ODU shocks Va. Tech 49-35

Blake LaRussa came off the bench to throw for 495 yards and four touchdowns to lead host Old Dominion to a 49-35 upset of No. 12 Virginia Tech on Saturday in the Hokies’ first game at the cross-state school that restarted its foot- ball program in 2009.

LaRussa, who entered the game on ODU’s second series, completed 30 of 49 and rushed for a touchdown to lead the 28½-point under- dog Monarchs (1-3) to a stun- ning win over the Hokies (2-1) from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Jeremy Cox’s 40-yard touchdown run with 1:34 remaining sealed the biggest win in program history. After the game, the ODU faithful stormed the field.

The Hokies (2-1) led 28-21 after a 72-yard touchdown pass from Josh Jackson to Damon Hazelton with 32 seconds left in the third quar- ter, but ODU scored on its next two possessions, taking a 35-28 lead on a 15-yard touchdown run by Cox with 9:57 to go - the Monarchs first lead of the game.

Things got worse for Virginia Tech, as Jackson went down with a lower leg injury on the first play of the ensuing drive. Backup quarterback Ryan Willis led the Hokies on a 75-yard march that ended with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Chris Cunningham with 7:15 remaining, tying the game at 35.

But the Hokies simply had no answer for ODU. LaRussa polished off a 75-yard drive with a beautiful 29-yard fade pattern to Jonathan Duhart for a touchdown with 5:11 left that was the game winner.

Led by LaRussa and Cox, ODU finished with 632 yards of offense against a Virginia Tech team that has prided itself on defense for decades under coordinator Bud Foster. Cox rushed for 130 yards.