Tech records second consecutive come-from-behind victory

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — OK, so Virginia Tech’s last two wins haven’t had much aesthetic value. Think the Hokies care?

They forged one of the biggest comebacks in the Frank Beamer era Saturday, coming back from a two-touchdown deficit to beat North Carolina, 20-17, at Kenan Stadium.

Tech (3-1, 2-0 ACC) scored 17 straight points during a 5:30 span bridging the third and fourth quarters, and senior placekicker Dustin Keys booted a 45-yard field goal with 10:42 left in the game for the decisive points.

“We never claimed it would be pretty,” Beamer said. “I give our players and coaches credit for hanging in there and finding a way to win. That’s the bottom line, to be able to win together as a football team.

“I thought our team did a great job of that.”

Though the wins weren’t pretty, Tech has already beaten two of its biggest challengers in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Coastal Division. It came back from a first-half deficit last week to beat Georgia Tech.

As he did last year after big wins, Beamer danced a jig for his players during the postgame locker room celebration.

“Well, the boys like my dancing,” Beamer said. “I warmed up on them tonight. Now, if we can go to Nebraska (next Saturday) and get one, I’m going to put on a show out there.”

After 38 minutes of offensive ineptitude, and a couple of uncharacteristic defensive miscues, the Hokies righted the ship to pull out the dramatic victory.

The win ties for the second-largest comeback in Beamer’s 22 years as head coach. Tech came from 15 points behind to beat Virginia 36-29 in 1995, and it came back from 14 points on two previous occasions (2004 against Georgia Tech and 2000 against Syracuse).

Three of Tech’s four takeaways came in the second half, and UNC (2-1, 0-1) dragged itself down with a multitude of drive-killing (for itself) and drive-sustaining (for the Hokies) penalties.

The Tar Heels were flagged 14 times for 121 yards.

“I think a lot of it boils down to us beating ourselves this afternoon,” UNC linebacker Mark Paschal said.

North Carolina took a 17-3 lead on Greg Little’s 50-yard touchdown run with 6:44 remaining in the third, and because of Tech’s poor offensive play, the only question remaining seemed to be how big a blowout the Tar Heels would register.

But the Hokies rallied, thanks to another fine defensive effort and a resurgence on offense.

Tech running back Darren Evans scored a 10-yard touchdown with a minute left in the third quarter, and Kenny Lewis added an 11-yard scoring run 2:30 later to tie the score 17-17.

Then Keys kicked his second game-winning field goal in as many games. He converted what turned out to be the game-winning 21-yard field goal in the fourth quarter of last week’s 20-17 win over Georgia Tech.

“I didn’t hit it as solid as I have other kicks, but I got good height on it, and I kicked through it and looked up,” Keys said of his kick to beat UNC. “I know (holder Brent) Bowden was sitting there holding his breath, and I looked at him and said, ‘It’s good,’ and just watched it go through the uprights.”

The Hokies’ offense, which accounted for 80 yards and three first downs in the first half, came around after the break, but credit for Saturday’s win rests largely on Tech’s defense.

It recorded four sacks, forced and recovered two fumbles and intercepted UNC starting quarterback T.J. Yates twice.

Tech’s game-tying touchdown drive was made possible by defensive end Orion Martin’s forced fumble and rover Davon Morgan’s recovery at the UNC 30.

Martin rushed in to wrap up Tar Heels wide receiver Brooks Foster, and his helmet made contact with the ball, popping it out of Foster’s hands.

“People have been counting us out already. We were picked to lose both of (our last two) games and we came back and fought hard and won,” Martin said. “We’re just going to keep fighting, and people are going to keep doubting us, and we’re just going to keep getting better and keep winning.”

Martin also had a pivotal third-quarter sack on Yates that dropped him for an 18-yard loss and eventually knocked him out of the game with a left ankle sprain. Yates stayed in for one play, an incomplete screen pass, but he paid for it by taking another jarring hit by a couple of Hokies defenders.

Yates left the game and never returned. He was replaced by redshirt freshman Mike Paulus, who had never completed a college pass before Saturday.

Paulus’ first play was the handoff to Little that resulted in his 50-yard touchdown run. It was the quarterback’s most productive play.

His inexperience showed throughout the final 20 minutes. The Tar Heels trailed 20-17 midway through the fourth quarter when Paulus drove them to Tech’s 24. UNC was well within kicker Jay Wooten’s field goal range, but Paulus threw a costly interception to Hokies’ cornerback Macho Harris.

Paulus also threw an interception to corner Stephan Virgil with 1:17 left. Tech took over and ran out the clock.

“We played so well for the first 30 minutes of the game,” UNC coach Butch Davis said, “then played so poorly for the second 30 minutes of the game.”