TAMPA, Fla. -- After muffing a previous opportunity against Boston College, the Hokies didn't let this one slip through their grasp. The 30-12 win at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., marks the second consecutive year in which Tech lost to Boston College in the regular season, before rectifying matters in the ACC Championship.
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The win also gives No. 25 Virginia Tech back-to-back FedEx Orange Bowl appearances, and its third conference title in the past five years.
"I think the ACC has brought out the best in Virginia Tech," head coach Frank Beamer said. "I know the ACC's been good for us and I hope we've been good for the ACC."
Tech produced 14 points off turnovers in a second half where No. 17 Boston College committed three. The first came off a Stephan Virgil interception return to the 10-yard line while the second - which gave Tech a 30-10 lead -- came on an Orion Martin fumble return to the end zone.
"It's fitting how it ended," defensive coordinator Bud Foster said. "We created a turnover and scored as an offense the next play, and then we created a turnover and scored defensively to finish the game. So that's fitting to how it should've finished in my eyes."
After the two defenses - ranked No. 1 and 2 in the conference - each forced a three and out to open the game, the Hokies went on a scoring march led by the game's most valuable player, Tyrod Taylor.
Taking all the snaps, Taylor completed 11 of 19 passes for 84 yards while running for another 30.
The first drive, which lasted 10 plays and marked off 61 yards, included three Taylor passes of at least 10 yards each. However, it was the sophomore quarterback's legs that ended it, in the form of a five-yard scramble untouched to paydirt.
The touchdown was the first Tech has scored against the Boston College defense this season, coming up empty against the Eagles in October.
Darren Evans set up another Hokie scoring opportunity in the early part of the second period with a 30-yard rush to the Eagles nine before being forced out-of-bounds by Robert Rollins.
Then, Taylor again provided another scoring run. On a third-and-one play from 4, BC linebacker Mike McGlaughlin whiffed on a blitz. Taylor moved to his right and found the end zone.
"I was going to throw it," Taylor said. "The guy reached for my leg and clipped me. So I either had to get rid of the ball or get up field quickly."
The momentum swung back and forth as the quarter ticked away. After the Hokies went up 14-0 and regained possession, Boston College linebacker Mike Herzlich would deflect a Taylor pass into the arms of teammate Paul Anderson, who returned it down the sideline to the Eagles' 46.
In quick order, BC quarterback Dominique Davis delivered a 32-yard strike to Rich Gunnell.
The Eagle wide out seemed poised to score before Tech boundary corner Victor "Macho" Harris knocked the ball loose and into the end zone, recovered by Cam Martin.
"My mindset was to try to be the leader that the team needs to win the game," Harris said. "I did tell coach (Torrian) Gray before the game. I said. 'Coach, with all due respect, Boston College is a great team, but I want to smother them.'"
However, Tech would quickly lose the ball again - this time on a three-and-out.
Much as in Tech's regular season rendezvous with Boston College on Oct. 18, big plays continued to hurt the Hokies.
Late in the first half, the Eagles struck through the air again, this time in the form of the longest play in ACC Championship history -- a 51-yard screen pass from Davis to running back Montel Harris.
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