FanHouse Tyrod Taylor

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Late in the second quarter Saturday at Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium, Miami quarterback Jacory Harris threw a quick strike over the middle just as official's yellow flag darted through the air toward one of Harris' blockers. Harris put his hands on his hips. His chest heaved with a deep breath. His head rocked back.

Harris was having one of those Murphy's Law moments, and for good reason.

He'd already fumbled, which Virginia Tech turned into a touchdown in little time. A teammate on defense, Chavez Grant, lost his footing on the slip 'n' slide disguised as a football field and got beat on a 48-yard touchdown catch by Hokies receiver Jarrett Boykin. Now a holding call was about to derail some desperately needed momentum for Harris and his Hurricanes as they stared at a 21-0 deficit.

It was of little surprise Monday when Texas coach Mack Brown named redshirt freshman running back Tre' Newton as the starter for Saturday's UTEP game.

Newton gave the second-ranked Longhorns everything they had been looking for in a tailback for the last two seasons during Saturday's win over Texas Tech, picking up difficult yards and moving the chains. Filling in for injured starter Vondrell McGee in the second half, Newton rushed for 88 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries.

His 18 carries for 81 yards in the second half proved pivotal in keeping Texas Tech's explosive offense off the field as the Longhorns escaped with a 34-24 win. It was the inability of the Longhorns backs to pick up critical yards late that paved the way for their upset loss to Tech last season.

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Despite its season-opening defeat to Alabama two weeks ago, 13th-ranked Virginia Tech was convinced it could still be a national title contender this season. The Hokies needed a victory Saturday against Nebraska and next week against Miami to help make that happen.

The Hokies made a little magic happen -- with 21 seconds to spare -- against the Cornhuskers to keep that dream alive.

With the 19th-ranked Cornhuskers on the verge of registering their biggest road victory in more than a decade, a scrambling Tyrod Taylor dodged several defenders and then rifled an 11-yard touchdown pass to flanker Dyrell Roberts with 21 ticks remaining to rally Virginia Tech past Nebraska, 16-15.

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Tyrod Taylor is the latest in a line of mobile Virginia Tech quarterbacks. While there's no denying his impressive talents, Taylor has heard the whispers, too. He doesn't show enough patience in the pocket. He makes too many bad reads. He runs too much. But guess what?

Taylor wins, too.

"I just study film and go out there and play the game -- let the game come to me," said Taylor, nicknamed "T-Mobile."

The way Frank Beamer sees it -- and the head coach has a crystal-clear view as a three-time ACC football champion -- being a member of the ACC is good for Virginia Tech. And he's hopeful Virginia Tech is good for the ACC.

Of course, the Hokies will get the opportunity to boost the reputation of their program and the ACC when they open the regular season against Alabama Sept. 5 in Atlanta's Georgia Dome. Both teams could be ranked among the top 10, and a victory will provide early momentum and respect.

"I thought there were a lot of good teams [in the ACC last season], maybe not a great team, but I think we are going to take it up another step and hopefully be a factor in that national stage, too," Beamer said Monday during the ACC Football Kickoff in Greensboro, N.C. "It's a competitive league and I think all of us are stepping it up a little bit right now."

ECU Will. Not. Go. Away.

After a fairly unpalatable morning set of games, we had some intriguing matchups this afternoon; Georgia, East Carolina, Oregon, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech -- the latter by default because the ACC is horrible -- all had BCS aspirations heading into the third week of college football.

Four of those teams still do, but it wasn't for a lack of trying to fail.

Georgia needed a last second interception by Chris Smelley (Dugout Name and license plate: SMLLYCOX) to overcome what really is looking like a disturbingly stout South Carolina defense (it wasn't just NC State, we swear!). The 'Cocks held Knoshown Moreno to just 79 yards on 20 carries even though he punched one in, and Matthew Stafford was hardly effective. But the Dogs held on and their BCS chances prevail.

Exciting recap I know, but that's because I spent most of the afternoon watching a shoddy YouTube-like feed of East Carolina squaring off against Tulane. ECU AD Terry Holland had oh-so-generously offered to play the game in Greenville as Ike, et al approached the coast (what a guy, huh?) and Tulane oh-so-obviously declined the invite.

God bless you, Week 3. Finally, it's time for football with outcomes less predictable than Al Davis' wardrobe or what happens when you leave PJ Hill alone with a Twinkie. Here's 10 games to watch other than Ohio State-USC.

Kansas vs. South Florida, Friday 8PM

Why We're Watching: Velour. Please, Mark Mangino, bring back the velour. We'll plant a velour tree, write velour ballads and pray to a velour god who wears gold chains and sleeps on a circular bed (Which is probably James Caan).

Then there's the football, as two previously not-ready-for-primetime teams meet on national television in a game that's as much about this season as a dipstick on the state of two climbing programs. Quarterbacks Matt Grothe andTodd Reesing are the constants from last year's teams, but both the Bulls and Jayhawks have to prove that they've successfully rebuilt key areas of their teams. South Florida lost two four-year starters at cornerback to the NFL draft and replaced them with Jerome Murphy and Tyller Roberts, two players with two career starts entering the season. Kansas lost its leading rusher and its leading receiver, but seems to have no problem filling the holes with Brandon Anderson-styled powerback Angus Quigley and an array of receivers (Reesing has completed passes to 11 different players).

But the matchup of the game will be South Florida's George Selvie against red-shirt freshman lineman Jeff Spikes. Selvie led the nation in sacks last year, but hasn't had the chance to so much as touch a quarterback inappropriately this season. He's due, which should alone send a shiver down Bulls' fans like they just hired Isiah Thomas to run the team. And if that doesn't strike enough fear, consider this: When he was a kid, George Selvie had a Buick fall on his head. If you think that doesn't make you an unstoppable badass, ponder it some more with the entire Wisconsin offensive line sitting on your head to add to the realism.

If South Florida wins, they likely won't play another ranked team this season until they meet West Virginia in December. [ Ed. Note -- The Bulls edged out Kansas on a dramatic last-second field goal. ]

There were several ridiculous things that happened in and around Charlotte, N.C., involving the East Carolina - Virginia Tech game on Saturday.

First of all, East Carolina won. Congrats, Pirate fans. Secondly, Sean Glennon started for Virginia Tech. Memo to Frank Beamer: he's not good. Thirdly, Dave Pasch and Andre Ware agreed that this was only an upset on paper. (/Bangs head on table)

And finally, Mark May chatted, while Lou Holtz blushed and giggled -- his son Skip coaches ECU, about the Pirates chance at a BCS bowl this year. To sum up: ohmygodlookoutthat'sbrimfirereigningdown!

For as long as football has existed, it has done so as a collision sport. While advances in conditioning, rules, and protection have limited the grievous and fatal injuries, the gridiron is still absolutely no place for the weak or timid.

And yet elsewhere, an entirely different match of unbelievable athleticism plays out; while it's mainly confined to the edges of the field (and, of course, the SEC), the contest of speed on speed is every bit as integral to a football game as what happens on the line. Indeed, few things are as awe-inspiring as a wideout in full sprint, ball in hand, rendering all the violence and shoving behind him utterly meaningless.

That's why a ruptured Achilles tendon, like the one suffered by Virginia Tech wideout Brandon Dillard, is the cruelest of injuries that could befall such a player. Before Tuesday's injury, Dillard was one of the fastest players in the nation. Once the Achilles ruptured, though, his right leg was every bit as useless on land as a fish's flipper; his foot may as well have fallen off, so useless it became. He's gone, done, finito for the season, and it'd be darned good news for Dillard and the Hokies if he were even at 90% a year from now.

Of course, that's not even the worst of the news.