Hokies in market for hardware
TAMPA - They already own an extensive collection of hardware from the three championships they captured during their time in the Big East. But in just their fifth year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Virginia Tech Hokies do not seem to have skipped a beat.
Virginia Tech won the ACC championship in its first year in the league in 2004, then made an appearance the following season in the league's inaugural championship game in Jacksonville, where the Hokies bowed to Florida State. Last year, Tech returned to the title game and defeated Boston College.
And now the Hokies are back in the ACC title game against the Eagles.
"I can tell you that we're very proud to be in this ballgame," said Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, whose team overcame injuries to quarterback Tyrod Taylor (ankle) and a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament to rover Davon Morgan to reclaim the Coastal Division championship. "I think we are very fortunate to be in this ballgame. But I can tell you I cannot be more proud of a football team or coaching staff. I think we had the youngest team with the toughest schedule with some key injuries that we overcame and we hung in there together as a football team and got here."
Virginia Tech will face a familiar foe in BC, which has won two of the last three meetings. The Eagles scored a 28-23 victory Oct. 18 at Alumni Stadium in which BC's defense and special teams offset five turnovers, two of which were interceptions thrown by Chris Crane that were returned for touchdowns.
"I think they've gotten better," Beamer said.
Asked how rare it was for his team to force five turnovers and lose, Beamer said, "I think you've got to look at the other side. We had some big plays against us. I mean, it was a big-play night. When you give up a punt return, when you give up a partially blocked kick, when you give up a couple of long pass plays, put all those things together and they got us.
"So I know for both of us, not turning the ball over is a key thing."
It's you, 'Nique
BC coach Jeff Jagodzinski will start his third quarterback in his fourth career meeting against the Hokies. Matt Ryan started last year's regular-season meeting and ACC title game, Crane started the Oct. 18 game, and redshirt freshman Dominique Davis will go today because of Crane's season-ending broken collarbone, sustained Nov. 22 against Wake Forest."His eyes were as big as saucers when he went out there [at Wake Forest]," Jagodzinski said of Davis. "There is a difference between being the starter and being the second-team guy. As the second-team guy, you really never expect to be in that position, and Dominique all of a sudden got thrown into that situation.
"He had a hard start [when Davis lost two fumbles that both led to Wake Forest touchdowns], settled down in the second half, and ended up leading our team on a final four-minute drive. That says a lot about that kid."
So now that Davis was back in his element, some 20 minutes from where he grew up in Lakeland, where was his head?
"My head is focused on the game," Davis said after BC's walkthrough. "It's only my second start, and it's the ACC championship, and it's [near] my hometown, so I'm very excited."
Double vision
How unlikely was it for these teams to qualify for the ACC title game for the second year in a row? Well, Beamer never imagined his team would be back, especially after the Hokies lost at BC. But BC athletic director Gene DeFilippo wasn't as convinced. "He came in the dressing room after we played them up there and he said, 'I don't think this is the last time we're going to play this year,' " Beamer said. "And after just getting our tail beat up there pretty good, I didn't know - I didn't know he was that smart." . . . Jagodzinski and Beamer agree on at least one thing: Texas over Oklahoma. Both voted in the weekly coaches' poll to keep Texas at No. 2 ahead of the Sooners. Despite suffering its only loss against Texas, Oklahoma vaulted ahead of the Longhorns in this week's BCS standings to earn a berth in the Big 12 championship game. "I know different parts of the season, as a coach, your team might be playing better at the end, I understand all of that," Beamer said. "But I think in the big picture, head to head has got to count for something."Michael Vega can be reached at vega@globe.com. 