Hokies plummet in poll after poor showing
HANK KURZ Jr.,AP Sports Writer
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Virginia Tech's offense sputtered all game, the defense got burned more than once and the special teams play was lousy in the Hokies' first real test of the season.
But as coach Frank Beamer was quick to note after his team opened ACC play with a 23-3 dud against No. 8 Clemson, they have been in this position before, and they have bounced back.
"This thing's far from over," Beamer said after his team lost for the first time in 13 Atlantic Coast Conference games, and for the first time in six games against the Tigers.
He recalled 2007, when Matt Ryan and Boston College pulled off a dramatic comeback in the final seconds at Lane Stadium, seemingly giving the Eagles the upper hand in the ACC.
"I felt awful that night," Beamer said of the 14-10 loss on a Thursday night. "It was a game we had wrapped up and all of a sudden they go right down the field, but you know what?
"We came back and beat them in the ACC championship game."
These Hokies, who dropped from No. 11 to No. 21 in the Top 25, have a long way to go before they can even think about making that kind of recovery after an abyssmal showing Saturday night.
The offense managed just 258 yards in going without a touchdown at home for the first time since 1995. Quarterback Logan Thomas was 15 for 27, but for just 125 yards, and one pass that had the potential to be a big gainer hit Jarrett Boykin in the hands and was intercepted.
In the fourth quarter, trailing 17-3 and forced to throw, Thomas was sacked three times.
"When you don't take advantage of some opportunities and you get behind the chains with these guys and let them turn those ends loose, that's not a good position for us to be in," Beamer said, also lamenting mental errors and a steady diet of third-and-long situations.
Tailback David Wilson ran for 123 yards, but also lost a fumble.
On defense, Virginia Tech was mostly solid, but Tajh Boyd caught Eddie Whitley out of position on a 32-yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Allen, and also converted several third-and-long situations. Mike Bellamy clinched the game with a 31-yard touchdown run in the final quarter.
Perhaps the Hokies' biggest concern heading into Saturday's visit from Miami is in the punting game, where Scott Demler not only continued to struggle, but got even worse.
Beamer even let Demler try to use a rugby-style approach, but Demler dropped the ball while moving to his right preparing to kick, and then got off a kick that went just 11 yards.
He finished with a 29.4-yard average for eight punts and was booed repeatedly.
Beamer, who has kept competition for the punting duties open in recent weeks, and even used wide receiver Danny Coale a few times in games, seems set on letting Demler get it right.
"We still have work to do there, too," he said.
Pulaski County Public Schools will conduct a Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, September 28th at 6 p.m. in the Board Room of the Pulaski County School Board offices.
The purpose of the meeting is to provide the public an opportunity to offer suggestions on how the county and the school division can improve efficiency. DecideSmart, who is conducting a resource utilization study for Pulaski County and Pulaski County Public Schools, will be facilitating the event.
~County and Town of Pulaski will receive grants to assist with rebuilding after April tornado~ RICHMOND – Governor Bob McDonnell announced today $1.4 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Urgent Needs funding for the county and town of Pulaski for rehabilitation of homes damaged during the April 8 tornado. A state of emergency was declared for Pulaski County on April 17. “Residents of Pulaski were struck by a destructive tornado that has posed many challenges to the community as they try to recover from the storm,” said Governor McDonnell. “This grant will help provide much needed assistance to the uninsured and under-insured homeowners who have been struggling to rebuild over the past months. When disaster strikes, as it did in April, we have to be ready to help.” Eligible projects under this program alleviate existing conditions which pose a serious and immediate threat to the health and welfare of the community. Proposals are received on a rolling basis between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31, 2011. Since 1982, the federally-funded CDBG program has been administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), and Virginia receives up to $17 million annually for this grant program. Most CDBG funds are awarded through a competitive process, and most projects benefit low-and moderate-income persons, while other projects are targeted for the prevention or elimination of slums and blighting conditions. “With this funding, we anticipate that we will assist 60 persons that are now struggling to rebuild after the destruction left by the April tornado,” said DHCD Director Bill Shelton. 2011 CDBG Competitive Grant Awards: LocalityProject NameCDBGAwardTown of Pulaski Pulaski Tornado Recovery Project $700,000 Pulaski County Pulaski County Tornado Recovery Project $700,000 Governor McDonnell is also still encouraging private citizens and corporations to donate to assist those Virginians impacted by natural disasters in the Commonwealth this year. Citizens and businesses are encouraged to donate to the Virginia Disaster Relief Fund, which will be used as a fund of last resort to assist homeowners and businesses to rebuild when other funding sources do not meet their needs. To donate, visit www.disasterfund.virginia.gov/.
Alleghany 35, Bath County 20
Altavista 44, Cumberland 19
Amelia County 13, Gretna 7
Annandale 31, J.E.B. Stuart 28
Appomattox 36, Randolph Henry 14
Atlantic Shores Christian 36, Portsmouth Christian 22
Atlee 44, Patrick Henry-Ashland 6
Battlefield 28, Potomac 21
Bayside 26, Ocean Lakes 21
Bethel 20, Hampton 0
Briar Woods 48, Dominion 0
Broad Run 29, Forest Park 14
Broadway 37, Stuarts Draft 21
Brookville 49, William Campbell 18
Buckingham County 68, Fluvanna 0
Bullis, Md. 35, The Potomac School 7
C.D. Hylton 60, Freedom (South Riding) 6
Carlisle 28, Brunswick Academy 14
Castlewood 32, Central Wise 14
Cave Spring 34, Lord Botetourt 18
Central Lunenburg 14, Chatham 0
Centreville 56, Mount Vernon 13
Chantilly 24, Langley 8
Charles City 40, West Point 14
Christiansburg 47, Bassett 0
Churchland 31, GW-Danville 22
Clover Hill 28, Matoaca 14
Colonial Forge 28, Brooke Point 26
Cosby 27, Midlothian 7
Covington 34, Eastern Montgomery 22
Culpeper 41, Charlottesville 17
Dan River 14, Nottoway 12
E.C. Glass 21, William Fleming 20
Eastern View 52, Brunswick 8
Essex 43, Northampton 8
Fairfax 19, McLean 16, 2OT
Fauquier 21, Handley 13
First Colonial 27, Green Run 20, 2OT
Fork Union Prep 41, Powhatan 20
Fort Chiswell 35, Chilhowie 7
Fort Defiance 29, Western Albemarle 23, OT
Frank Cox 39, Kempsville 0
Franklin 37, Lancaster 14
Fuqua School 37, Broadwater Academy 16
Galax 43, Radford 0
Gar-Field 41, Petersburg 27
Gate City 36, Lebanon 0
George Wythe-Wytheville 31, Floyd County 19
Giles 49, Narrows 12
Goochland 25, Monticello 20
Grassfield 15, Great Bridge 12
Grayson County 61, Clintwood 6
Hampton Christian 34, Chincoteague 0
Hampton Roads 27, Quantico 21
Hanover 56, J.R. Tucker 7
Hargrave Military 32, Covenant School 14
Harlan Co., Ky. 42, Lee High 0
Harrisonburg 35, Millbrook 20
Haysi 29, Eastside 13
Hedgesville, W.Va. 17, James Wood 3
Henrico 28, Deep Run 21, OT
Heritage (Leesburg) 39, Potomac Falls 31
Hermitage 37, Glen Allen 7
Hickory 35, Western Branch 34, 2OT
Highland Springs 35, Douglas Freeman 0
Holston 21, Bland County 20
Honaker 42, Patrick Henry-Glade Spring 13
Huguenot 42, James River-Chesterfield 14
Hurley 52, East Ridge, Ky. 0
Isle of Wight Academy 47, Kenston Forest 19
J.I. Burton 59, John Battle 36
James River-Buchanan 54, Auburn 0
Jefferson Forest 28, Turner Ashby 6
Kellam 16, Tallwood 3
King William 54, Caroline 15
Lafayette 20, Bruton 14, OT
Lake Taylor 52, Woodrow Wilson 19
Lakeland 47, Maury 21
Landstown 48, Princess Anne 0
Lee-Davis 27, Hopewell 12
Lee-Springfield 30, West Springfield 9
Liberty Christian 36, Blue Ridge 6
Liberty-Bealeton 27, Chancellor 12
Lloyd Bird 42, George Wythe-Richmond 0
Loudoun County 28, Sherando 0
Louisa 37, Spotsylvania 9
Madison County 28, Page County 14
Magna Vista 28, Franklin County 26
Manchester 39, Monacan 20
Martinsville 44, Liberty-Bedford 34
Mathews 49, Northumberland 22
Meadowbrook 43, Mills Godwin 7
Mountain View 48, Riverbend 7
Nansemond River 27, King's Fork 0
Norcom 44, Deep Creek 0
Norfolk Christian 28, Nansemond-Suffolk 21
North Stafford 34, Massaponax 21
Northside 21, Hidden Valley 17
Oakton 34, W.T. Woodson 13
Osbourn 52, Freedom (Woodbridge) 6
Park View-South Hill 27, Colonial Heights 6
Park View-Sterling 49, Woodgrove 18
Patrick Henry-Roanoke 49, Blacksburg 3
Prince Edward County 13, Rustburg 12
Prince George 51, TJ-Richmond 16
R.E. Lee-Staunton 14, Rockbridge 0
Rappahannock 54, Middlesex 14
Richlands 38, Pulaski County 21
Richmond Benedictine 25, Collegiate-Richmond 7
Riverheads 55, Parry McCluer 12
Roanoke Catholic 19, Craig County 0
Rural Retreat 46, Marion 31
Salem 27, William Byrd 13
Skyline 39, Brentsville 14
Smithfield 34, Jamestown 3
Southampton 24, Windsor 6
Stafford 46, Orange County 6
Staunton River 42, Patrick County 7
Stone Bridge 50, South Lakes 13
Stonewall Jackson-Manassas 35, Osbourn Park 27
Strasburg 34, Luray 14
Sussex Central 28, Colonial Beach 21
Thomas Walker 44, Ervinton 8
Trinity Episcopal 21, Norfolk Academy 7
Tug Valley, W.Va. 40, Twin Valley 24
Tunstall 49, Bluestone 0
Tuscarora 28, Loudoun Valley 14
Twin Springs 41, Northwood 0
Union 20, Virginia High 17, OT
Varina 17, Thomas Dale 10
Warhill 13, Poquoson 7
Warren County 40, George Mason 0
Washington & Lee 53, Nandua 0
West Potomac 31, South County 27
Westfield 45, Lake Braddock 7
William Monroe 23, East Rockingham 17
Woodbridge 20, Granby 0
Woodside 28, Warwick 21
York 36, Tabb 0
Yorktown 41, Herndon 7
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — President Barack Obama's disapproval rating has soared to 54 percent in Virginia, a battleground state the Democrat took from the Republicans to win the White House in 2008 and will likely need to carry next year to win re-election, a new poll released Thursday shows.
The Quinnipiac University Poll, based on telephone interviews with 1,368 registered voters from Sept. 7-12, found that only 40 percent approved of the president's performance, down from 48 percent in the same survey in June. Six percent were undecided. The survey's margin of sampling error was plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.
The results mirror other polls that show a continuing slide in the president's popularity in a slow, troubled economy.
In the Virginia survey, a majority — 51 percent — said they did not think Obama deserves to be re-elected, compared to 41 percent who would re-elect him. Eight percent didn't know or wouldn't say.
Most troubling for Obama is his poor performance among independents, many of whom supported him three years ago. Sixty-three percent of unaligned voters disapproved of the way Obama is handling his duties while only 29 percent approved.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry shot to the front of a 10-candidate Republican field among respondents who identified themselves as Republicans or Republican-leaning voters. Twenty-nine percent listed Perry as their top choice, and 19 percent said former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was their favorite. No other candidate was in double digits.
When the Republicans were asked if their primary came down to a choice between Perry and Romney, 43 percent chose Perry and 36 percent chose Romney.
Perry dominated Romney among male respondents, 49 percent to 33 percent, but women sided with Romney over Perry 40 percent to 37 percent.
"Interesting is the size of the gender gap within the Republican primary that seems to be developing," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
White, evangelical Christians preferred Perry 51 percent to 29 percent over Romney.
In hypothetical matchups against Obama put before all of those surveyed, Perry and Romney were in statistical dead heats with the president. In a pairing against Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachman, Obama was favored 48 percent to 37 percent. Against Sarah Palin, who has not declared her candidacy, 50 percent chose Obama to 35 percent for the former Alaska governor and John McCain's 2008 vice presidential running mate.
The poll is released as candidates already begin targeting Virginia voters. Obama kicked off his nationwide tour aimed at pressuring Congress to adopt his jobs bill in Richmond on Friday. Perry delivered speeches Wednesday at a convocation at Liberty University in Lynchburg and a sold-out GOP fundraiser in Richmond.
Quinnipiac found that Republican George Allen and Democrat Tim Kaine remain statistically deadlocked in Virginia's 2012 U.S. Senate race. Forty-five percent favored Allen, running to win back the seat he lost to Democrat Jim Webb in 2006, while 44 percent chose Kaine, the former Democratic National Committee chairman. Both are former governors.
Allen holds a strong fundraising advantage over an untested GOP primary field that was not included in Quinnipiac's poll. It includes Virginia tea party leader Jamie Radtke.
Kaine is a personal and political ally of Obama's. He was among the first to endorse him for president in 2007 and helped engineer his 2008 Virginia victory, the first for a Democrat running for president since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. A bad year for Obama can't help Kaine, just as former President George W. Bush's low popularity in 2006 contributed to Allen's re-election defeat.
The poll also found majorities who oppose the war in Afghanistan and Obama's 2010 health care reform law.
Fifty-four percent said the United States should not still be fighting in Afghanistan, now the nation's longest war. Thirty-seven percent said it's right for U.S. forces to be there and 9 percent didn't know or wouldn't say.
Fifty-one percent said the health care law should be repealed while 38 percent said it should stand and 11 percent were undecided or had no answer.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Applications are being accepted for the next Virginia State Police academy training.
A qualified candidate must be at least 21, be a U.S. citizen, have a valid driver's license, and have a minimum of a high school degree or GED.
Applicants will be notified by mail of dates for physical and written tests. Trainees earn a full salary of about $36,000 with benefits. At the end of a 12-month probationary period, the salary increases to about $40,500.
A question-and-answer session for prospective female candidates will be held Saturday at the State Police Training Academy in Richmond.
PREP FOOTBALL
Christiansburg 20, Giles 10
Georgetown Prep, Md. 41, Fork Union Prep 6
John Marshall 20, Huguenot 14
Maryland Christian, Md. 55, Fairfax Home School 0
Massanutten Military 50, Quantico 0
North Cross 34, Norfolk Christian 27
Northside 17, Pulaski County 9
Washington, W.Va. 20, Pope John Paul the Great 14
EAST
Albright 24, Ursinus 17
American International 13, CW Post 7, OT
Bucknell 27, Duquesne 26
CCSU 35, S. Connecticut 21
Cheyney 21, Lincoln (Pa.) 19
Colgate 37, Albany (NY) 34, OT
Cortland St. 28, Buffalo St. 12
Dayton 19, Robert Morris 13
Delaware Valley 10, Muhlenberg 9, OT
Edinboro 30, West Liberty 14
Georgetown 40, Davidson 16
Hobart 33, Dickinson 9
Lehigh 49, Monmouth (NJ) 24
Lycoming 8, Rowan 6
Maine 28, Bryant 13
Marist 20, Sacred Heart 7
Navy 40, Delaware 17
Northwestern 24, Boston College 17
Penn St. 41, Indiana St. 7
Pittsburgh 35, Buffalo 16
Plymouth St. 28, Castleton St. 20
Susquehanna 33, Wilkes 30, OT
Towson 42, Morgan St. 3
UConn 35, Fordham 3
Wagner 38, St. Francis (Pa.) 28
Washington & Jefferson 40, Juniata 0
Wesley 34, E. Texas Baptist 10
Westminster (Pa.) 17, Hiram 7
Widener 44, Moravian 6
William Paterson 13, King's (Pa.) 6
SOUTH
Alabama 48, Kent St. 7
Alabama St. 41, MVSU 9
Albany St. (Ga.) 37, Savannah St. 34
Auburn 42, Utah St. 38
BYU 14, Mississippi 13
Bethel (Tenn.) 26, Wis.-Eau Claire 21
Boise St. 35, Georgia 21
Christopher Newport 12, Waynesburg 7
Clemson 43, Troy 19
Coastal Carolina 30, Furman 23
Cumberland (Tenn.) 23, Lindsey Wilson 13
Cumberlands 31, Walsh 14
Delaware St. 24, VMI 21
Florida 41, FAU 3
Florida A&M 28, Fort Valley St. 22
Florida St. 34, Louisiana-Monroe 0
Gardner-Webb 34, Brevard 17
Georgia Southern 31, Samford 17
Grambling St. 21, Alcorn St. 14
Hampden-Sydney 63, Averett 9
Hampton 21, Alabama A&M 20
Huntingdon 35, Maryville (Tenn.) 7
Jackson St. 42, Concordia-Selma 2
Johns Hopkins 45, Merchant Marine 14
LSU 40, Oregon 27
Lane 17, Edward Waters 10
NC A&T 38, Va. Lynchburg 7
NC State 43, Liberty 21
Norfolk St. 37, Virginia St. 3
North Carolina 42, James Madison 10
Old Dominion 41, Campbell 14
Pikeville 63, S. Virginia 18
Richmond 23, Duke 21
Sewanee 32, Earlham 10
South Carolina 56, East Carolina 37
Southern Miss. 19, Louisiana Tech 17
St. Augustine's 30, Catawba 5
Tennessee 42, Montana 16
Tennessee St. 33, Southern U. 7
The Citadel 31, Jacksonville 9
Tulane 47, SE Louisiana 33
Tusculum 20, West Georgia 10
UCF 62, Charleston Southern 0
Valdosta St. 34, Wingate 28, 2OT
Vanderbilt 45, Elon 14
Virginia 40, William & Mary 3
Virginia Tech 66, Appalachian St. 13
Virginia Union 27, Benedict 0
Wofford 35, Presbyterian 28
MIDWEST
Augsburg 34, Concordia (Wis.) 31
Ball St. 27, Indiana 20
Benedictine (Ill.) 45, Eureka 7
Bethel (Minn.) 55, Simpson (Iowa) 3
Butler 31, Albion 17
Carroll (Wis.) 13, Lakeland 0
Carthage 16, Carleton 13
Chicago 44, Beloit 25
Cincinnati 72, Austin Peay 10
Concordia (Moor.) 37, Dickinson St. 13
Concordia (St.P.) 43, Minot St. 31
Culver-Stockton 35, Graceland (Iowa) 10
DePauw 23, Rose-Hulman 13
Elmhurst 50, Loras 24
Franklin 49, Valparaiso 35
Grinnell 31, Macalester 6
Harding 63, S. Arkansas 14
Heidelberg 34, Alma 28, OT
Howard at E. Michigan, ppd.
Illinois 33, Arkansas St. 15
Illinois College 34, Millikin 30, OT
Illinois Wesleyan 35, Hope 0
Iowa 34, Tennessee Tech 7
Iowa St. 20, N. Iowa 19
Kalamazoo 39, Bluffton 14
Kansas 42, McNeese St. 24
Kansas St. 10, E. Kentucky 7
Maranatha Baptist 26, Martin Luther 12
Michigan 34, W. Michigan 10
Michigan Tech 23, Winona St. 6
Minn. Duluth 20, Augustana (SD) 12
Minn. St.-Moorhead 28, Robert Morris-Chicago 17
Minn.-Morris 28, Mac Murray 3
Missouri 17, Miami (Ohio) 6
Muskingum 24, Defiance 7
N. Dakota St. 42, Lafayette 6
N. Illinois 49, Army 26
Nebraska 40, Chattanooga 7
Nebraska Wesleyan 58, St. Mary (Kan.) 34
North Park 34, Aurora 9
Northwood (Mich.) 14, Findlay 10
Ohio Dominican 32, St. Joseph's (Ind.) 20
Ohio Northern 30, NC Wesleyan 20
Ohio St. 42, Akron 0
Purdue 27, Middle Tennessee 24
Ripon 42, Wis. Lutheran 13
S. Dakota St. 29, S. Utah 28
S. Illinois 38, SE Missouri 10
South Florida 23, Notre Dame 20
St. John's (Minn.) 34, Northwestern (Minn.) 0
St. Olaf 24, Luther 22
St. Scholastica 34, Lawrence 21
St. Thomas (Minn.) 20, St. Norbert 7
St. Xavier 55, Olivet 10
Upper Iowa 15, Texas A&M Commerce 14
Wartburg 35, Monmouth (Ill.) 28
Washington (Mo.) 28, Knox 10
Wayne (Mich.) 69, Urbana 24
Westminster (Mo.) 51, Rockford 24
Wis.-Oshkosh 31, Central 28
Wis.-Platteville 38, Buena Vista 3
Wis.-Stout 19, Black Hills St. 7
Wis.-Whitewater 26, Wis.-LaCrosse 7
SOUTHWEST
Arkansas 51, Missouri St. 7
Hardin-Simmons 41, Coe 14
Houston 38, UCLA 34
Lamar 58, Texas College 0
Langston 19, Ark.-Pine Bluff 12
Oklahoma 47, Tulsa 14
Oklahoma St. 61, Louisiana-Lafayette 34
Texas 34, Rice 9
Texas Tech 50, Texas St. 10
UTEP 31, Stony Brook 24, OT
UTSA 31, Northeastern St. 3
FAR WEST
Air Force 37, South Dakota 20
Arizona 41, N. Arizona 10
California 36, Fresno St. 21
Colorado St. 14, New Mexico 10
Hawaii 34, Colorado 17
Lindenwood 22, N. Colorado 20
Ohio 44, New Mexico St. 24
Portland St. 52, S. Oregon 0
Sacramento St. 29, Oregon St. 28, OT
San Diego 42, Azusa Pacific 40
San Diego St. 49, Cal Poly 21
Southern Cal 19, Minnesota 17
Stanford 57, San Jose St. 3
Washington 30, E. Washington 27
Washington St. 64, Idaho St. 21
Wis.-Stevens Pt. 8, Willamette 6
Wyoming 35, Weber St. 32
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Cornerback Ed Gainey sat with a stunned look on his face with two Appalachian State teammates, trying to comprehend a 66-13 loss to No. 13 Virginia Tech.
In the end, he said, it was all on the Mountaineers, and no solace could be taken from having been thrashed by one of the highest ranked teams in the Bowl Subdivision.
"Not at all," he said. "We made a lot of mistakes. We brought this upon ourselves. They are a good football team, but we're just as good as they are."
Seated beside him, quarterback DeAndre Presley nodded in agreement.
"Not taking anything away from them, but I wouldn't classify them as an elite team," he said after his least productive game as a starter. "We stopped ourselves so many times. ... We made them look better than what they were. I believe so."
The Hokies looked pretty good in rolling up the second-most points ever allowed by the Mountaineers. It was surpassed only by a 72-14 loss to Chattanooga in 1978.
David Wilson ran for 162 yards and three touchdowns, Logan Thomas threw the first two TD passes of his career and the defense held the Mountaineers to 61 first-half yards to lead 38-0.
Wilson scored on runs of 20, 19 and 3 yards — the first just 47 seconds into the game after Antone Exom recovered a fumble by Presley at the 20. Wilson also broke off runs of 48 and 33 yards before yielding to reserves in the third quarter.
Thomas was pulled early after completing nine of 19 passes for 149 yards, with scoring throws of 7 yards to Randall Dunn and 4 yards to Jarrett Boykin. Thomas was not intercepted.
The Mountaineers, among the top-rated teams in the Championship Subdivision, arrived with what promised to be a high-powered offense led by Presley, but the multiple spread didn't fool the Hokies. Appalachian State was outgained 291-61 by halftime, before the backups took over.
Jamal Jackson, who replaced Presley, threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to Brian Quick late in the third quarter, making it 52-6, and ran 15 yards for the Mountaineers' other touchdown.
Before it was over, the Hokies had their second-highest point total in coach Frank Beamer's 25 seasons, topped only by 77 points against Akron in 1995.
Presley, who last season became the 13th Division I quarterback to throw for 2,000 yards and run for 1,000 in a season, never got going. He finished seven for 18 for 89 yards with two interceptions and ran 13 times for 43 yards. His fumble on the second offensive play didn't help, because Wilson took a pitch headed left on the next play and quickly made it 6-0.
By the time an 11-yard run by Presley gave the Mountaineers their initial first down, Cody Journell had added a 28-yard field goal and Josh Oglesby a 4-yard scoring run for the Hokies.
By HANK KURZ Jr.
AP Sports Writer
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — David Wilson was only kidding earlier in the week when, after learning he would get the ball on Virginia Tech's first offensive play, he said the team wouldn't need a second play.
Turned out, he was right.
Wilson ran 20 yards almost untouched for a touchdown on Virginia Tech's first offensive play, giving the No. 13 Hokies a quick lead on their way to a 66-13 victory against Appalachian State.
"He told me I was getting the first carry and I told him I didn't have to hear the second play because I was taking it to the grid," Wilson said of running backs coach Shane Beamer.
"But I didn't think that would really happen."
The touchdown was the first of three in the first half for the junior, his first game as the Hokies' starting tailback, and he finished with 162 yards on just 16 carries.
"That's the way to start the season off," he said.
Logan Thomas also was efficient in his first game as Tech's quarterback, throwing the first two touchdown passes of his career, and the Hokies' defense shut down the Mountaineers.
Appalachian State was outgained 291-61 in the first half before both teams began substituting freely.
The Hokies, who honored coach Frank Beamer before the game for entering into his 25th season as the head coach and then announced at halftime that he's signed a contract extension to keep him on the job through 2016, made sure he got his first season-opening victory in four years.
"A few more days like this and I'll have a few more years after that," Beamer said.
Wilson scored on runs of 20, 19 and 3 yards — the first just 47 seconds into the game after Antone Exom recovered a fumble by Mountaineers quarterback DeAndre Presley at the 20.
"A defensive end crashed and I went to pull the ball back and I just fumbled," Presley said.
Wilson also broke off runs of 48 and 33 yards before yielding to reserves in the third quarter.
Thomas was pulled early after completing nine of 19 passes for 149 yards, with scoring throws of 7 yards to Randall Dunn and 4 yards to Jarrett Boykin. Thomas was not intercepted, and even got to use his 6-foot-6, 240-pound body to run over safety Patrick Blaylock on a scramble up the middle.
"I wish Thomas was playing tackle for us," Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore said.
The Mountaineers, among the top-rated teams in the Football Championship Subdivision, arrived with what promised to be a high-powered offense led by Presley, considered one of the top players in the FCS, but the multiple spread and option looks didn't fool the Hokies.
Beamer said the defense needed a good showing, too, to put a subpar 2010 behind them.
"Defensively we needed confidence," he said. "... I think we gained some of that today."
Jamal Jackson, who replaced Presley, threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to Brian Quick late in the third quarter, making it 52-6, and ran 15 yards for the Mountaineers' other touchdown.
Before it was over, the Hokies had their second-highest point total under Beamer, topped only by 77 points against Akron in 1995. Appalachian State, meanwhile, allowed as many as 60 for only the second time. The Mountaineers lost 72-14 to Chattanooga during the 1978 season.
Presley never got going. He finished seven for 18 for 89 yards with two interceptions and ran 13 times for 43 yards.
By the time an 11-yard run by Presley gave the Mountaineers their initial first down, Cody Journell had added a 28-yard field goal and Josh Oglesby a 4-yard scoring run for the Hokies.
Wilson added his last two scoring bursts in the second quarter. The first came on the play following Jeron Gouveia-Winslow's interception and 26-yard return to the Mountaineers 19, and the second capped a 14-play, 97-yard drive highlighted by Thomas' 55-yard strike to Davis.
Thomas' second scoring pass came 1:40 into the second half, and Tony Gregory blocked Sam Martin's punt 50 seconds later. Kyle Fuller dove on the ball in the end zone, making it 52-0.
It was the 17th time in Beamer's tenure that the Hokies have scored on a blocked punt.
Backup quarterback Mark Leal added his first career touchdown pass — a 22-yarder to Marcus Davis — late in the third quarter. Leal hit Davis for a 63-yard score midway through the final period.
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