MIAMI — Virginia Tech had one bad week this season. The Hokies have been perfect in all others.
Their reward is another shot at an Atlantic Coast Conference championship.
Ryan Williams ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns, including a career-long 84-yarder with 13:24 remaining, as No. 16 Virginia Tech beat No. 24 Miami 31-17 on Saturday to clinch the ACC’s Coastal Division title. The Hokies (9-2, 7-0) won their ninth consecutive game, the program’s longest streak since 1999, and will get an opportunity to play their way into the Orange Bowl in Miami’s home stadium Jan. 3.
Tyrod Taylor’s touchdown on an 18-yard keeper with 6:25 left sealed it for Virginia Tech, which beat Miami for the 11th time in 16 meetings.
Danny Coale added four catches for 83 yards and a touchdown for the Hokies, who gave up 464 yards but intercepted Miami freshman quarterback Stephen Morris three times in the final nine minutes.
Lamar Miller rushed for a career-best 163 yards and a touchdown for Miami (7-4, 5-3), which has not won the ACC since joining in 2004.
Virginia Tech opened the season with a loss on Labor Day to Boise State, then got stunned five days later against lower-division James Madison - at home, no less - in a game that seemed to suggest the Hokies weren’t going to be factors in the ACC.
Next week, the Hokies will have a chance to be the first team to go unbeaten in the ACC since Florida State in 2000.
For the second consecutive year, it was Williams doing the damage to Miami.
He ran for 150 yards and two scores last season when Virginia Tech beat the Hurricanes 31-7 in Blacksburg, but was kept in check until the fourth quarter Saturday.
Then on his first touch of the final quarter, Williams went up the middle - and all the way.
A one-play drive for 84 yards gave the Hokies the lead for good, and after Jayron Hosley intercepted Morris with 9:01 left, the Hokies were in total control.
In other games, Montel Harris carried24 times for 114 yards, including a goahead 4-yard touchdown late in the third quarter, to lift surging Boston College (6-5, 4-4) to bowl eligibility with a 17-13 victory over visiting Virginia (4-7, 1-6).
Eagles quarterback Chase Rettig threw a 39-yard scoring strike to Alex Amidon. ... Owen Spencer caught a tipped ball in the end zone for a touchdown on fourth down to help visiting North Carolina State (8-3, 5-2) rally past rival North Carolina (6-5, 3-4) 29-25. ... Mario Butler returned an interception 85 yards for a touchdown, Tevin Washington threw a 79-yard touchdown pass to Stephen Hill and host Georgia Tech (6-5, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) beat Duke (3-8, 1-6) 30-20. ... Kyle Parker threw two touchdown passes, Jamie Harper rushed for 142 yards and Clemson (6-5, 4-4) beat host Wake Forest (2-9, 1-7) 30-10. Chandler Cantazaro kicked three field goals, while Parker finished 15 of 17 for 194 yards in just over 2 1/2 quarters. ... Christian Ponder threw for 170 yards and a touchdown, and Florida State (8-3, 6-2) beat Maryland (7-4, 4-3) 30-16 in College Park, Md., to remain in the hunt to play in the ACC title game. Ponder completed 16 of 26 passes and Bert Reed had six catches for 93 yards and a touchdown for the Seminoles.
BIG EAST
Pitt tops South Florida
TAMPA, Fla. - Dion Lewis rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown, helping visiting Pittsburgh beat South Florida 17-10 to retain sole possession of first place in the Big East.
The Panthers (6-4, 4-1) rebounded from a two-point loss to Connecticut to remain in control of the crowded conference race. They can clinch the title and the league’s automatic BCS bowl berth by winning their remaining games against West Virginia and Cincinnati.
Receiver Terrence Mitchell scored on a 45-yard touchdown run for South Florida (6-4, 3-3), however the Bulls got little production out of their passing game. B.J. Daniels completed 15 of 29 passes for 132 yards with an interception on the game’s final play.
In other games, West Virginia (7-3, 3-2) kept its hopes for a Big East title alive with a 17-10 victory over host Louisville (5-6, 2-4), setting up a showdown with rival Pittsburgh on Friday. ... Jordan Todman ran for 130 yards and scored on two short runs, and Connecticut (6-4, 3-2) capitalized on two turnovers to beat Syracuse (7-4, 4-3) 23-6 in Syracuse, N.Y. ... Isaiah Pead scored a career-high five touchdowns and Cincinnati’s offense put together a bevy of big plays, beating Rutgers (4-6, 1-4) 69-38 in the highest-scoring game in Big East history. The Bearcats (4-6, 2-3) piled up 41 points in the first half and finished tied for third-most points in school history. Pead had a career-high 213 yards on 31 carries.
Sports, Pages 34 on 11/21/2010