It was competitive, but the Hokies came up short once again

MIAMI

Above all, football fans, thank Virginia Tech and Kansas for injecting a lost ingredient into this Bowl Championship Series week: Competitiveness.

The Rose Bowl featured Southern Cal throttling Illinois by 32 points. It was as much fun as falling off a roof.

In the Sugar Bowl, Georgia and Hawaii engaged in a little role-playing; the Bulldogs’ defense was the anvil. Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan was the coyote. The 31-point rout was almost inhumane.

Then, in Wednesday’s Fiesta Bowl, whippet-quick West Virginia treated Oklahoma like the class fat kid. The Mountaineers raced away by 20.

The Orange Bowl that Tech and Kansas played Thursday night helped the BCS save some much-needed face. It also did nothing, of course, but add to the Hokies’ dismal bowl record, which we’ll get to.

But first, give it up to the Jayhawks of the Big 12; they stepped into the national spotlight and thumbed their beaks at those who doubted them – I’m so ashamed! – because of their weak schedule.

They showed fire in jumping to a 17-zip lead on the ACC champs, resiliency in fending off the challenge when the sluggish Hokies finally stopped yawning and poise in securing what became an entertaining 24-21 victory at Dolphin Stadium.

Tech’s most compelling moments in this one, ultimately, were unfulfilled consolation. Justin Harper ran back a punt return on a reverse for an 84-yard touchdown and snared a 20-yard scoring pass to bring Tech within three with three minutes left.

Chesapeake’s Branden Ore, benched for a quarter for missing a practice, came on and rumbled strong – 23 carries for 116 yards and one touchdown. Eddie Royal opened the game with a slick kickoff return for 59 yards.

In the end, though, Tech had too many exploding-cigar moments to claim a record 12th victory.

Kansas blocked a chippie field goal – a Beamerball cardinal sin – that would have tied the score at 17 in the third quarter. And Tech quarterbacks threw two dooming interceptions .

Freshman Tyrod Taylor chucked the first, a bad sideline toss; Aqib Talib, the MVP, took it 60 yards past the Hokies’ bench for the game’s first score.

Taylor was rarely seen thereafter.

Then Sean Glennon threw the second, a bad overthrow on a slant pattern. His counterpart, Todd Reesing, turned it into a short TD scramble that provided Kansas’ clinching points.

More than a tough defeat, what also was assured was Tech’s continuing saga of bowl-game struggles. They’re as consistent as they are troubling for coach Frank Beamer’s legacy, which already suffers from “big-game” malaise.

The upside: Tech has played in 15 straight bowl games. The down? The Hokies are 6-9 in them. And, even when they win, they often come out slow or flat or both.

You saw it in Atlanta last December, when Tech actually started strong; they coughed up the Chick-fil-A late to Georgia.

You saw it in Jacksonville in the ’06 Gator; the Hokies were down 11 before surviving Louisville. You saw it in New Orleans in ’05; Auburn led the Sugar by 16 and won by three.

Phoenix in ’04; Cal took a 52-49 Insight win. Even San Francisco in ’02; Air Force was up 10 before Tech surged to win the late, great Diamond Walnut.

Here’s the common thread: Tech has fallen behind in each of those games. The fact is, the Hokies haven’t opened the scoring in a bowl game since the Gator Bowl that ended the 2001 season – and Florida State wound up thrashing them 30-17 anyway .

Maybe that says it’s time for some recalibration in Blacksburg. That Beamer needs to take whatever his bowl-prep strategy is and tip it on its ear. Turn it upside down or inside out.

Something, anything new – because the Hokies’ short performance in bowls is getting old.