The Virginia Tech Hokies got off to a quick start against Clemson on Saturday, but the Tigers weathered the early storm to come back with 17 unanswered points to take the lead. The underdog Hokies trail 17-10 after 30 minutes.
As the first quarter wound down, the Tigers stuffed the Hokies on a critical fourth down inside the 20-yard line, and quarterback Tajh Boyd responded with a 73-yard drive to end the shutout and pick up three points. The field goal came as time expired, and it was all Clemson from there.
The Tigers defense looked to be in for a long day in the first, but they stepped up to slow down Logan Thomas. The Hokies quarterback was picked off on Tech's first possession of the second quarter, setting up a short field for Clemson. Boyd moved the Tigers 26 yards in six plays for the first their first lead of the game. The Clemson quarterback did a lot of the damage on the ground, and capped the quick drive by punching it in from one yard out.
Clemson took advantage of a second Thomas interception later in the second quarter, but this time they wouldn't need the offense to pick up the points. Thomas tried to force one on a slant, and the throw went high, hitting cornerback Jonathan Meeks right in the numbers. Meeks burst down the left sideline, beating Thomas and the Hokies' offensive line for a 76-yard pick-six. The turnover gave Clemson a 17-7 lead.
Thomas responded with a nice drive in the final two minutes, resulting in a Tech field goal to cut the lead to a touchdown. The Hokies played well despite the halftime deficit, and the offense will just need to limit turnovers to pull things even in the third.