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NCAAF FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL --- --- --- --- ----- VIRGINIA TECH (2) 0 3 12 7 22 SYRACUSE 14 0 0 0 14 FINAL
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QTR: SYR - TD, DEE BROWN 9 YD RUN (MIKE SHAFER KICK), 7:49 SYR - TD, MAURICE JACKSON 78 YD PASS FROM TROY NUNES (MIKE SHAFER KICK), 12:39 2ND QTR: VTCH - FG, CARTER WARLEY 47 YD, 7:43 3RD QTR: VTCH - TD, LEE SUGGS 5 YD RUN (TWO-POINT CONVERSION FAILED), 8:36 VTCH - TD, LEE SUGGS 1 YD RUN (TWO-POINT CONVERSION FAILED), 12:11 4TH QTR: VTCH - TD, MICHAEL VICK 55 YD RUN (CARTER WARLEY KICK), 13:26
Extended BoxNCAAF 1 2 3 4 F - - - - -- Virginia Tech (2) 0 3 12 7 22 Syracuse 14 0 0 0 14 FINAL
Syracuse-Brown 9 run (Shafer kick) Syracuse-Jackson 78 pass from Nunes (Shafer kick) Virginia Tech-FG Warley 47 Virginia Tech-Suggs 5 run (two-point conversion failed) Virginia Tech-Suggs 1 run (two-point conversion failed) Virginia Tech-Vick 55 run (Warley kick)
Virginia Tech Syracuse First downs 14 15 Rushed-yards 48-165 41-111 Passing yards 75 217 Sacked-yards lost 8-60 0-0 Return yards 29 14 Passes 6-11-0 13-25-4 Punts 7-32.9 2-49.5 Fumbles-lost 1-0 2-1 Penalties-yards 6-40 12-77 Time of possession 31:18 28:42
Individual Statistics RUSHING: Virginia Tech-Suggs 21-91, Kendrick 8-73, Vick 16-9, Team 1-minus 1, Ferguson 1-minus 2, Johnson 1-minus 5. Syracuse-Brown 19-71, Nunes 13-33, Davis 2-8, Woodcock 1-7, Mungro 5-minus 3, Scott 1-minus 5.
PASSING: Virginia Tech-Vick 6-11-0-75. Syracuse-Nunes 13-25-4-217.
RECEIVING: Virginia Tech-Johnson 3-47, And Davis 2-21, E Wilford 1-7. Syracuse-Jackson 4-155, G Manley 3-25, Campbell 2-17, Woodcock 2-17, Mungro 1-5, Brown 1-minus 2.
Att: 49,033
Game StorySYRACUSE, New York (Ticker) -- They're breathing a huge sigh of relief in Blacksburg.
Lee Suggs rushed for two touchdowns in the third quarter following crucial turnovers as No. 2 Virginia Tech survived its personal house of horrors, rallying for a 22-14 Big East Conference victory over Syracuse.
The Hokies (7-0, 5-0 Big East) won for the first time in five visits to the Carrier Dome since joining the Big East in 1992.
"They got after us like nobody's gotten after us, even moreso than Florida State," said Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, refering to the Hokies' loss to the Seminoles in last year's national championship game.
Michael Vick, kept quiet for most of the night, clinched the victory with a 55-yard TD run with 1:34 remaining in the fourth quarter. Vick completed just 6-of-11 for 75 yards and rushed for only nine yards on 16 carries.
Defensive end Dwight Freeney had a school-record 4 1/2 sacks for Syracuse, which dropped the talented Vick eight times for 60 yards in losses.
"I think I'd rather lose 62-0 than the way we lost today," said Freeney, recalling Syracuse's one-sided defeat to Virginia Tech last season. "We left everything out there and my 4 1/2 sacks don't mean anything without the win."
With Vick struggling to get loose, it appeared that Virginia Tech's drought in Syracuse would continue as the Orangemen (3-4, 1-2) opened a 14-3 halftime lead.
"Vick is an outstanding, outstanding talent," Syracuse coach Paul Pasqualoni said. "He's a terrific player, but I think we showed that it's hard for one guy to beat 11 guys if 11 guys do it for 60 minutes."
With Miami the only remaining major opponent on the schedule, a loss likely would have ended Virginia Tech's national title hopes.
But the game turned early midway through the third quarter, when Syracuse quarterback Troy Nunes threw an ill-advised interception deep in his own territory. Nunes stumbled as he dropped back toward the goal line, but he put the ball up and it was picked off by Willie Pile at the 10.
"I don't know what happened on that play," Nunes said. "Someone may have stepped on my foot, I'm not sure. I probably shouldn't have thrown the pass because two points is better than the six that they got."
Three plays later, Suggs scored on a five-yard TD run to make it 14-9 with 6:24 left in the third quarter. The conversion pass failed, but the Hokies got the ball back as Maurice Jackson fumbled at the Syracuse 21 following a reception.
Suggs barrelled in from the 1, giving Virginia Tech a 15-14 lead with 2:49 left in the period. Again, the Hokies failed to convert the two-point conversion.
At halftime, we knew exactly what we had to do," Beamer said. "There's something about this team and hanging around. Syracuse got after us all the way. We ended up making enough plays to win the football game."
Syracuse jumped to a quick 14-0 lead in the first period on Dee Brown's nine-yard TD run and Nunes' 78-yard TD strike to Maurice Johnson.
Carter Warley nailed a 47-yard field goal for the Hokies with 7:17 left in the second.
"It's frustrating to our players, it really is," Pasqualoni said. "In close games, it usually comes down to turnovers and we did not win the turnover battle. We caused our own problems."
Nunes completed 13-of-25 passes for 217 yards, but threw four interceptions for the second straight week. Brown rushed for 71 yards on 19 carries.
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