Virginia Tech dominated the fourth quarter to break open a close game with Miami en route to posting a 31-17 win over the Hurricanes in South Florida on Saturday and clinching the ACC Coastal Division title in the process.
Virginia, meanwhile, went scoreless after halftime in Chestnut Hill and couldn’t convert on a first-and-goal in the game’s final five minutes while dropping a tough 17-13 decision to Boston College.
The loss was Virginia’s third in a row after upsetting Miami 24-19 on Oct. 30. Virginia Tech has now won nine in a row after dropping its first two games, including a 21-16 loss to I-AA James Madison on Sept. 11.
The Cavs and the Hokies are clearly heading in different directions heading into their regular-season finale this week in Blacksburg.
“To come down here and win when things didn’t look great – I think this is just a special group,” said Tech coach Frank Beamer, whose team overcame early injuries to corner Rashad Carmichael and wideout Marcus Davis and an otherwise sluggish start in large part by forcing three first-half Miami turnovers. The ‘Canes outgained the Hokies 265 yards-126 yards in the first half, but the game was still tied 10-10 heading into the locker room due to the turnovers.
All told, Miami turned the ball over six times on the day, but the game was still tied at 17 in the fourth quarter when Ryan Williams took a Tyrod Taylor handoff at the Tech 16, cut back through the line and raced 84 yards down the left sideline for a backbreaking touchdown that made it 24-17 Hokies with 13:24 to go.
A Taylor 18-yard TD run following a Miami turnover put the game out of reach at 31-17 with 6:25 to go.
Tech (9-2, 7-0 ACC) would seal it with a pair of interceptions of Miami true freshman quarterback Stephen Morris, who threw three picks, all in the fourth quarter.
The win clinches the Coastal Division title and a spot in the Dec. 4 ACC Championship Game for Virginia Tech. North Carolina State controls its destiny in the ACC Atlantic race – a State win at Maryland this week would put the Wolfpack into the game in Charlotte with a shot at payback for the Hokies’ come-from-behind 41-30 win in Raleigh in October. Florida State knocked off Maryland 23-16 Saturday night to keep its title hopes alive, but the Seminoles can only get into the title game with an N.C. State loss because of N.C. State’s 30-27 win in their head-to-head matchup.
The early kickoff for the Virginia-Virginia Tech rivalry game – noon Saturday – makes sense now with whatever drama there might have been now gone. Tech is playing for an 8-0 ACC regular season and momentum heading into the postseason; UVa. is playing for pride after another second-half letdown.
The Cavs sat at 4-4 after the upset win over Miami three weeks ago, and had games against Duke, Maryland and BC that seemed to offer prospects for another win or two heading into the Tech finale. The defense faltered in blowing second-half leads in the Duke and Maryland games. It was the offense’s turn to flub it up against Boston College, who held Virginia scoreless in the second half after the ‘Hoos went into the locker room up 13-10.
“One thing about this team is these guys play hard and they play fast, but we’re just not good enough in some spots to help us overcome some of the things that we’ve got,” coach Mike London said after the game, summing up a disappointing first season at the helm in Charlottesville.
After early promise – a 17-14 loss at Pac 10 power Southern Cal on Sept. 11 seemed to forebode a higher ceiling for this team that had come in picked to finish last in the ACC Coastal and was generally thought to be about a three- or four-win team – the Cavs are sitting in last place in the Coastal and are a four-win team with a battering from Virginia Tech still due them.
The Hokies, for their part, are also pretty much where people had them pegged before the season – the inexplicable loss to JMU notwithstanding. Tech was the heavy favorite to win the ACC before the season, and will be the prohibitive favorite in Charlotte no matter who ends up winning the Atlantic.
Beamer is not known for waxing poetic about football, but he was as close as he ever gets to that in Miami after the clincher.
“They work hard and they support each other. It’s really a neat feeling to be the head coach of a crowd like this,” Beamer said.
Column by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at [email protected].
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