Photos by Matt Gentry | The Roanoke Times

Virginia Tech's Darren Evans runs into the middle of the Nebraska defensive line during the first half of Saturday's game at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb.

Virginia Tech's Stephan Virgil (22) blocks the punt attempt by Nebraska's Dan Titchener (97). The deflected football went out of the end zone, giving the Hokies a safety.

Virginia Tech's Macho Harris (1) knocks Nebraska's Niles Paul off of his feet during Saturday's game between the Hokies and Cornhuskers. Harris had and first-half interception that led to a Tech TD.

LINCOLN, Neb. -- It took an 1,100-mile trip to the Heartland for Virginia Tech' football team to find an offense and a passing game.

Paced a stellar performance by sophomore quarterback Tyrod Taylor and a breakout party by their young receivers, the Hokies scored a hard-earned 35-30 victory at Nebraska in front of a record-sized crowd of 85,831 fans at Memorial Stadium.

Despite all the offense -- Tech posted season highs in points, total yards (377) and passing yards (171) -- the Hokie needed some help from the Huskers.

After Nebraska (3-1) scored two touchdowns to trim an 18-point deficit to 28-23 with 7:52 left in the game, Tech was facing a third-and-4 at the NU 37 when Taylor was stopped short on the sideline.

However, Huskers defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh hit Taylor late on the sideline for a 15-yard personal foul that kept the Hokies' drive alive. Seconds afterward, the official threw another flag on the Huskers for unsportsmanlike conduct, moving the ball to the NU 10-yard line.

Three plays later, Taylor scored on a 2-yard run to put Tech ahead 35-23 with 2:28 to play. Nebraska swiftly raced back down field as quarterback Joe Ganz hit three passes for 72 yards, including a 17-yard TD pass with 1:32 left for the final numbers on the scoreboard.

When tight end Greg Boone recovered Nebraska's onside kick, the Hokies (4-1) ran out the clock and celebrated a major road conquest against one of the biggest names in college football.

In running his record to 8-0 as a starter, Taylor completed 9 of 15 passes for 171 yards. He ran 15 times for 87 yards and one TD.

Tech's young receiving corps came on big. A Tech club that had produced only two pass plays for 20 yards or more in the season's first four games, got big games from freshman Jarrett Boykin (two receptions, 58 yards), sophomore tight end Andre Smith (2-for-54 yards), junior tight end Boone (2-for-33) and freshman split end Danny Coale (2-for-14).

Redshirt freshman tailback Darren Evans ran 21 times for 72 yards and scored two TDs. Junior tailback Kenny Lewis Jr. carried 17 times for 50 yards as Tech ran for 206 yards.

Tech's defense played much stronger than the numbers indicate. The Hokies held the Huskers to 55 rushing yards on 25 carries as coordinator Bud Foster loaded the box with eight men and the move stoned Nebraska's ground game. Ganz was 17-for-26 passing for two TDs and 278 yards.

Tech helped itself by not committing a turnover and had only four penalties for 30 yards. Nebraska became the third straight team to help Tech on a late scoring drive with major penalties. The Huskers had seven penalties for 69 yards.

Down 28-10 late in the third quarter, the Huskers didn't roll over and play dead. Roy Helu's 12-yard TD run with 4 seconds left in the quarter drew the hosts to 11 points.

Then after a rare defensive stop, Nate Swift fielded a punt at the NU 12, sidestepped a couple of defenders and raced down the left sideline for an 88-yard TD to turn the record crowd of fans into a frenzy. Ganz's two-point conversion pass went off the hands of Swift in the end zone, leaving Tech ahead 28-23

Taking advantage of superior field position and a season-high 198 total yards in the first half, the Hokies went to the halftime locker room with an 18-10 lead.

Tech's passing game, which had been flat in the season's first four games, finally showed up when in the nation's flatlands. Taylor completed six of 10 passes for 126 yards in the first two quarters, including completions of 40 yards to tight end Smith and 34 to Boykin.

After cornerback Stephan Virgil blocked a punt for a safety that gave Tech a 2-0 lead midway in the first quarter, Macho Harris came up with the first of a string of big plays he made in the game.

Harris picked off a Ganz pass and returned it to the NU 5. Three plays later, Evans took a pitch to the right said and strolled into the end zone for a 1-yard TD to put Tech ahead 9-0 with 5:22 left in the first quarter.

Nebraska, which had 128 total yards in the first half, closed to 9-7 less than two minutes when Mike McNeill got lost behind Tech safety Kam Chancellor for a wide-open 32-yard TD pass. McNeill had caught a 27-yard pass earlier in the three-play, 68-yard drive.

Answering right back, Taylor was 3-for-4 passing for 54 yards, including scrambling and throwing on the run to find Smith behind the Huskers' defense for a 40-yard gain to the NU 3. Tech, however, couldn't punch it for six and had to settle for the first of three first-half field goals by Dustin Keys.

Virginia Tech 9 9 10 7 --35

Nebraska 7 3 7 13 -- 30

First Quarter

VT-- Safety,Virgil's blocked punt goes through end zone, 8:35.

VT--Evans 1 run (Keys kick), 5:22.

Neb--McNeill 32 pass from Ganz (Henery kick), 3:54.

Second Quarter

VT--FG Keys 19, 14:51.

Neb--FG Henery 48, 10:45.

VT--FG Keys 38, 7:10.

VT--FG Keys 27, 1:15.

Third Quarter

VT--FG Keys 36, 10:25.

VT--Evans 19 run (Keys kick), 6:54.

Neb--Helu 12 run (Henery kick), :04.

Fourth Quarter

Neb--Swift 88 punt return (pass failed), 7:52.

VT--T.Taylor 2 run (Keys kick), 2:28.

Neb--Peterson 17 pass from Ganz (Henery kick), 1:32.

A--85,831.

VT Neb

First downs 21 14

Rushes-yards 55-206 25-55

Passing 171 278

Comp-Att-Int 9-15-0 17-26-1

Return Yards 78 84

Punts-Avg. 5-34.6 5-29.4

Fumbles-Lost 0-0 3-1

Penalties-Yards 4-30 7-69

Time of Possession 34:44 25:16

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING--Virginia Tech, T.Taylor 15-87, Evans 21-72, Lewis 17-50, Coale 1-(minus 1), Team 1-(minus 2). Nebraska, Helu 4-21, Ganz 8-18,

Lucky 8-17, Castille 3-8, Team 1-(minus 3), Paul 1-(minus 6).

PASSING--Virginia Tech, T.Taylor 9-15-0-171. Nebraska, Ganz 17-26-1-278.

RECEIVING--Virginia Tech, Boykin 2-58, Smith 2-54, Boone 2-33, Coale 2-14, Roberts 1-12. Nebraska, Peterson 4-60, McNeill 3-66, Swift 3-58, Lucky 3-38, Paul 1-21, Me.Holt 1-20, Young 1-10, Gilleylen 1-5.