everyone in the morning, but only fans with game tickets can attend the postgame party and Blake Shelton concert.

More information on game events is at www.theroadto

tampabay.com.

Joey Johnston

Whether it's the Orange

Bowl or Music City Bowl,

the Boston College

Eagles could be adding

to their streak of eight

consecutive bowl-game

victories, the longest

current run in the NCAA.

That would make for an astoundingly good season. The Eagles, after all, were picked for fourth in the ACC Atlantic Division preseason media selections.

If BC loses to Virginia Tech, it's probably off to the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn., not a bad trip, but not the Orange Bowl, either.

"It would be huge to get to a BCS bowl, but to do that, you're going to have to play an unbelievable game against Virginia Tech," Eagles coach Jeff Jagodzinski said. "Frank Beamer has been there before, his kids have been there before, and our guys haven't.

"Hopefully, we can make the next step."

WEATHER REPORT

Here are the game-day temperatures, according to Weather.com:

Tampa - High 75, low 53 (10 percent chance of rain)

Boston - High 37, low 23

Blacksburg, Va. - High 40, low 24

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