Complete Game Earns Tech Its Second ACC Championship

Hokie players celebrate after winning the ACC Championship against Boston College.
STAFF PHOTO BY BRIAN SEWELL

Sean Glennon earned MVP honors after a great game against Boston College. Glennon threw for 174 yards and 3 touchdowns.
STAFF PHOTO BY BRIAN SEWELL

Tech fans called this a redemption game.  The last time the Hokies faced Boston College, they paid the price for not putting the Eagles away, giving up 14 points in the final minutes to lose at home.  This time around, the Hokies put together a full signature game and came away not only the 30-16 victors, but also the ACC champions.

“It was a complete game for us,” said Tech linebacker Xavier Adibi. “We took their best punch in the first half and stuck to it; tied it up at halftime…We always preach coming out and playing better and going even harder in the second half and that’s just what we did and came out on top.”

After the Hokies clawed their way to a 23-16 lead in the fourth quarter, Boston College began a drive that looked eerily similar to the one that sparked the comeback in the last game.  The Eagles rode the arm of quarterback Matt Ryan 56 yards and into the red zone.  On fourth down with less than three minutes on the clock Ryan dropped back, scrambled away from the Hokie pressure and attempted to throw a pass to the opposite side of the field.  This time, the pass was less than perfect and linebacker Vince Hall reeled it in for an interception.

“Any time you have a quarterback the caliber of Matt Ryan I think you’ve always got a chance,” said Eagles coach Jeff Jagodzinski. “We didn’t make enough plays and give credit to Virginia Tech, they made the plays when the plays counted.”

Tech’s dual-quarterback system saw both Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor come up big in key moments.  Down 10 in the second quarter, Tech swapped its signal callers twice on the same drive en route to its first score of the game.  Later, the Hokies took the lead on an eight-play, 84-yard drive where Taylor broke out on a 31-yard run and Glennon hooked up with Eddie Royal on a 24-yard touchdown strike.

Glennon earned Most Valuable Player honors with an 18 of 27 performance that included three touchdown passes.  His 66.7% completion rate is the best in the three-year history of the ACC Championship game.  Hokie fans in the stands chanted his name upon hearing the MVP announcement.

“It’s been such an emotional roller coaster this season and for it to end on the most unbelievable high note of my athletic career and to get the MVP shows how blessed I’ve been,” said Glennon.

In the previous day’s press conference, Tech coach Frank Beamer talked about how this game would come down to which team adjusted better to the other.  His team found itself statistically outclassed in every category but points at halftime and in need of an answer for the Eagles’ offense.  After the break his squad shut out Boston College, giving up only four more first downs and 112 yards the rest of the way.

“I think we got some coaches that know what’s going on in the game and can make adjustments, and you got to have players, no question about that,” said Beamer.

In a losing effort, Andre Callender led all receivers with an ACC Championship game-record 13 catches for 92 yards.  Josh Morgan hauled in a career-high eight passes for the Hokies for 55 yards and a touchdown.

Both teams held each other’s rushing totals under 100 yards.  Tech’s Branden Ore piled up 55 yards on 19 carries while Callender managed 51 yards on 15 carries for the Eagles.

With the win, the Hokies (11-2) clinch their second ACC championship and are guaranteed a BCS bowl, most likely the FedEx Orange Bowl in Miami.  The BCS will announce its bowl matchups during its Bowl Selection Show, which airs at 8 p.m. Sunday on FOX.

Boston College’s (10-3) bowl outlook depends on where it gets invited, which could be anywhere from the Chick-fil-A Bowl