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BLACKSBURG, Virginia (Ticker) -- Virginia Tech may have questions to answer on offense. Its defense has plenty of answers. Sparked by a big defensive performance, the seventh-ranked Hokies remained unbeaten by rolling to a 46-14 rout of Central Florida. Boasting one of the nation's top defenses and coming off consecutive shutouts, the Hokies (4-0) came up with numerous big plays in this contest, collecting three interceptions and recovering a pair of fumbles. "Some parts of the game weren't very pretty, but I think there were a lot of big plays, excellent plays. You have to feel good about that," Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said. "You can't beat a high school team turning the ball over like that yet alone the seventh-ranked team in country," Central Florida coach Mike Kruczek said. Keith Burnell provided the ground game Virginia Tech, rushing for a pair of touchdowns. Trying to help fill the void left by the season-ending injury to Lee Suggs, Burnell carried 21 times for 82 yards. Kevin Jones also had a big day for the Hokies, carrying 11 times for 90 yards. Virginia Tech rushed for 232 yards. The Hokies' special teams, always among the best in the nation, also did their part. Bradon Manning blocked a punt for a safety in the waning seconds of the first half for a safety and Andre Davis returned a punt 55 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Despite being overmatched against one of the top teams in the country, the Golden Knights were in the game for the first 2 1/2 quarters and trailed just 19-15 with 10:30 left in the third quarter on Alex Haynes' four-yard run. But things went downhill from there as the Hokies began to assert themselves. Burnell's two-yard TD run just over three minutes later extended the lead to 26-14. Carter Warley kicked a 23-yard field goal late in the third quarter and converted again from 28 yards with 10:52 left in the fourth, making it 32-14. Less than two minutes later, safety Kevin McAdam sealed the win for the Hokies by returning an interception 69 yards for a touchdown. Ryan Schneider completed 16-of-31 passes for 212 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. The rout continued as Davis, one of the top returners in the country, scored on a 55-yard return with 7:06 remaining. Central Florida (1-3) actually scored first against the heavily favored Hokies as Schneider connected with Michael Gaines on a nine-yard touchdown pass with 67 seconds left in the first quarter. Burnell pulled the Hokies even with just over 10 minutes left in the first half, scoring on a 13-yard run. Warley connected on a 31-yard field goal with 2:36 left in the first half to give the Hokies the lead. Following a fumble by Haynes on the Golden Knights' next possession, Jones ran seven yards for a touchdown to make it 17-7 71 seconds before intermission After forcing a three-and-out, the Hokies made one more big play in the half as Manning busted through the line and blocked a punt that caromed out of the end zone for a safety. Virginia Tech quarterback Grant Noel went 15-of-25 for 170 yards and lost a pair of fumbles.
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