ESPN College Football

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) -- Virginia Tech's new starting backfield is off to a good start.

Sean Glennon threw three touchdown passes and Brandon Ore scored twice as No. 17 Virginia Tech defeated Division I-AA Northeastern 38-0 on Saturday.

Glennon, the sophomore who won the job that opened after Marcus Vick was dismissed from the team, was 15-for-18 for 222 yards. But he focused mostly on his one big mistake, an interception thrown on a screen pass to Josh Morgan, who was covered.

"I tried to make a play out of nothing and should have probably thrown it out of bounds," Glennon said. "Sometimes you try to do too much."

Glennon's touchdown passes went for 54, 55 and 6 yards.

"We were comfortable with him," said Ore, another sophomore.

Ore created some comfort for the Hokies, too, turning a swing pass into the 55-yard scoring play and adding a 6-yard TD run. He rushed for 54 yards.

"You can get a little screen pass going, get him in space, and all of a sudden it's a touchdown. I think that's what he gives you," coach Frank Beamer said.

Northeastern managed only 207 total yards. The highlight for the Huskies came in the third quarter, when they denied Ore the yard he needed for a first down on consecutive carries inside their 30 and took over the ball on downs.

Six plays later, however, they punted the ball back.

"There were a lot of things out there they did to confuse me, moving guys around," Huskies quarterback Anthony Orio said. He finished 13 for 24 for 103 yards with two interceptions.

The Hokies scored the first three times they had the ball.

Ore capped the first drive with a 6-yard run in the first quarter. Four plays later, cornerback Brandon Flowers intercepted Orio, and Glennon found a wide-open Morgan downfield for a 54-yard touchdown on the next play.

With 3:29 left in the quarter, the Hokies' Cary Wade blocked a punt and Kam Chancellor recovered at the Huskies' 12. George Bell scored from the 1 moments later to make it 21-0.

The block marked the 109th time in 228 games under Beamer that the Hokies have blocked a kick, and was the 55th punt block. In the final minute, the Hokies' Kory Robertson made it 110 kicks, blocking a 42-yard field goal try to preserve the shutout.

It marked the 12th consecutive season the Hokies have had at least one shutout, and their 22nd since the start of the 1995 season.

Virginia Tech's offense stalled for most of the second quarter until the Huskies downed a punt at the Hokies' 3 with just over three minutes left. It took just six plays for Glennon to cover the 97 yards, with Ore going 55 yards with a TD catch.

The victory could prove costly for the Hokies.

Left tackle Brandon Frye sprained his right elbow and flanker Eddie Royal sprained his big toe. It was not immediately known what their status would be for next Saturday at North Carolina, although Beamer guessed that Frye could miss a few weeks.

Glen Weatherford caught a 6-yard TD pass from Glennon in the third quarter, and Brandon Pace added a 30-yard field goal in the last period.