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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) -- Michael Vick can handle high
expectations.
Virginia Tech's redshirt sophomore quarterback ran for two
touchdowns and threw for two more Saturday, leaving countless Akron
defenders grasping at air as he led the Hokies (No. 10 ESPN/USA Today, No. 11 AP) to a 52-23
victory.
"Where's that storm we were supposed to get?" Akron coach Lee
Owens said. "I think that's the only chance we had to slow them
down."
Especially Vick, whose spectacular freshman season ended with a
gripping performance in the national championship game. In his
encore, he ran 16 and 63 yards for touchdowns and threw 59- and
34-yard TD passes.
In three quarters, Vick completed 7 of 11 passes for 186 yards
and ran eight times for 102 yards before watching the finish from
the sideline.
"I don't think we did anything to hurt Michael Vick's chances
out there either," Owens said. "If he's not the greatest football
player in college today, I don't want to go against the guy who
is."
Vick also got plenty of help as Lee Suggs rushed for 90 yards
and two touchdowns in his debut as the tailback, and new kicker
Carter Warley was good on all seven extra points and added a
32-yard field goal.
"I knew I had to get my teammates involved," Vick said. "I've
got 11 other players around me and need to let them play the game,
too."
They did, piling up 549 yards of offense to keep the Zips from
getting closer than 28-17 just before halftime. But the defense,
once a Hokies hallmark, allowed 410 yards and left rover Cory Bird
feeling lucky.
"If something goes wrong, we have Mike and he has the
capability of bailing us out," Bird said of Vick. "He made a lot
of plays early."
Akron, which nearly stunned the Hokies in a 21-18 loss in Ohio
in the 1996 opener, hung tough throughout the first half, trailing
by just 28-17 with three minutes left. That's when Vick's arm
started getting warm.
Taking over at the Hokies 24 with 1:40 left, Vick hit Shawn
Witten for 10 yards, Andre Davis for 7 yards and a wide-open Emmett
Johnson for 59 yards down the right sideline for his first TD pass
of the season.
Johnson had to stop and wait for the ball, but still scored
easily.
"I just made the throw to make sure I wasn't going to overthrow
him," Vick said, somewhat sheepishly. "That would have been
embarrassing."
Earlier, the left-hander had Davis open nearly 70 yards away,
but the Zips' Dwight Smith made a leaping, diving interception
inside the 10.
Johnson's TD gave the Hokies a 35-17 lead at the half, and the
rest of the game was essentially a race against an approaching
thunderstorm.
Last Sunday night, the Hokies' season-opener against Georgia
Tech was canceled by thunderstorms and lightning that arrived at
kickoff.
At halftime, after criticism this week that the stadium
evacuation was chaotic last week, athletic director Jim Weaver used
the public address system to detail an evacuation plan for fans in
the event of a storm.
Weaver returned to the P.A. early in the third quarter and asked
senior citizens and small children to begin moving for the exits
because the storm appeared closer, but many in the crowd of about
50,000 booed lustily and few seemed inclined to leave despite the
lopsided score.
It eventually rained steadily, but without any lightning.
Shortly after Weaver's announcement, Vick hit Davis streaking
toward the goal posts for a 34-yard touchdown pass, making it
42-17.
Suggs scored on runs of 1 and 13 yards to lead the ground game
that totaled 335 yards. Vick had 102, and Andre Kendrick added 51
yards.
The Zips, expected to contend for the Mid-American Conference
title, had a field goal blocked, an interception returned 11 yards
for a TD by Willie Pile, and a fumble recovered by Pile in the
Hokies' end zone.
Quarterback Butchie Washington, who needed 130 yards of offense
to become the Zips' career leader, got there during a 72-yard,
nine-play drive in the second quarter. He was 14-for-28 for 248
yards on the day, including a 37-yard scoring pass to Lavel Bailey
that made it 28-17.
Jimmie Gray led the Zips ground game with 80 yards in 12 tries,
and Brandon Payne ran for 38 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown.
The Zips also got a gift touchdown late when Corvin Amos picked
up a fumbled punt return by Ronyell Whitaker and took it in from 16
yards.
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ALSO SEE
COLLEGE FOOTBALL Scoreboard
Akron Clubhouse
Virginia Tech Clubhouse
Va. Tech makes it unanimous: BCA makeup scrubbed
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Michael Vick storms 63 yards for the TD against Akron.
avi: 1204 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Emmett Johnson catches this 59-yard pass from Michael Vick for the touchdown.
avi: 1076 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Willie Pile intercepts Butchie Washington's pass and goes 11 yard for the TD.
avi: 1073 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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