BLACKSBURG, Va. — Logan Thomas threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third, leading No. 9 Virginia Tech to a 24-21 victory over North Carolina on Thursday night and another 10-win season.
The Hokies (10-1, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their sixth in a row since a home loss to No. 7 Clemson and remained on track for a rematch with the Tigers in the ACC championship game. Virginia Tech would clinch its fourth Coastal Division title in five years Saturday night if Virginia loses at No. 23 Florida State.
If the Cavaliers win, the Virginia rivals play for a berth in the conference championship game Nov. 26.
North Carolina (6-5, 2-5) lost its second straight. The Tar Heels failed to get anything going on offense until after the Hokies had taken a commanding lead, then made it tense for fans who remained in the stands on a frigid night.
Bryn Renner’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Erik Highsmith made it 24-14 with 7:06 to go, and after the Hokies were forced to punt, Renner’s 64-yard pass to Highsmith set up Ryan Houston’s short touchdown run, making it 24-21 with 2:32 to play.
The Tar Heels tried an onside kick and recovered it, but the ball did not travel the required 10 yards to allow them to gain possession. Virginia Tech almost ran out the clock, leaving the Tar Heels time for one play — but Renner’s short pass fell incomplete.
The victory was No. 250 for coach Frank Beamer.
Thomas finished 19-of-32 for 195 yards. He hit Jarrett Boykin 10 times for 106 yards, and Virginia Tech improved to 19-5 on Thursday nights.
Until the late drama, the Hokies were in control. They led 10-7 at halftime and scored twice in the third quarter to effectively put the game away, especially since the Tar Heels’ offense managed to do very little. Their cause was not helped when 1,000-yard rusher Giovani Bernard, who gained 45 yards on 10 carries and scored their first touchdown, left with a mild concussion in the first half and didn’t return.
UAB 34, No. 22 Southern Miss 31
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Ty Long kicked a 38-yard field goal with 3:04 left after a drive that consumed nearly half of the final quarter.
The Blazers (3-8, 3-5 Conference USA) earned their second win against a ranked team, having beaten No. 17 East Carolina 36-17 in 1999. UAB was more than a three-touchdown underdog, fell down 14 points in the first four minutes and was victimized for TDs after a fake field goal and a successful onside kick.
“We don’t get down. We just kind of roll,” Blazers coach Neil Callaway said. “Obviously, that’s not a good way to start. But you’ve got the (two) turnovers, you’ve got the fake kick, you’ve got all those things. We give up some yardage, but we kind of find a way to keep them out of the end zone.”
The Golden Eagles (9-2, 5-2) pushed the ball across midfield twice in the final minutes, but Austin Davis’ fourth- down pass was broken up by Jamie Bender. Davis’ run for what would have been a first down was negated by Jason Weaver’s chop block, setting up third-and-20 from the Southern Miss 41.
UAB ran the clock down to 11 seconds before punting. The Golden Eagles had five laterals before the final play ended inside the Blazers’ 40 with 292-pound lineman Joe Duhon bumped out of bounds after rumbling the final 27 yards.
