A convincing victory; defense, running game propel Hokies past Tigers.(Daily Press)

BLACKSBURG, Va. _ Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer took a deep breath, tussled his sweaty gray hair and uttered words he probably never thought he'd be saying this soon. But after Sunday's 26-8 victory against No. 14 Louisiana State, he was convinced.

"That first group (of defense) is the fastest defense we have ever had," Beamer said. "That is saying something because we have had some fast teams."

LSU found out what Beamer was talking about, and the Tigers would have to agree. The fierce clash between the two teams, each trying to prove that they are worthy of being considered more than just second fiddle in their respective conferences, never materialized. The Hokies didn't let it.

Virginia Tech (2-0), ranked No. 16, fed off of a frenzied Lane Stadium crowd of 65,049 fans from the opening kickoff. It was a record for the most fans to ever see a football game in the state of Virginia, but not a sellout.

The Hokies' defense dominated most when it had to. LSU (0-1) had just one play go for more than 15 yards a 17-yard completion by quarterback Matt Mauck to receiver Michael Clayton with the Tigers trailing 17-0

and were only able to convert 1-of-13 third down opportunities. LSU punted eight times and had two turnovers on 10 of its first 11 possessions.

When Hokies defensive end Jim Davis (three sacks) wasn't residing in the Tigers' backfield, and Hokie linebackers Vegas Robinson and Mikal Baaqee weren't clogging the middle of the field, Bryan Randall was doing his best to make Virginia Tech's quarterback situation interesting.