PISCATAWAY, New Jersey (Ticker) -- Once Virginia Tech got its wakeup call, Rutgers was in for a reality check.
Bryan Randall passed for 250 yards and four touchdowns and Kevin Jones posted his third straight 100-yard rushing performance as the fourth-ranked Hokies rolled to a 48-22 victory over Rutgers in the Big East Conference opener for both teams.
Rutgers (3-2, 0-1 Big East) entered the game with wins in three of its first four games for the first time since 1993, the year after its last victory over Virginia Tech.
The Scarlet Knights, who were blanked in two of the previous three meetings with the Hokies, grabbed a 7-0 lead when Ryan Hart fired a 17-yard touchdown pass to Shawn Tucker just 2:12 into the game.
But Virginia Tech (5-0, 1-0) answered just as quickly with Randall finding Chris Shreve over the middle for a 28-yard score 4:41 into the contest for the first of 41 straight points. The Hokies went ahead for good on their next possession with Shreve catching a 45-yard TD pass less than seven minutes into the contest.
"Our offense starting out this ball game looked really good and after the first series, our defense looked really good," Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said.
Shreve, a senior making his first career start, had four catches - matching his total from the first four games - for 93 yards.
"Shreve had to step in there and he did," Beamer said. "He's been a dependable guy for us and that's the way he played today."
"It was a dream day," said Shreve, who did not receive a scholarship until August. "I could not have planned it any better. It was good to get the first catch because that got me into the flow. I may have caught them off guard because there is not much film on me. Being the mystery man kind of helps out. I think my speed caught them off guard."
Jones carried 26 times for 118 yards, marking the sixth time in his last eight starts that he topped the century mark. His six-yard scamper made it 21-7 with 3:41 remaining in the opening quarter.
"It was a good win for us," Jones said. "They played us tough early and then we had to go out there and put points on the board. That (Rutgers getting a quick score) made me want to come out harder and make some big plays."
Virginia Tech has won 21 of its last 29 Big East road games and plays its home conference opener next week against Syracuse. Rutgers was seeking its first 4-1 start since 1991, but has dropped 23 straight Big East contests.
"We practiced hard for Rutgers this week and made sure that we did not look ahead," said Jones about the upcoming games with Syracuse, West Virginia, Miami and Pittsburgh. "We made sure we were prepared for Rutgers and we were ready to go out and play."
"I think we have a chance to be a really good football team," Beamer said. "I'm not sure we are dominating on defense. It seems like we go for blood and then we don't."
Randall completed 16-of-21 passes as the Hokies defeated the Scarlet Knights for the 11th straight time. Freshman Marcus Vick, the younger brother of former Hokies star and Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, saw some action in the second quarter and was just 2-of-6 for 37 yards and a pair of interceptions.
The Hokies scored for the fourth straight possession just 70 seconds into second quarter, when backup third-string tailback Mike Imoh caught a 10-yard pass from Randall to make it 28-7.
Virginia Tech appeared headed toward a fifth consecutive TD, but cornerback Nate Jones intercepted Randall at the Rutgers 7. The Hokies failed to score on their next two possessions, with Carter Warley missing a 41-yard field goal attempt just over two minutes before halftime.
But while the offense temporarily stalled, Virginia Tech's defense scored for the second straight game with free safety Jimmy Williams intercepting Hart and returning it 55 yards 16 seconds before halftime for a 34-6 lead after Warley missed the extra point.
Imoh, who last week became the first Virginia Tech player in 11 years to return a kickoff for a touchdown a 47-13 romp over Connecticut, entered the contest with just one reception in four contests. But the 5-7, 194-pound sophomore also
Freshman Justise Hairston had a 21-yard TD run for Rutgers 2:03 into the fourth quarter. Hairston had 57 yards on 15 carries and Brian Leonard led the Scarlet Knights with 76 yards on 15 rushes. On Virginia Tech's first play after Hairston's TD, Jarvis Johnson picked off a pass by Vick and sprinted 47 yards for a score to cut the deficit to 41-22 after Hart passed to Leonard for the two-point conversion.
Backup tailback Cedric Humes had a 35-yard run for the final margin with 3:50 remaining. Humes carried six times for 43 yards as the Hokies amassed 186 yards on the ground.
