BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Dexter Williams burst through the line, suddenly saw nothing but green in front of him and was gone.
In a span of seconds, fans of No. 24 Virginia Tech went from roaring with certainty that the Hokies were about to make the kind of defensive play that can change a game to watching it flip in the other direction as Williams sprinted 97 yards down their sideline.
And soon, a tight game was no more, the No. 6 Fighting Irish pulling away for a 45-23 victory on Saturday night.
"I was looking at the Jumbotron the whole time," Williams said, "to make sure I didn't get caught.