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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Hokies’ Ore proves golden


Virginia Tech's Branden Ore powers past Chris Clemons for a touchdown. 
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press The Spokesman-Review

BLACKSBURG, Va. – Branden Ore shredded Clemson for 203 rushing yards and two touchdowns and Virginia Tech held the No. 10 Tigers to 76 yards in the last three quarters in the Hokies’ 24-7 football victory Thursday night.

Virginia Tech (6-2, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), beaten soundly in its last two ACC games by Georgia Tech and Boston College, showed the Tigers what it felt like.

Clemson (7-2, 4-2) had just three first downs in the last three quarters. The third one came in the final minute, not long before the final gun sounded.

Ore carried a career-high 37 times for his second consecutive 200-yard performance. He had 207 five days earlier in a rout of Southern Mississippi, and this time upstaged the Tigers’ vaunted two-back tandem of James Davis and C.J. Spiller. They came into the game averaging 185 yards between them, but finished with just 71 yards on 22 tries.

The Hokies, leading 10-7 at halftime, padded their lead early in the third quarter after Xavier Adibi intercepted Will Proctor’s pass at the Clemson 35. Ore did the rest, carrying on five consecutive plays, the last an 11-yard, second-effort run for the TD.