Oct. 4, 2008

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) -Darren Evans ran for two touchdowns, quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw for another and No. 20 Virginia Tech defeated Western Kentucky 27-13 on Saturday.

The Hokies (5-1) built a 27-3 lead early in the third quarter and were on their way to an expected rout of the Hilltoppers when their offense began to sputter.

Western Kentucky (2-4) added a field goal late in the third quarter, then recovered an onside kick, suddenly making the game interesting.

They then drove 50 yards without a quarterback on the field, choosing instead to snap the ball directly to running back Dexter Taylor. David Wolke came back on the field and threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Tristan Jones that made it 27-13 with 11:58 left in the game.

Western Kentucky went three-and-out on its next possession, and the Hokies held on.

Wolke was just 7-of-19 for 49 yards for Western Kentucky. Dexter Taylor and Bobby Rainey combined to carry 22 times for 150 yards.

Dustin Keys had field goals of 22 and 27 yards for Virginia Tech, which lost starting tailback Kenny Lewis Jr. to a ruptured Achilles' tendon in the third quarter. The injury will sideline him the rest of the season.

Tyrod Taylor finished with 125 yards passing for the Hokies, before being replaced by former starter Sean Glennon with 8:58 left in the third quarter.

Taylor hit Greg Boone with a 27-yard touchdown pass to make it 10-0 with 2:11 left in the first quarter, and Evans' first touchdown run from 1-yard out gave the Hokies a 17-3 lead with 25 seconds left in the first half.

Two plays later, Victor Harris intercepted a pass from Wolke and returned it 49 yards, setting up a 22-yard field goal by Keys just before halftime.

Evans, who finished with 79 yards on 21 carries, added a 2-yard scoring run with 10:39 left in the third quarter to give Virginia Tech a 27-3 lead.