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.
As the clock approached one minute, Davis would capitalize on a touchdown toss to wide out Rich Gunnell on the right corner of the end zone.
While Tech was forced to punt on the following possession, they pinned BC inside its 20-yard line and headed into the locker room at halftime with a 14-7 lead. Under head coach Frank Beamer, the Hokies hold an all-time record of 144-25 when ahead at the break.
Tech's first possession of the second half resulted in a 50 yard field goal from Dustin Keys - who set two records on the boot. It was the longest kick in ACC Championship Game history and in Keys' collegiate career.
His previous best was a pair of 45 yards - both against Boston College this season.
A ten-point lead in this series is anything but safe. The Hokies had 10-0 advantage in each of their previous two regular season meetings, while the Eagles led by that same score in last year's title game.
However, that trend wouldn't continue on Saturday.
Virgil grabbed a pivotal interception just as momentum as moment fell back into Boston College's hands. Tech linebacker Brett Warren had just dropped a bouncing fumble inside the Eagles' 20, and Boston College quarterback Dominique Davis would convert on third-and-long on the ensuing play.
However, Boston College quarterback Dominique Davis would misfire deep moments later into the capitalizing arms of Virgil, who would return the errant pass 35 yards to Boston College's 10-yard line.
In their first match up of 2008, the Hokies recorded five takeaways but turned them into zero offensive points in a 28-23 loss in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
They took full advantage on the very next play. Evans ran for his 10th rushing touchdown of the season, tying the most by a Hokie freshman. He ran 31 times to set the ACC Championship game rushing mark with 114 yards.
"I love the role that I have and the confidence that they have in me," Evans said.
Evans, though, would cough the ball up later. A fumble forced by Eagles right end Jim Ramella at the Tech 38 yard line was recovered by linebacker Mark Harzlich.
But Boston College could only manage a field goal - from 24 yards - that brought them within 14 points.
The Tech defense, however, would inflict additional harm on the Eagles offense. Defensive end Jason Worilds broke through for a sack and a forced fumble, which Martin snatched out of the air and took 17 yards for the score - narrowly dodging an orange tossed from the stands.
"It was a great play by Jason (Worilds)," Martin said. "He came around the corner and made a great play. I was there to scoop his score. I had the easy part."
Keys missed the extra point kick.
BC's next possession went for naught, as the Hokies forced the Eagles to turn the ball over on downs with just over 6:30 left in the game.
The Hokie defense limited the Eagle rushing attack, holding Harris to just 34 yards and nine carries. That put more pressure on Davis, who completed a woeful 17 of 43 pass attempts.
Linebacker Brett Warren sealed the deal for the Hokies -- and redeemed a second fumble by Evans -- by snatching a pass tipped by Harris at the Tech five-yard line with four minutes to play.
And when Tech linebackers Warren and Cody Grimm buried Davis' on Boston College's last drive, Tech had conquered the ACC once again.
"It's the youngest football team we've had in some time with the toughest schedule, with some key injuries, and some people that kind of gave up on us," Beamer said. "But this football team hung together."
"It says a heck of a lot about the kids in this program and the coaching staff that I have back there."
The Hokies will try to avenge last year's loss to Kansas in the FedEx Orange Bowl when they play again in Miami's Dolphin Stadium on Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. Their opponent will be officially named on Sunday.