BLACKSBURG, Va. – Marcus Vick threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third, and Virginia Tech got its second shutout in a row with a 45-0 victory over Ohio University on Saturday.

The fourth-ranked Hokies (3-0), who blanked Duke 45-0 last Saturday, turned three turnovers into touchdowns and turned the Bobcats away twice deep in Tech territory. Brooks Rossman missed a 36-yard field goal, and an interception ended the other drive.

The Bobcats (1-2) were coming off a 16-10 overtime victory against Pittsburgh that heightened excitement in their first season under former Nebraska coach Frank Solich, but they had never played a team ranked as high as the Hokies. And probably won’t be in any rush to again. Ohio finished with just 188 yards to the Hokies’ 473.

The Hokies limited the Bobcats to 17 yards on 13 plays in the first quarter, then took command by turning a pair of second-quarter turnovers into scoring drives.

The first takeaway came when James Anderson disrupted Austen Everson’s option pitch, knocking the ball away. Noland Burchette recovered for the Hokies at the Ohio 8, and three runs by Cedric Humes later, he went wide to the left and made it 10-0.

Late in the half, Xavier Adibi caught a deflecton on Everson’s pass and returned it 25 yards to the Bobcats’ 32. Three plays later, Vick hit tight end Jeff King from 28 yards out and King scored when he dove with his arms outstretched for the goal line.

Vick hit Jesse Allen from 3 yards out and then scored himself on a 4-yard run in the third quarter, capping a drive set up by Roland Minor’s interception at the Hokies 5.

Vick finished 12-for-16 for 200 yards. He was sacked three times.

Humes added another touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 33-yard run, and John Kinzer caught a 38-yard scoring pass from backup Cory Holt in the fourth quarter.

By then, many of the fans were on their way to the parking lots.

The Hokies started fast with a 52-yard pass from Vick to David Clowney on their first play of the game, but Ohio held and Brandon Pace kicked a 35-yard field goal.

The Bobcats held the next time the Hokies moved in close, stopping Mike Imoh for a yard loss on fourth-and-1 from the 3, but then the turnovers got Virginia Tech going.

AP-ES-09-17-05 1931EDT


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